Le vampire de Düsseldorf (1965)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Robert Hossein

Writers:

Robert Hossein (story)
Claude Desailly (story) ...

Release Date:

7 April 1965 (France)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime | Thriller

Cast

Robert Hossein	...	Peter Kuerten
Marie-France Pisier	...	Anna
Roger Dutoit	...	Commissaire Momberg
Annie Anderson	...	Paula
Michel Dacquin	...	Beck
Anne Carrère
Norma Dugo	...	Une fille
Jessica
Paul Pavel	...	Lehndorf
Robert Le Béal	...	Schroeder
Colette Régis	...	La patronne du cabaret
Jean-Michel Rouzière
André Badin	...	Le garçon du dancing (as Badin)
Tony Soler	...	Mme Loebel
Tanya Lopert	...	Une fille

Also Known As:

El asesino de Düsseldorf (Spain)
La belva di Dusseldorf (Italy)
The Secret Killer (USA)
The Vampire of Dusseldorf (International: English title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

Spain | Italy | France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:18

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Company:

Les Productions Georges de Beauregard

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Robert Hussein reads the "Frankfurter Rundschau". Although an article is shown about the vampire of Düsseldorf, another article is about eastern Berlin. The newspaper itself is from the 1960s. The Frankfurter Rundschau was founded after the Second World War. It did not exist in the 30s.

Nachts ,wenn Der Teufel Kam....

A subject which was already treated by Lang and Siodmak.It's difficult for a French to create a German atmosphere...In spite of Marie-France Pisier's laudable efforts -her song "la Belle De Nuit" is really spellbinding ,Pia Colombo providing the vocal-but the nightclub looks like an American one,which the final fire reinforces.

Hossein was interested in films noirs ("Toi Le Venin" "Le Jeu de La Verite") and he tried to mix suspense with a political context : the crisis, with the unemployment the demonstrations,and the serpent's egg ,to quote Ingmar Bergman .The problem with the hero is that we know too few things about him (just compare with Mario Adorf's part in Siodmak's movie): once he was sadistically punished ,when he was a child,they buried him to the neck in the sand under a blistering sun,and that's it.

Good scenes: Hosssein and Annie Andersson in the park,just like a romantic couple,till Hossein sees the girl's legs.The caretaker,asking the criminal to knock on his door when he comes back at night;she feels safe when he is at home .The scene in the field when Hossein is scared by a pair of lovers.

Like this?try these,these are essential viewing: "M" Fritz Lang ,1933 "Nachts ,wenn der Teufel kam" Robert Siodmak, 1957