Das Ungeheuer von London-City

I have seen most, but not all, of the German Edgar Wallace thrillers of the 60s. They do vary in quality, but when "on target" the filmmakers behind this peculiar franchise had a wonderful thing going. At their best these "krimis" (German equivalent of the Italian giallo) possess a unique flavor and style. They are dark and atmospheric, most activity seems to take place at night (or at least it should). Great advantage is taken of the opportunity to use the moody lighting of London at night, and these films do very well when the narrative allows for many scenes in seedy pubs, run down hotels, smoky nightclubs, Gothic mansions and the like. Characters tend to be exaggerated and grotesque, especially the villains. The violence is intense and shocking, and thankfully this welcomed potency is accomplished without the use of copious amounts of gore. One of the highlights of the franchise is the music. The scores are always noteworthy, either due to being outlandish and bizarre (avant garde and atonal), or more traditional but still overtly evocative and compelling. During the 1960s film composers in both Germany and Italy were riding a crest of supreme creativity, self-expression, and experimentation. In no films is this fantastic artistic freedom more evident than in the Edgar Wallace thrillers. The Monster of London City was scored by Martin Bottcher (pronounced "bett-ker"). Bottcher is a very well known and beloved musician in Germany, particularly to film fans (he is deeply affiliated with the German westerns of the 60s). His style is extremely smooth and elegant, usually relying on rich melodies and simple but emphatic designs. For those versed in the world of film music it will help to offer that his work is comparable to that of John Barry, Henry Mancini and Neal Hefti. Bottcher's main theme for The Monster of London City is typical of his service to the genre; it is a slinky and sensual jazz-infused instrumental. The melody is not complex, but nonetheless bold and effectively communicative of sex, sleaze and sin - three prime ingredients of any solid German-filmed Wallace mystery! As for the narrative, this is a good one. The story concerns a reincarnation of Jack the Ripper terrorizing the denizens of the London after-hours crowd, and the principles involved are an actor (coincidentally starring as the Ripper in a play that benefits from the publicity generated by the real-life murders), a stuffy politician and his beautiful niece (Marienne Koch of A Fistful of Dollars), her lover, and a bumbling detective. The story moves at steady clip and the desired ambiance of decadence and cosmopolitan glamor is thick and juicy. If you have a taste for such things you'll love it! - John Bender

The 'Krimi' genre is mostly made up of films based on stories by novelist Edgar Wallace and many of the best of them were directed by the prolific Alfred Vohrer. The Monster of London City does not benefit from the input of either of these two genre luminaries and is undoubtedly one of the weaker films of its type out there. As mentioned, the film is not based on a novel by Edgar Wallace; but it does boast perhaps the next best thing as the story used for this film was penned by none other than Wallace's son, Bryan Edgar Wallace. Like many films of this type, the story takes influence from the murders committed by Jack the Ripper and we focus on a stage play about the serial killer. Unfortunately, someone has taken it upon themselves to begin copying The Ripper and is murdering girls throughout London. Naturally this means that a harrowing eye is cast upon the play; and the lead actor soon becomes the chief suspect in the investigation carried out by the London police.

Naturally the film is set in London; and director Edwin Zbonek does a good job of capturing the fog drenched streets which help to give the film a thick and foreboding atmosphere. It's often the style that I like most about these films; and while this one is not so heavy on the style as some other films in this genre; the style is once again the best thing about it. The cast list does not include any well known actors; although as an ensemble there is nothing wrong with the performances. The story is the biggest let-down, however, as while there are certainly opportunities for a good, strong thriller here; it unfortunately falls somewhat short of the potential. There is very little in the way of suspense and therefore it is easy to get rather bored with the investigation. Naturally the murders are not very grisly; but they're not really memorable either and this also harms the film. The ending is a particular disappointment and can be seen coming a mile away. Overall, this film might be worth a look if you're a big Krimi fan, but I wouldn't bother with it otherwise.

