Der Frosch mit der Maske | |
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![]() German Filmprogrammheft for the film | |
Directed by | Harald Reinl |
Written by | |
Based on | The Fellowship of the Frog by Edgar Wallace |
Produced by | Preben Philipsen |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Ernst W. Kalinke |
Edited by | Margot Jahn |
Music by |
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Production company | |
Distributed by | Constantin Film |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Countries |
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Languages |
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Budget | under 600,000 Deutsche Mark [1] : 31 |
Der Frosch mit der Maske (translation: The Frog with the Mask), aka Face of the Frog, is a 1959 West German-Danish black-and-white crime film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Siegfried Lowitz and Joachim Fuchsberger. It was the first of a very successful series of films based on works by Edgar Wallace produced by Rialto Film in West Germany. This film was adapted from the 1925 novel The Fellowship of the Frog .
In London, a gang of criminals led by a mysterious masked figure known as "Frog with the Mask”, has been terrorizing the city with a string of robberies for years. Neither Inspector Elk nor his assistant Sergeant Balder have managed to put a stop to the gang or uncover the Frog's identity. After a jewel robbery, which results in a brutal murder of an undercover detective attempting to infiltrate the gang, Richard Gordon, the nephew of Scotland Yard boss Sir Archibald, becomes drawn to the case.
Following a potential lead, Richard and his butler James encounter the enigmatic John Bennet, who lives with his son Ray and daughter Ella in an idyllic house in Landsmoore. Gordon soon discovers the Bennets have become involved with the frog gang, as the Frog has eyes on Ella. Despite all the warnings of his colleague Philo Johnson, Ray quits his job at the renowned newspaper publisher Maitland, and shortly afterwards finds work in the Lolita bar. This dance and revue bar becomes more and more the focus of Inspector Elk's investigation when the suspicion becomes clear that it is a hideout for members of the frog gang.
As the investigation continues, Inspector Elk is able to unmask Sergeant Balder as a member of the frog gang and arrests him. Ray is mistakenly suspected of having shot Lew Brady, who was also part of the frog gang, in the Lolita Bar and is sentenced to hang. With the help of a film camera that Gordon secretly installed in the bar, Ray's innocence can be proven and he can be saved from the executioner John Bennet at the last moment. In the end it is revealed that the burglar who was believed to be dead is Harry Lime alias Philo Johnson "the Frog".
The film is adapted from Edgar Wallace's novel The Fellowship of the Frog (1925). [2] Previous versions were made in 1928 in the US (as a serial) and in 1937 in the UK, both titled The Mark of the Frog. [3]
The project was deemed risky, as so far no German crime film had really succeeded at the box office after World War II. The initiative to try came from Waldfried Barthel , head of Constantin Film who approached his friend Preben Philipsen with the idea. Philipsen acquired the rights for the movie adaption of The Fellowship of the Frog and The Crimson Circle from Penelope Wallace, with an option on other novels by her father should the films be successful. Barthel decided on Reinl as director and fixed production cost at a maximum of 600,000 Deutsche Mark. As scriptwriter the producer hired Egon Eis who had worked on the 1931 adaption of The Squeaker. Eis' script for the Frog, delivered in January 1959 under the pen name "Trygve Larsen", stuck closely to the novel. Jochen Joachim Bartsch, a friend of Reinl, also worked on the script. The "comic relief" character, played by Arent, was added by the script writers, he does not exist in the novel. Some characters were much reduced in significance (Broad and Maitland), some were dropped altogether (Maitland's sister). Another change was making Fuchsberger's character the nephew of Sir Archibald, the head of Scotland Yard. In addition, the name for Brockmann's character was changed: in Wallace's novel he was called "Harry Lime" (or Lyme). Since this had been the name of Orson Welles' character in Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949), the producers decided to change it, to Philo Johnson. [1] : 30–35
Cinematography took place from 24 April to 9 June 1959. The studio for interiors was Palladium Atelier at Kopenhagen. Exteriors were also shot in and around Kopenhagen. A small team, including Reinl and his director of cinematography Kalinke travelled to London for two days to shoot some stock footage to be used in back projection. [1] : 28–35
The FSK gave the film a rating of 16 years and up, unsuitable for screening on public holidays. Four scenes had to be cut to receive even this rating and avoid an "adults only" one. [1] : 28, 35
The film premiered on 4 September 1959 at the Universum in Stuttgart. [2] With an audience of 3 million in Germany the film was an extraordinary success. [1] : 35
The film's box office success ultimately spawned the Edgar Wallace series of films by Rialto of 32 films that ran through 1972. The series heavily influenced the style and content of German crime and mystery films throughout the 1960s, as well as giving rise to outright copycat films made by other studios such as Artur Brauner's CCC Film. [1] : 264–272
The film made its DVD debut on 29 January 2008 by Infinity Entertainment Group as a part of The Edgar Wallace Collection which included several other adaptions of the works of writer Edgar Wallace. [4]
In 2004, the German spoof film Der Wixxer was released, which heavily parodies the 1950s and 1960s German Edgar Wallace films. It contains many references to the classic Edgar Wallace films, and in one scene, the Frog with the Mask is also referenced: At a conference of super villains, he appears as a man in a frog costume, who is also an obvious parody of Kermit the Frog, since he talks with a Kermit-style high-pitched voice (provided by Andreas von der Meden, who also provided the German voice for Kermit) and in one scene also ironically says "Applause, applause, applause!" - a common catch phrase of Kermit in the German dub of The Muppet Show .
