Mark of the Tortoise (1964)
"Wartezimmer zum Jenseits" (original title)

Director:

Alfred Vohrer

Writers:

James Hadley Chase (novel), Eberhard Keindorff,

Stars:

Hildegard Knef, Götz George, Richard Münch

Cast

Credited cast:
Hildegard Knef	...	Lorelli
Götz George	...	Donald 'Don' Micklem
Richard Münch	...	Mario Orlandi di Alsconi
Heinz Reincke	...	Inspektor Dickes
Carl Lange	...	Crantor
Pinkas Braun	...	Felix
Adelheid Seeck	...	Lady Helen Bradley
Hans Paetsch	...	Sir Cyrus Bradley
Jan Hendriks	...	Carlos
Joachim Rake
Klaus Kinski	...	Shapiro
Hans Clarin	...	Harry Mason
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rudolf Fenner

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

inheritance | knife thrower | foreign language adaptation | ransom | female criminal | 

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Genres:

Crime | Action | Thriller

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Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

April 1964 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Mark of the Tortoise

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 1,400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rialto Film Preben-Philipsen

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Edited into The Mysterious Magician (1964)

User Reviews

non-Edgar-Wallace German "krimi" with stunning Hildegard Knef

Although this 1964 German "krimi" b&w crime film has the look and feel of one of the Edgar Wallace based films (although it doesn't have as many outrageous plot contrivances!), it's actually based on a novel by the great crime novelist James Hadley Chase and features the stunning Hildegard Knef in the lead role, along with Gotz George, a name familiar to any fan of 60s German films. Knef, first seen in the film as a platinum blonde with a hairdo that retro girls would kill for, brings an air of icy yet seductive intrigue to the film, and it's a shame she did not make more of these. The plot, about a gang of blackmailers led by a crippled mastermind who is motivated by misanthropy, moves quickly and director Alfred Vohrer, an old hand at creating a bleak, mysterious atmosphere in his crime films, has created a gem of a krimi film with MARK OF THE TORTOISE. It has all the good qualities of the Edgar Wallace series, yet is quite different and a change of pace...largely due to the presence of the great Hildegard Knef.