Der rote Kreis

Der rote Kreis
File:Movie poster Der rote Kreis.jpg German poster
The Crimson Circle Den blodrøde cirkel
Directed by	Jürgen Roland
Produced by	Preben Philipsen
Written by	Egon Eis Wolfgang Menge
Based on	a novel by Edgar Wallace
Starring	Renate Ewert Klausjürgen Wussow Karl-Georg Saebisch
Music by	de
Cinematography	Heinz Pehlke
Edited by	Margot Jahn
Production company	Rialto Film, Constantin Film
Distributed by	Prisma Filmverleih
Release dates	1960
Running time	92 minutes
Country	West Germany, Denmark
Language	German, Danish

Der rote Kreis (English: 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.

Plot

Scotland Yard detectives pursue a ruthless league of blackmailers known as The Crimson Circle.

Cast

• Renate Ewert - Thalia Drummond
• Klausjürgen Wussow - Derrick Yale
• Karl-Georg Saebisch - Inspector Parr
• Thomas Alder - Jack Beardmore
• Ernst Fritz Fürbringer - Sir Archibald Morton
• Erica Beer - Mrs. Carlyle
• Fritz Rasp - Froyant
• Eddi Arent - Sergeant Haggett
• Edith Mill - Lady Doringham
• Ulrich Beiger - Osborne
• Richard Lauffen - Marles
• Heinz Klevenow - Brabazon
• Alfred Schlageter - Mr Beardmore
• Panos Papadopulos - Sailor Selby
• Albert Watson - Sergeant Johnson
• Richard Grupe - James
• Karl-Heinz Peters - Executioner
• Friedrich Schütter - Henry Charles Lightman (and the masked head of the Crimson Circle)
• Alf Marholm - Prison warden
• Günter Hauer - Conductor
• Jürgen Roland - Policeman

Production

A previous German/British adaptation of the novel The Crimson Circle by Edgar Wallace was made in 1929. Other versions were produced in the UK in 1922 and in 1936.

For this version, the second film in the Wallace series produced by Rialto, the novel was adopted for the screen by Egon Eis under his nom de plume "Trygve Larsen". Wolfgang Menge, a friend of the director, made some changes to the script. Director Jürgen Roland had not previously directed a feature film, but had made a name for himself by directing the TV-series Stahlnetz.

Cinematography took place in November and December 1959. The studio for interiors was Palladium Atelier at Kopenhagen. Exteriors were also shot at Kopenhagen. Stock footage from London shot during production of the previous film Der Frosch mit der Maske was used.

Release

The FSK gave the film a rating of 16 years and up, unsuitable for screening on public holidays. It premiered on 2 March 1960 at the Unversum at Stuttgart.

The film's success encouraged the producers to meet with Penelope Wallace and secure the film rights for all available Wallace novels.

External links

• Der rote Kreis at IMDb