Pretty sure this is my first German 'krimi' and am rather surprised how much I enjoyed it. Said by some to be a precursor to the Italian giallo, I can now see why. Not only is there a silly/comic element but the actual kills are uncompromising with extensive use of force reducing victims to 'rag doll' like state and complete with body dragging and carrying sequences. My copy is dated 1964 and in some respects this looks earlier, being shot in b/w and featuring foggy streets (Hamburg standing in for London), complete with cobbles sparkling in their wetness. Also referencing back to the earliest German expressionist horror with curved brick walls extreme angles and long dark shadows creeping across the victim before the attack. In other ways the film strikes as later because 1964 would seem early to see such casual and concentrated violence and incidental sexuality. Very interesting and enjoyable watch.

This is a decent if rather low-watt German krimi (a genre which itself was pretty low-watt compared to later Italian giallo genre it later inspired). The protagonist is a seemingly unstable, very method-like actor playing Jack the Ripper in a modern theatrical adaptation. Unfortunately, someone has begun committing a new series of Ripper-like murders and the intense actor becomes a likely suspect--or is he possibly being framed? As a murder mystery this is kind of weak tea, and as others have said the identity of the killer is pretty obvious. Unlike of a lot of the krimis, this movie was not based on a story by prolific English author Edgar Wallace (or even one by his less talented son Bryan Edgar Wallace). It has also had the misfortune of being released recently on a double-disc with another, inferior krimi "Secret of the Red Orchid", but one that stars Christopher Lee, Klaus Kinski, and Marissa Mell. This one in contrast has no major stars in the cast, but is much better made.

What works best about this film is the style. Although the German filmmakers were doing their damnedest to capture the look of foggy London (usually using foggy Hamburg as a stand-in) where these films are almost always nominally set, they actually manage to capture some of the old ambiance of early 20th century Germany Expressionism. This interesting movement was destroyed in its native land by Hitler when he drove all the "decadent" Modernist artists out of the country. Many ended up in America where their artistic sensibilities informed 1940's American film noir. These German movies, by accident or design, capture a lot of this old visual style, even if plot-wise they're a lot closer to ridiculous, zany Italian gialli films they inspired than the fatalistic, downbeat film noir or old German horror films. What ALL of these genres have in common though is an emphasis on powerful visual style, which is unusual in the world of cinema, dominated as it has been by the heavily narrative Hollywood style.

But I digress. This isn't one of the best krimis, but any decent krimi in my book is certainly worth a look.

The Monster of London City is a Krimi not based on an Edgar Wallace book for a change: instead, it was written by Edgar Wallace's son Bryan Edgar Wallace! In this enjoyably daft murder mystery, someone is slicing up prostitutes in London a la Jack the Ripper (albeit with an open razor rather than a surgical blade). Could it be ex-drug addict turned successful actor Richard Sand, who is currently playing the 'ripper' in a popular stage play? Is it Maylor (Kurd Pieritz), Sand's agent, trying to drum up some free publicity for the show? Perhaps it is politician Sir George Edwards (Fritz Tillmann), who is trying to pass a censorship bill that would see violent stage plays prohibited. Another possible suspect is prop master Horrlick (Walter Pfeil), who once served time for manslaughter. Or maybe its just a random maniac with no real motive (of course not... I'm sure you'll guess who it really is long before the end, but perhaps not his back story).

With its jazzy score, crisp black and white cinematography, decent performances, and bizarre mix of thriller, horror, and comedy (the plot includes comic relief in the form of a dopey private detective and his ditzy girlfriend), The Monster of London City is a pretty fun way to waste some time, especially if you're a fan of all things 'ripper'. Director Edwin Zbonek maintains a decent pace, achieves some great visuals, and includes a fair few mean-spirited murders (the final one taking place in front of a little girl), and even though the film does stretch plausibility a tad too far at times, the unlikeliness of proceedings only adds to the enjoyment factor in my opinion. Yes, there are better examples of the genre out there, but this one is still good enough to warrant a watch.

6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for the wholly unconvincing painted backdrop that can be seen outside the front door of Sir George's house, for the occasional gratuitous nudity, and for the hilarious Benny Hill-style moment where a woman's skirt is whipped off by a speeding car.