Emil e i detectives

This is the third movie version of Eric Kastner's oft-filmed story I've seen in the last few years. Once again, Emil, in the form of Bryan Russell, is on his way to spend the summer with his grandmother and cousin in the big city of Berlin; again, the Man In The Bowler Hat steals the money he is carrying for grandma; again, he encounters local kids, who organize and eventually bring justice.

In this Disney version, a major subplot is added (or perhaps restored; I've never read Herr Kastner's story). The Man With The Bowler Hat is involved in a bank robbery ringled by Walter Slezak. There's a nice amount of the effectiveness of gangs of children versus gangs of adults (including the stodgy and thoughtless police), with the points going to the kids; adults refuse to take them seriously at their peril.

The movie is shot in a bright and clean world that emphasizes the benign nature of reality for children, while the bank robbers toil in the grim underworld, trying to tunnel to the bank. the score by Heinz Schreiter is full of woodwinds which constantly informs the audience of the harmless silliness of this particular cinematic universe -- a mistake, I think, but what's a composer to do?

In the end, this is another pleasant version of the story, adding little to it of moment, but giving it a contemporary, 1960s air. I think the best version I've seen remains the original version, released in German in 1931, in no small part because the world in that movie is not so sunny, but the children ignore that in favor of their own constructed world.

One of the most dreadful adaptations of a book I've seen in a long time. Disney took the delightful and touching 1929 novel by Erich Kästner and turned it into something utterly ridiculous. In the first half-minute I knew something was going to be off when they revealed straight away who the robber was for certain, thus destroying any sense of mystery and tension the book had. Moreover they made the Grundeis character so grossly unbelievable as a person, it was hardly watchable. And the detectives...all the charm and comradery of the group of boys who help Emil in the book was lost in this film. In the film, they were basically hired for a tenner.

Enjoy a step back in time to West Berlin, Germany, during the early 1960s when Germany was divided and skrinks were invading.

Real scenery, real buildings, real vehicles -- it's not an imagining in a fantasy land, it's what actually did exist at one time and some of it still does today. (Note the tall hexagon-shaped building and old church in the background when Gustav and Emil meet; it's the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church located at Lietzenburgerstrasse 39, 10789 Berlin)

1960s style, fashion, costumes -- each character's outfit defines them and adds to the charm of the story; whether it's an actual character in the script or a nameless passerby in the background, the styles and colors are captivating.

Story narrator, opening credits, film effects, editing -- enjoyable features that add to the story and help it move along; even during the slower-moving moments of the film, I'm still intrigued by the scenery, the background, the music, the writing, or other subtle elements that could be edited away but it wouldn't necessarily make the film better, just shorter.

Young detectives, innocent loyal do-gooders, solving problems together in a more adult manner than adults in modern films.

Score, background music, sound effects -- I don't have to watch every second to know what's going on because the sounds and music tell the story too; while it's not a musical, the music is essential to the movie.

Dry humor, no swearing, witty insightful writing with good moral lessons and silly words that should get used more, like 'skrink' and 'skrunky'.

Stunts, physical work -- not high-impact but highly enjoyable.

Cartoonish villains that aren't animated and don't cause serious harm to anyone as much as they try -- similar to the Apple Dumpling Gang or the bad guys in That Darn Cat; other good titles would be the Apple Streusel Gang or That Darn Skrink.

Worst thing about movie: I didn't know it existed the first 41 years of my life.

Thanks to TCM and their Disney Vault series for making these movies available without commercials, and with captions too!

A respectable and watchable film.

I do feel 'Emil and the Detectives' could've been bigger and better, there's a load of good ingredients there. With that said, it is still a film that has its pluses. One is how it looks, with cool shots of 1960s Berlin. Another is the humour which is pretty solid.

The cast is where it gets underwhelming, not in terms of the actors but just in regards to the characters and their respective developments. Heinz Schubert, Walter Slezak and Peter Ehrlich are suitable choices to portray Grundeis, The Baron and Müller. However, they never really get out of second gear. I personally wanted more from the trio.

Then you have the child actors, for which there are many - probably too many as none of them, aside from Emil (Bryan Russell) and Gustav (Roger Mobley), get much development or even serious screen time.

As for the premise, it's entertaining. Like with what I've already noted, it's all just a bit safe and mild. It definitely could've been greater. I still had a fun enough time with this, though.

"Emil and the Detectives" is the type of kids adventure stories that Walt Disney Studios made several of in the 1950s and 1960s. They were always fun and somewhat interesting, though no one ever thought any real harm would come to the heroes. Still they could keep kids on the edge of their seats at times.

This is a fun family film that youngsters especially should enjoy. Although older kids who are addicted to video games and non-stop action films will have to learn how to sit still to enjoy it.

The only actor of any note in this film is Walter Slezak, an Austrian-born character actor who played in dramas, thrillers and comedies. He will be most familiar for his roles in films about WW II when he usually played German officers or high-ranking officials.

Bryan Russell was a fine young actor, playing Emil in this film. But he made only one movie after this, and after a TV series in the mid-1960s, he quit acting.

An interesting aside in this film was its shooting locations in Germany. This was 1964, and it shows some of the rubble yet from World War II. I can attest to that fact, having served in the U.S. Army in Germany from 1962 to October of 1964. I was stationed near Mainz, Germany, and that city still had partial blocks in rubble that had not yet been cleaned up and rebuilt.

While Walt Disney began his film-making dynasty with Mickey Mouse and animated films, Disney moved into real-life film later. He developed a mixed genre that incorporated some animation within live action film. A classic example of that was "Mary Poppins."