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IMDbPro

Emil and the Detectives

  • 19641964
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
720
YOUR RATING
Emil and the Detectives (1964)
  • Comedy
  • Crime
  • Drama
Emil goes to Berlin to see his grandmother with a large amount of money and is offered sweets by a strange man that make him sleep. He wakes up at his stop with no money. It is up to him and... Read allEmil goes to Berlin to see his grandmother with a large amount of money and is offered sweets by a strange man that make him sleep. He wakes up at his stop with no money. It is up to him and a group of children to save the day.Emil goes to Berlin to see his grandmother with a large amount of money and is offered sweets by a strange man that make him sleep. He wakes up at his stop with no money. It is up to him and a group of children to save the day.
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
720
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Peter Tewksbury
  • Writers
    • AJ Carothers(screenplay by)
    • Erich Kästner(based on the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Walter Slezak
    • Bryan Russell
    • Roger Mobley
Top credits
  • Director
    • Peter Tewksbury
  • Writers
    • AJ Carothers(screenplay by)
    • Erich Kästner(based on the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Walter Slezak
    • Bryan Russell
    • Roger Mobley
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 16User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos12

    Emil and the Detectives (1964)
    Emil and the Detectives (1964)
    Emil and the Detectives (1964)
    Emil and the Detectives (1964)
    Emil and the Detectives (1964)
    Emil and the Detectives (1964)
    Emil and the Detectives (1964)
    Emil and the Detectives (1964)
    Emil and the Detectives (1964)
    Emil and the Detectives (1964)
    AJ Carothers, Cindy Cassell, Erich Kästner, Roger Mobley, Bryan Russell, Walter Slezak, and Peter Tewksbury in Emil and the Detectives (1964)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Walter Slezak
    Walter Slezak
    • Baronas Baron
    Bryan Russell
    Bryan Russell
    • Emil Tischbeinas Emil Tischbein
    Roger Mobley
    Roger Mobley
    • Gustavas Gustav
    Heinz Schubert
    Heinz Schubert
    • Grundeisas Grundeis
    Peter Ehrlich
    • Mülleras Müller
    Cindy Cassell
    • Ponyas Pony
    Elsa Wagner
    • Nanaas Nana
    Eva Ingeborg Scholz
    Eva Ingeborg Scholz
    • Frau Tischbeinas Frau Tischbein
    • (as Eva-Ingeborg Scholz)
    Wolfgang Völz
    • Wachtmeister Stuckeas Wachtmeister Stucke
    Franz Nicklisch
    • Desk Sergeantas Desk Sergeant
    Brian Richardson
    • Professoras Professor
    Robert Swann
    • Hermannas Hermann
    David Petrychka
    • Dienstagas Dienstag
    Ann Noland
    Ann Noland
    • Friedaas Frieda
    Ron Johnson
    • Rudolfas Rudolf
    Rick Johnson
    • Hansas Hans
    Viktor Hospach
    • Kioskbesitzeras Kioskbesitzer
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Peter Tewksbury
    • Writers
      • AJ Carothers(screenplay by)
      • Erich Kästner(based on the novel by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Billy Wilder apparently contributed to the screenplay.
    • Goofs
      The seats are numbered on the bus Emil takes from Neustadt to Berlin. At 0:04:38 the number 13 is on the back of Emil's seat. At 0:04:54 the number 1 is on the toddler's seat in front of Emil. At 0:05:13 the numbers 1 and 2 are on the empty window seat immediately behind the driver and the aisle seat to its right where August Grundeis is initially seated. Apparently, the toddler's side of its interaction with Emil were shot in the front of the bus.
    • Quotes

      Gustav: What are you looking at?

      Pony: Nothing. Nothing at all.

    • Connections
      Edited into The Magical World of Disney: Emil and the Detectives: Part 1 (1966)

    User reviews16

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Is Third Time The Charm?
    This is the third movie version of Eric Kastner's oft-filmed story I've seen in the last few years. Once again, Emil, in the form of Bryan Russell, is on his way to spend the summer with his grandmother and cousin in the big city of Berlin; again, the Man In The Bowler Hat steals the money he is carrying for grandma; again, he encounters local kids, who organize and eventually bring justice.

    In this Disney version, a major subplot is added (or perhaps restored; I've never read Herr Kastner's story). The Man With The Bowler Hat is involved in a bank robbery ringled by Walter Slezak. There's a nice amount of the effectiveness of gangs of children versus gangs of adults (including the stodgy and thoughtless police), with the points going to the kids; adults refuse to take them seriously at their peril.

    The movie is shot in a bright and clean world that emphasizes the benign nature of reality for children, while the bank robbers toil in the grim underworld, trying to tunnel to the bank. the score by Heinz Schreiter is full of woodwinds which constantly informs the audience of the harmless silliness of this particular cinematic universe -- a mistake, I think, but what's a composer to do?

    In the end, this is another pleasant version of the story, adding little to it of moment, but giving it a contemporary, 1960s air. I think the best version I've seen remains the original version, released in German in 1931, in no small part because the world in that movie is not so sunny, but the children ignore that in favor of their own constructed world.
    helpful•2
    1
    • boblipton
    • Jun 26, 2019

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 18, 1964 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Emil und die Detektive
    • Filming locations
      • Berliner Union-Film, Oberlandstraße 26-35, Tempelhof, Berlin, Germany
    • Production company
      • Walt Disney Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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