Rascar-Capac

Between 1959 and 1972 a stream of 32 (!) films, based on criminal novels from famous British author Edgar Wallace had been produced by the German Rialto film company. "The Inn on the River" is an early example and surely one of the highlights of the series. The film benefits tremendously from the atmospheric black and white photography shot by cameraman Karl Loeb. There are plenty of impressive night scenes with eerie lights and shadows. Foggy canalization funnels, lonesome harbor quays, subterranean and underwater locations capture the audience from the beginning. Though some side aspects of the script seem to be far fetched and only loosely connected with the entire plot, it doesn't distract from the main story line, which is loosely based on Wallace's novel "The India Rubber Man". The film focuses on the police chasing a mysterious Jewel robber known only as the "Shark". Disguised in a black divers suit, he frequently kills in proper style with his harpoon! "The Inn on the Thames", so the exact translation of the German film title, was a huge success, when released in 1962. Apart from the suspenseful crime story, one of the reasons for this might be, that the thriller elements are complimented here more than usual by a simple but effective fairytale-like romance.

The film's young heroine Leila (Brigitte Grothum: very pretty, though she seems rather limited here as an actress) is captured at the sinister harbor Inn "Mekka" just like a 20th century Cinderella. She is repressed by her evil stepmother (excellent: Elisabeth Flickenschild) and threatened not only by the "Shark", but by numerous gangsters around, some of them lustfully longing for the under aged girl. The prince coming to her rescue is of course Scotland Yard's Inspector Wade (in his usual role, handsome Joachim Fuchsberger): he even calls her "Princess" at their first encounter. Wade suspects that the "Mekka" Inn is a smuggler's nest, somehow connected with the "Shark". Among the many doubtful characters he finds here is the sneaky Russian merchantman Gubanow (great: Klaus Kinski, in one of his typical supporting roles, that became a trademark of the series)

As usual in German Wallace Krimis of that time, the film wasn't shot on location. Hamburg and the Elbe river doubled in for London and the Thames. There is only few (badly fitting) original British stock footage from a rowing boat race. Other minus points are the uneven title music and the comical character of Barnaby (Eddie Arend), an eccentric fan of water sports. Arend, who can be funny at times, is allowed to overact so shamelessly, that his screen presence becomes annoying here. Nonetheless, this is a great little thriller. It's impact on filmmakers can be viewed in Dick Maas Horror action flick "Amsterdamned" (1988), which borrowed more than the idea of a killer in a diving-suit from this one.

Do we really need yet another film version of Dumas classic novel of romance, betrayal and revenge? Well, despite the huge number of Monte Cristo movies, there are surprisingly few, that can be called classics (most famous perhaps the 1934 version, featuring Robert Donat) and yes, this one really deserves to be discovered as a hidden classic. I said "discovered", because the film wasn't a box office hit and to me it seems, that it's qualities have been overlooked by most critics. Director Kevin Reynolds gets everything right with this one, recapturing a post Napoleonic France with colorful costumes and settings. But most of all his "Monte Cristo" is rooted so much nearer to Hollywood's Golden Age of costume adventure than to several recent plundering of Dumas like "The Musketeer" (2001).

Script writer Jay Wolpert delivered a shortened and streamlined version of Dumas original tale. Some purists found, that the result should be called „loosely based on Dumas Count of Monte Cristo". However, with all it's reshaping of the famous literary revenge story, Dumas central message remains untouched: Betrayed and imprisoned, our honest (and in the beginning slightly naive) hero suffers endlessly (in a brief scene he is on the edge of committing suicide). He finally escapes, becomes the heir of an enormous treasure and makes his second entry into life as an elegant, cold-blooded avenger. The script alters the revenge plot and Dumas figure constellation, but it does so with a more than satisfying result, putting the tragic love story between Edmond and Mercedes into the center of this drama. But how do you capture a novel, that runs a thousand pages within a film time of only 130 minutes? Director Reynolds succeeds surprisingly well. The film always moves at the right pace. It takes it's time to introduce the viewer to the main characters and shows us why the bad guys turn to conspiracy. On the other hand, where Dumas narration seems overhanging, the film speeds up effortlessly. For instance, Dantes rise as the Count of Monte Cristo and his introduction to the upper society of Paris are shown like a musical interlude, in an elegant montage of scenes.

The producers wisely opted for a cast without superstars. James Claviezel is the upright sailor, thrown into martyrdom and Guy Pearce his ruthless opponent Fernand Mondego, who simulates friendship but begrudges his companions fortune. Young polish actress Dagmara Dominczyk is equally believable as Dantes teenage fiancée Mercedes and as the matured woman, who desperately fights for her lost love. The scenes between her and Claviezel are intense and touching, beautifully photographed and further enhanced by Edward Shearmure's fine music score.

9 out of 10, with one point omitted for the final sabre duel, which, though carefully staged, did not live up to my expectations. Also, the film has been overworked here with some unnecessary photographic effect.