It Happened in Broad Daylight

Truth to tell, films from 1950's Germany about which one can enthuse are few and far between but this one is well directed by Ladislao Vajda, atmospherically shot by his preferred cameraman Heinrich Gartner and depite its slow pace, is thoroughly engrossing.

One of his country's perennially popular actors, Heinz Ruemann stars as a detective who promises the mother of a brutally murdered girl that he will find the killer. Although he is officially off the case he proceeds to fulfil his vow by means of application, perspiration, inspiration and of course, a little bit of luck. Herr Ruemann's post-war career continued unabated despite his perceived chumminess with Hitler's regime. He is an extremely engaging artiste with whom one cannot fail to connect and here he gives his customarily immaculate and understated performance.

Gert Froebe turns in a truly terrifying portrayal of the murderer Schrott which by all accounts led to his eventual casting as Auric Goldfinger and special mention must be made of Michel Simon's stupendous performance as the unfortunate Jacquier. One would have fully expected him to be dubbed but this superlative actor has learnt his lines phonetically and delivers them with the utmost conviction.

Swiss writer Friedrich Duerrenmatt professed to being unhappy with the script, feeling that it did not go far enough and required a more realistic ending. He refined and expanded the theme in the form of a novel entitled 'The Pledge', in which the detective's obsession leads to alcoholism and insanity. This version was made in 2001 by Sean Penn with an impressive central performance by Jack Nicholson. In true Hollywoodland fashion both the film and its star were overlooked as the film failed to make any money.

The later film has thus far garnered no less than 624 reviews whereas the original has achieved the grand total of ...21. The present eye praises the present object it seems plus the inescapable fact that the demographic of IMDb is mainly American.

An old man is rushing through the woods and stumbles over a dead girl's body. He rushes to the village to call the police. But what he didn't expect happens - he gets the blame for it, not only by police who interrogate mercilessly, but by his fellow villagers. He says he's innocent. But no one believes him, except the chief inspector, who's set to retire in a day or so. But this case consumes him, when it takes a dramatic turn. He takes it upon himself to find out more. So he befriends a lady and her little girl. But they do not know what he's up to. The lady helps him manage a small shop/gas station in the determined vicinity of the attacks. What will he find? What will find him? This is an excellent film, with astounding use of black and white in telling and showing the story. This was remade in 2001 by director Sean Penn with Jack Nicholson in the lead role and with a totally different ending and a more downbeat feel to it. I had already seen it and liked it, before I saw this; but now, I prefer this version. The subject matter may be a bit unsettling to parents, but the treatment is first rate and with very believable dubbed American words. If you miss this relatively unknown foreign film, you've missed one of the best of its kind.

An ititerant peddler (Michel Simon) finds the body of a young girl in a Swiss forest and alerts an inspector from a neighboring town who'd once been kind to him. When Inspector Matthai (Heinz Ruhmann) gets there, he finds a mob eager to lynch the peddler who soon commits suicide in his cell after a grueling interrogation. Matthai believes the old man was innocent and the savage razor slaying the work of a serial killer prowling the woods along a major highway. No longer on the police force, the ex-inspector sets out to catch the killer by renting a roadside gas station and hiring a young woman with an 8 year-old daughter to be his housekeeper with the intention of using the child as bait...

That's a dangerous game to play in this gripping cat-and-mouse thriller that's also a fairly good police procedural, considering the resources and lack of forensics at the time. Gert Frobe is chilling as the misogynist psychopath and it was this performance that led the producers of GOLDFINGER to cast him as the titular megalomaniac.

Pop quiz! Did you know that Sean Penn's genius but shamefully underrated 2001 thriller "The Pledge" and this obscure Swiss masterpiece from 1958 are based on the same novel by Friedrich Dürrenmatt? The two films are also very reminiscent in terms of narrative structure, but the endings are completely different and that is because the novel was not yet finished when "Es Geschah am Hellichten Tag" was wrapped, and it was only afterwards that Dürrenmatt came up with the much darker and depressing ending that features in Sean Penn's adaptation. Of course you knew, since you probably also read the trivia pages here in IMDb...

Ever since I found about it, I put "Es Geschah am Hellichten Tag" on my must-see list, but sadly it's not an easy film to find. The only decent copy I eventually found was in the original German language. That wasn't a showstopper, luckily, since my native tongue is Dutch and was perfectly able to follow the film. And what a film it is! Over 65 years old, but still one of the most compelling, intense, uncomfortable, and sadly also relevant drama/thrillers that exist.

In the woods around a small Swiss town near an important route, the brutally murdered corpse of an 8-year-old girl is discovered. The drifter who found the body is immediately the prime suspect, and the police and townsfolk are certain of his guilt when he commits suicide in jail; - even though he fanatically exclaimed his innocent. Chief inspector Matthai, however, believes the real culprit is still at large and will murder again. His only leads are a drawing of a giant man dressed in black and handing out chocolates, made by the victim a few days before her death, a psychological profiling report, and a roadmap. Matthai quits the police to start his own private investigation, but for that he needs a cover, ... and live bait!

A great plot, with persuasive characters and genuine fear for the life of the vulnerable and totally innocent Anne-Marie, make this a first-class suspense classic. And the stellar performances, of course! Heinz Rühmann is excellent as the devoted Inspector Matthai, but the most remarkable role evidently remains for Gert Fröbe as the uncanny child snatcher Schrött. It was also the role that indirectly launched his international career because it led to his casting as super-villain Goldfinger in the James Bond classic with the same title.

Once I met an arabian, and while talking about cinema, he said, for knowing this movie he would forget five of his lovely movies, after watching it ! G. Fröbe and H. Rühmann are playing such fabulous, that you think somebody inconvenient is entering your near forest. Everybody I know is worn down after this Horror-criminal, where NO violence or anything bizarre is shown! Turn off the lights.

One of the best movies of the 1950ies.