It Happened in Broad Daylight (1958)
"Es geschah am hellichten Tag" (original title)

Having doubts about the guilt of the obvious suspect in the murder of an eight year old girl, a police detective decides to investigate the case on his own.

Director:

Ladislao Vajda

Writers:

Friedrich Dürrenmatt (story), Friedrich Dürrenmatt (novel),

Stars:

Heinz Rühmann, Sigfrit Steiner, Siegfried Lowitz

5 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Heinz Rühmann	...	Oberleutnant Matthäi
Sigfrit Steiner	...	Detektiv Feller
Siegfried Lowitz	...	Leutnant Henzi
Michel Simon	...	Jacquier
Heinrich Gretler	...	Polizeikommandant
Gert Fröbe	...	Schrott
Berta Drews	...	Frau Schrott
Ewald Balser	...	Professor Manz
Roger Livesey	...	Professor Manz (voice)
María Rosa Salgado	...	Frau Heller
Anita von Ow	...	Annemarie Heller
Barbara Haller	...	Ursula Fehlmann
Emil Hegetschweiler	...	Gemeindepräsident
Rene Magron	...	Polizeibeamter Weber
Max Werner Lenz

Storyline

Several young girls were killed. Policeman Matthaei travels to the region where it happened and searches a child that looks similar to the ones that were murdered. He finds one and stays with her and her mother, not telling them that he is waiting for the killer to start his bloody work one more time ...

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Plot Keywords:

investigation | psychopath | child murder investigation | evidence | suicide | 

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller | Drama

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Details

Country:

West Germany Switzerland Spain

Language:

German Italian

Release Date:

9 June 1958 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

It Happened in Broad Daylight

Filming Locations:

CCC-Atelier, Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 11,578 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Praesens-Film, Central Cinema Company Film (CCC), Chamartín Producciones y Distribuciones

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Friedrich Dürrenmatt wrote the screenplay (together with Hans Jacoby and Ladislao Vajda) while at the same time developing the novel form of the story under the title "Das Versprechen" (The Pledge). He finished the novel after the film was completed and gave it a different, much darker ending.

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Connections

Version of La promessa (1979)

User Reviews

Hard-to-Find Foreign Film That's Worth Finding

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.