Amidst flourishes of typical Jess Franco-directed eccentricity, there is an overall strangeness to proceedings here. We get a jazzy nightclub scene of course (music courtesy of Rolf Kuehn), but the style throughout is a slightly awkward marrying of Franco style and traditional thriller: Jess has never been a traditionalist! Like his two Fu Manchu films never quite convince as either typical horrors in the oriental series or untamed Franco productions, this doesn't quite come across as a straightforward thriller - but then, it wouldn't would it? Somehow this works, and works very well.
I get the feeling Franco felt somewhat restrained when 'limited' to realising someone else's ideas (this is an adaption of Edgar Wallace's 'Secret of the Black Suitcases,' one of three 1970s Wallace adaptions), and this could be seen as something of a compromise. I say this mainly because two Jess trademarks, nudity and sex, are virtually absent. It is stylish though, and acted with urgency (Horst Tappert as Barton is particularly good) as befitting the complicated plot.
I enjoyed this; it's a strange beast. It is convoluted but very engaging. Apart from the fine performances, it seems to have a fairly substantial budget. There is also a good mix of fairly nasty drama and comedy, a balance which is difficult to get right.
Two further things I notice in this: most of the location filming seems to be carried out in misty London, but some scenes are shot in sunny Spain - with Vaseline smeared over the camera lens to try and signify UK smog (this idea is rejected in the middle of the film, but returns later)! A couple of scenes feature a comedy-twanging/springing sound effect dubbed over the action of particularly dramatic scenes (a double knifing).
Ultimately, this is hugely enjoyable. It is a curious production, but it really works well, proceedings benefitting hugely from the fast pace and often beautiful visuals. It is a lesser known Franco film, a collection under-appreciated as it is, and deserves a wider audience.
I get the feeling Franco felt somewhat restrained when 'limited' to realising someone else's ideas (this is an adaption of Edgar Wallace's 'Secret of the Black Suitcases,' one of three 1970s Wallace adaptions), and this could be seen as something of a compromise. I say this mainly because two Jess trademarks, nudity and sex, are virtually absent. It is stylish though, and acted with urgency (Horst Tappert as Barton is particularly good) as befitting the complicated plot.
I enjoyed this; it's a strange beast. It is convoluted but very engaging. Apart from the fine performances, it seems to have a fairly substantial budget. There is also a good mix of fairly nasty drama and comedy, a balance which is difficult to get right.
Two further things I notice in this: most of the location filming seems to be carried out in misty London, but some scenes are shot in sunny Spain - with Vaseline smeared over the camera lens to try and signify UK smog (this idea is rejected in the middle of the film, but returns later)! A couple of scenes feature a comedy-twanging/springing sound effect dubbed over the action of particularly dramatic scenes (a double knifing).
Ultimately, this is hugely enjoyable. It is a curious production, but it really works well, proceedings benefitting hugely from the fast pace and often beautiful visuals. It is a lesser known Franco film, a collection under-appreciated as it is, and deserves a wider audience.