The Red Circle (1960) Der rote Kreis (original title)

Director:

Jürgen Roland

Writers:

Edgar Wallace (novel)
Egon Eis ...
(more)

Release Date:

22 August 1960 (Denmark)

Genre:

Thriller | Crime

Tagline:

Es ist unmöglich, von diesem Film nicht gefesselt zu sein!

Plot Keywords:

Sequel | Color In Title | Guillotine | Detective | Based On Novel

Cast

Renate Ewert	...	Thalia Drummond
Klausjürgen Wussow	...	Derrick Yale
Karl-Georg Saebisch	...	Insp. Parr (as Karl Georg Saebisch)
Thomas Alder	...	Jack Beardmore
Ernst Fritz Fürbringer	...	Sir Archibald Morton (as Ernst W. Fürbringer)
Erica Beer	...	Mrs. Carlyle
Fritz Rasp	...	Froyant
Eddi Arent	...	Sgt. Haggett
Edith Mill	...	Lady Doringham
Ulrich Beiger	...	Osborne
Richard Lauffen	...	Marles
Heinz Klevenow	...	Brabazon
Alfred Schlageter	...	Mr. Beardmore
Panos Papadopulos	...	Matrose Selby
Albert Watson	...	Sgt. Johnson
Richard Grupe	...	James
Karl-Heinz Peters	...	Henker
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Friedrich Schütter	...	Henry Charles Lightman
Mogens Brandt	...	(uncredited)
Günter Hauer	...	Schaffner (uncredited)
Alf Marholm	...	Gefängnisdirektor (uncredited)
Georg Philipp	...	(uncredited)
Jürgen Roland	...	Polizist (uncredited)

Directed by
Jürgen Roland

Writing credits
Edgar Wallace		(novel "The Crimson Circle")
Egon Eis		(as Trygve Larsen) and
Wolfgang Menge

Produced by
Preben Philipsen	....	producer

Original Music by
Willy Mattes

Cinematography by
Heinz Pehlke

Film Editing by
Margot Jahn

Production Design by
Erik Aaes

Costume Design by
Lilo Hagen

Makeup Department
Fritz Seyfried	....	makeup artist
Aase Tarp	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Helmut Beck	....	production manager
Werner Hedman	....	unit manager
Michel Hildesheim	....	unit manager

Sound Department
Knud Kristensen	....	sound
Jens Ravn	....	assistant sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Bernhard Hellmund	....	assistant camera
Wolfgang Treu	....	camera operator

Production Companies

• Constantin Film (co-production)
• Rialto Film Preben-Philipsen (co-production)

Distributors

• Prisma (1960) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Exportfilm Bischoff & Company (1960) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Mondial Films (1962) (France) (theatrical)
• UCC (1966) (USA) (TV) (dubbed)
• Sinister Cinema (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2000) (Germany) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Der rote Kreis" - Denmark (original title)
"The Crimson Circle" - USA (dubbed version)

Runtime:

Germany:92 min

Country:

Denmark | West Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1961) | Finland:K-16 | West Germany:16 (nf)

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Company:

Constantin Film

Trivia:

In order to hide the identity of the "Red Circle" until the end of the film, his voice is dubbed by another actor.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Lukas: Mann und Maus (#3.4)" (1998)

Good but unremarkable Wallace thriller

Another in the German Wallace cycle involving multiple murders and blackmail as the result of an execution that went wrong seven years earlier. Good but not great this film never really added up to much more than people moving around trying to figure out who the villain was and to stay far enough on his good side that they didn't end up dead. To be honest while it isn't a bad movie, its quite good, its very generic as these things go, blending so much into the mass of German Wallace films that I started to nod off towards the end. Its not the fault of the film entirely since I am under the weather, but at the same time I kind of allowed my self to drift because I sort of felt I knew where it was going. Worth a look on Late night TV or if you are in an undemanding mood.