Harald Reinl was an Austrian film director. He is known for the films he made based on Edgar Wallace and Karl May books and also made mountain films, Heimatfilms, German war films and entries in such popular German film series as Dr. Mabuse, Jerry Cotton and Kommissar X. His directing output includes more than 60 titles. With his Edgar Wallace and Karl May adaptations, Reinl advanced to become one of the most successful directors in German cinema in the 1960s: with the four Karl May films he made between 1962 and 1965 alone, Reinl reached 32 million viewers.
Edgar Wallace (1875–1932) was a British novelist, playwright and screenwriter whose works have been adapted for the screen on many occasions. His films fall into two categories, British adaptations and the German "Krimi" films.
Joachim "Blacky" Fuchsberger was a German actor and television host, best known to a wide German-speaking audience as one of the recurring actors in various Edgar Wallace movies. In the English-speaking world, he was sometimes credited as Akim Berg or Berger.
Siegfried Lowitz was a German actor.
Rialto Film is a German motion-picture production company headquartered in Berlin. It is named after the Rialto in Venice, and used as its production logo an image of a gondola in front of the Rialto Bridge.
Mark of the Frog is a 1928 American drama 10-chapter film serial directed by Arch Heath and written by Edgar Wallace. The film is now considered to be lost.
The Inn on the River is a 1962 West German crime film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Joachim Fuchsberger, Eddi Arent and Klaus Kinski. It is part of a series of films based on the novels of Edgar Wallace, produced in West Germany in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Black Abbot is a 1963 West German mystery film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Joachim Fuchsberger. Adapted from the 1926 novel of the same name, it was part of a very successful series of German films based on the writings of Edgar Wallace.
Double Face is a 1969 thriller film directed by Riccardo Freda and starring Klaus Kinski, Christiane Krüger and Annabella Incontrera. It is part of the series of Edgar Wallace adaptations made by Rialto Film.
Egon Eis, born Egon Eisler was an Austrian screenwriter. He wrote for nearly 50 films between 1930 and 1983. Eis was forced into exile during the Nazi era, but returned to work in the German film industry after the Second World War where he worked on the popular series of Edgar Wallace films as well as other projects. He was born in Vienna, Austria and died in Munich, Germany. His brother Otto Eis was also a screenwriter.
The Frog is a 1937 British crime film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Gordon Harker, Noah Beery, Jack Hawkins and Carol Goodner. The film is about the police chasing a criminal mastermind who goes by the name of The Frog. It was based on the 1925 novel The Fellowship of the Frog by Edgar Wallace, and the 1936 play version by Ian Hay. It was followed by a loose sequel The Return of the Frog, the following year.
The Crimson Circle is a 1960 West German/Danish black and white crime film directed by Jürgen Roland and starring Renate Ewert, Klausjürgen Wussow and Karl-Georg Saebisch. It was an adaptation of the 1922 novel The Crimson Circle by the British writer Edgar Wallace.
The Forger of London is a 1961 West German crime film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Karin Dor, Hellmut Lange and Siegfried Lowitz. It is an adaptation of Edgar Wallace's 1927 novel The Forger, and part of a long-running series of German Wallace films made during the decade.
The Terrible People is a 1960 West German crime film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Joachim Fuchsberger, Karin Dor and Fritz Rasp. It is based on Edgar Wallace's 1926 novel of the same name.
Der Hexer is a 1964 West German black and white mystery film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Joachim Fuchsberger. It was part of a very successful series of German films based on the writings of Edgar Wallace and adapted from the 1925 novel titled The Ringer. In 1965, a sequel Neues vom Hexer was released.
The Fellowship of the Frog is a 1925 crime novel by the British writer Edgar Wallace. It was part of a series of books featuring the character Inspector Elk of Scotland Yard. In 1936 it was adapted into a West End play The Frog by Ian Hay, which inspired the subsequent films.
The India-Rubber Men is a 1929 crime novel by the British writer Edgar Wallace. It was part of a series of books featuring the character Inspector Elk of Scotland Yard.
Room 13 is a 1964 thriller film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Joachim Fuchsberger, Karin Dor and Richard Häussler. It was made as a co-production between West Germany, France and Denmark, based on the 1924 novel Room 13 by Edgar Wallace. It was part of Rialto Film's long-running series of German Wallace adaptations.
The White Spider is a 1963 West German crime thriller film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Joachim Fuchsberger, Karin Dor and Horst Frank. It is based on a novel of the same name by the Czech writer Louis Weinert-Wilton.
The Twins from Zillertal is a 1957 West German comedy film directed by Harald Reinl and starring the twins Isa Günther and Jutta Günther, Joachim Fuchsberger and Karin Dor. It takes its title from the Zillertal Valley in Tyrol. It was shot in Eastmancolor at the Bavaria Studios in Munich with location shooting in Austria at the Schloss Matzen, Krimml Waterfalls, Zell am Ziller and Innsbruck. The film's sets were designed by the art director Arne Flekstad. It was part of the post-Second World War boom in Heimatfilm.