Die gläserne Zelle (1978)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Hans W. Geissendörfer

Writers:

Klaus Bädekerl (writer)
Hans W. Geissendörfer (writer)

Release Date:

May 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Jealousy | Birthday Party | Foreign Language Adaptation | Bust

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

Brigitte Fossey	...	Lisa Braun
Helmut Griem	...	Phillip Braun
Dieter Laser	...	David Reinalt
Walter Kohut	...	Lasky
Claudius Kracht	...	Timmie
Günter Strack	...	Goller
Martin Flörchinger
Klaus Münster	...	Guard
Hans-Günter Martens	...	Staatsanwalt
Bernhard Wicki	...	Police Commissioner Österreicher

Also Known As:

The Glass Cell

Runtime:

Germany:93 min

Country:

West Germany | Portugal

Language:

German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Frankfurt/Main, Hesse, Germany

Company:

Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR)

Noteworthy crime movie.

A rather forgotten but very interesting adaptation of a novel by Patricia Highsmith. The plot is simple: A man, unjustly convicted for criminal negligence to 5 years imprisonment, gets released from jail and is being increasingly entrapped to a web of jealously regarding his beautiful wife's activities while he was locked-up. The film adroitly examines the corrosive effects of jealously that gradually generate a form of mental confinement which effectively proves to be equally unbearable with the physical one. It unfolds with almost clinical precision, its use of location is inspired and the performances sharp and convincing (avoid the dubbed English version). The climax could have been stronger but it generally captures the amoralism of Highsmith's work as well as some other more well-known adaptations of her work.