Winnetou is a fictional Native American hero of several novels written in German by Karl May (1842–1912), one of the best-selling German writers of all time with about 200 million copies worldwide, including the Winnetou trilogy. The character made his debut in the novel Old Firehand (1875).
Martin Böttcher was a German composer, arranger and conductor.
Pierre-Louis Le Bris, known as Pierre Brice, was a French actor, best known as portraying fictional Apache-chief Winnetou in German films based on Karl May novels.
Karl May film adaptations are films based on stories and characters by German author Karl May (1842–1912). The characters Old Shatterhand, Winnetou, and Kara Ben Nemsi are very famous in Central Europe.
Old Shatterhand is a successful Eurowestern film based on the character Old Shatterhand, written by German novelist Karl May and part of the Winnetou series. It is a West German CCC Film production co-produced with French, Italian, and Yugoslav companies and filmed in 70mm. Financed with roughly DM 5,000,000, the film was the most expensive Karl May western. Composer Riz Ortolani used a chorus for his film score.
Last of the Renegades is a 1964 German-Italian Western film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Pierre Brice, Lex Barker, and Anthony Steel. It is based on a Karl May novel, and was part of a series of adaptations produced by Rialto Film. The film is a sequel to Apache Gold.
The Desperado Trail is a 1965 West German film directed by Harald Reinl.
Among Vultures is a 1964 Red Western film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Stewart Granger, Pierre Brice, Elke Sommer and Götz George. It was also released as Frontier Hellcat.
Mein Freund Winnetou is a 1980 German television miniseries, starring Pierre Brice in the title role and directed by Marcel Camus. A Western, it is part of an extended series of films and television series in which Brice played the fictional Apache chief Winnetou, first introduced in novels by Karl May. It also featured performances from actors such as Ralf Wolter and Siegfried Rauch. In some countries it was released in fourteen episodes, while in others it was released in seven longer episodes.
Apache Gold, also known as Winnetou the Warrior, is a 1963 Western film directed by Harald Reinl. It is based on the story of Winnetou, a fictional Native-American Apache hero from the Winnetou series of German novels. It was a major commercial success, selling about 77 million tickets at the worldwide box office.
The Treasure of the Silver Lake is a 1962 Western film directed by Harald Reinl, loosely based on German author Karl May's 1891 novel of the same name. It was the first in a highly-successful series of films based on May's works by the West German studios Rialto and Constantin Film, starring American actor Lex Barker as the frontiersman Old Shatterhand and French actor Pierre Brice as the Apache warrior Winnetou.
Old Surehand is a 1965 German Western film starring Stewart Granger, Pierre Brice and Letitia Roman. The film is based on a novel by Karl May.
The Oil Prince is a 1965 West German-Yugoslav western film directed by Harald Philipp and starring Stewart Granger, Pierre Brice and Harald Leipnitz. It was also known as Rampage at Apache Wells. The screenplay is based on a novel by Karl May and was one of a series of film adaptations of his work made by Rialto Film.
The River Line is a 1964 West German war drama film directed by Rudolf Jugert and starring Peter van Eyck, Marie Versini and Walter Rilla.
A Holiday with Piroschka is a 1965 comedy film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Marie Versini, Götz George, and Dietmar Schönherr. It was a co-production between Austria, Hungary and West Germany. Despite their similar names, the film has little in common with the 1955 I Often Think of Piroschka.
Golden Goddess of Rio Beni is a 1964 adventure film directed by Franz Eichhorn and Eugenio Martín and starring Pierre Brice, Gillian Hills and René Deltgen. It was made as a co-production between Brazil, France, Spain and West Germany.
Winnetou and the Crossbreed is a 1966 West German Western film directed by Harald Philipp and starring Lex Barker, Pierre Brice, Götz George and Uschi Glas. It is part of the series of Karl May adaptations produced by Rialto Film during the decade. It was co-produced with Italy and Yugoslavia. The budget was an estimated three and a half million Deutschmarks.
The Valley of Death or Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death is a 1968 western film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Lex Barker, Pierre Brice and Rik Battaglia. It was the last in a series of films based on Karl May novels. These had previously enjoyed major commercial success, although this film's box office returns were disappointing. It was effectively a remake of an earlier film in the series Treasure of the Silver Lake.
Erwin Gitt was a German film producer and production manager. He worked for many years at Rialto Film where he was involved with the Edgar Wallace and Karl May adaptations produced by the studio during the 1960s.
The Shoot is a 1964 adventure film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Lex Barker, Marie Versini and Ralf Wolter. It was made as a co-production between West Germany, France, Italy and Yugoslavia. It is based on the 1892 novel of the same title by Karl May, and was part of a string of adaptations of his work started by Rialto Film's series of western films. It was a commercial success, benefiting from the presence of Barker and Versini who were stars of Rialto's series.
