Es geschah am hellichten Tag

Es geschan am hellichten Tag (It Happened in Broad Daylight) is directed by Ladislao Vajda and collectively written by Vajda, Hans Jacoby and Friedrich Durrenmatt, from the Novel "The Promise". It stars Heinz Ruhmann, Sigfrit Steiner, Siegfried Lowitz, Michel Simon and Gert Frobe. Music is by Bruno Canfora and cinematography is by Ernst Bolliger and Heinrich Gartner.

When a child is found murdered in the woods, Oberleutnant Matthai (Ruhmann) promises the child's parents he will find the killer. It's a promise that weighs heavy on him, causing him to go outside of his rational thinking to hopefully lure the killer into a trap.

The source material has proved ripe for picking as regards film adaptations, latterly with a big Hollywood production directed by Sean Penn and starring Jack Nicholson (The Pledge 2001). There's a whole bunch of themes bubbling away in the story, all of which are handled superbly by the makers. At its core it's a criminal investigation fuelled by an obsession, but morality and mob justice play a big part in proceedings as well.

Lashings of intrigue permeate the atmosphere, as does a number of suspenseful scenes as the child killer enters the fray and we see him operating his vile shtick. The sequences of him at home, a complete milquetoast to a harpy wife, simmer away with deadly expectation, the acting superb. The psychological studies of the key characters carry considerable weighty merit, always niggling away at the audience, keeping us hooked to the very last frame.

With chills (for instance the hand puppet scenes are blood curdling), expressionistic touches and a film noir sense of the human condition gone wrong, it's a film deserving of a more wider and appreciative audience. Personally I prefer the ending that Durrenmatt rewrote as Das Versprechen (the author wasn't happy with Es geschan am hellichten Tag's resolution), and that was the ending Penn went for in The Pledge. This is not in the same class as Fritz Lang's "M", but it deserves to be on the same shelf, and that is praise indeed. 8/10

Truly one of the superlative thriller/mystery films of all time. I saw it in the original German on Austria TV and it is still gripping. I thought it is so Hitchcockian then I realized the musical technique--the sudden loud shrieks in the orchestra--at the moment of contact with the killer, his house and the car. This is Psycho. The film mood and pace is Psycho. Then again, I realized the film and the Broadway play which received Tony nomination were both celebrated shortly before Psycho was made. Could it be that Hitch made the perfect horror film as a paean to this great masterpiece. One of the few films of the genre I will set next to Hitchcock and it does indeed hold its place superbly. Can any compliment be higher. If you love Hitchcock as I do, you must get the film--the original German print of 1958 not the TV version and not the American remake with Nicholson, as fine as it is. If you understand German watch it first that way. Unforgettable.

This haunting movie based on a Fredrich Durrenmatt novel concerns a detective (an obstinate Heinz Ruhmann) becomes involved in the case of a little girl's killing . At the beginning appears as main suspect an unfortunate vagrant (incomparable Michael Simon). Then the policeman hires a gas station and takes employee a single mother (a sweet Maria Rosa Salgado) with a daughter , being his intention of utilizing them as bait for a cruel murderous . The police detective trying to trap a child killer , at the same time his mind on the woman and the little girl . Prepare Yourself For a Most Unusual and Disquieting Tale of Suspense!

This Spain/German/Switzerland co-production is a well crafted movie with plenty of suspense , thrills and psychological studio . The picture functions on various levels with superb roles nicely played by the entire casting and a well-paced screenplay that leads to the climax with the presence of the serial killer along with the kid and the possible tragedy . Friedrich Dürrenmatt wrote the script and at the same time developing the novel form on the story under the title "Das Versprechen" . He completed the book after the movie was finished and gave it a different , much darker ending . Its perfect developing resides not in displays of frenzied action and grisly violence like happens in modern cinema , but rather lies about interesting characters and suspenseful happenings . Atmospheric white and black cinematography by Heinrich Guerner and appropriate musical score with thrilling leitmotif by Bruno Cantafora . The motion picture was well written by Ladislao Vadja (together with Hans Jacoby and Friedrich Durrenmatt) and excellently directed . Vadja was author of magnificent movies , such as : 'The miracle of Marcelino' , 'Angel passed on Brooklyn' , and 'Uncle Jacinto' all of them starred by child prodigy Pablito Calvo . In my opinion ¨The Bait¨ is one of the best films to come out of Europe in the decade of the 50s . If you like thoughtful and brooding films that are exciting and rich pace with rhythm but no displaying a great deal of action , you'll like this one .

Other movies about this exciting novel are the following ones : 'The cold light of day' directed by Rudolf Van Den Berg with Richard E. Gant ; a German version (1997) directed by Nick Hoffman ; and American version 'The pledge' by Sean Penn with Jack Nicholson , Benicio Del Toro and Robin Wright Penn .

This Swiss movie, originally made for TV, was dismissed by Durrenmatt because he felt it didn't probe deeply enough into the driven character of the Inspector. I totally disagree with him. This version is powerfully realized and stunningly acted. Durrenmatt's literary version, The Pledge, undercuts the power of the theme and registers the Inspector's commitment as hollow and pointless. The American movie version of the Pledge was a conceptual, execution and box-office disaster.

What Durrenmatt does in The Pledge is to book-end this satisfying story with a narrative overlay that only revokes all the drama and suspense of the central story. This is as pointless and destructive as book-end CASABLANCA with a narrator that claims that Rick was really a scoundrel working for the Nazis the whole time.

Truth to tell, films from 1950's Germany about which one can enthuse are few and far between but this one is well directed by Ladislao Vajda, atmospherically shot by his preferred cameraman Heinrich Gartner and depite its slow pace, is thoroughly engrossing.

One of his country's perennially popular actors, Heinz Ruemann stars as a detective who promises the mother of a brutally murdered girl that he will find the killer. Although he is officially off the case he proceeds to fulfil his vow by means of application, perspiration, inspiration and of course, a little bit of luck. Herr Ruemann's post-war career continued unabated despite his perceived chumminess with Hitler's regime. He is an extremely engaging artiste with whom one cannot fail to connect and here he gives his customarily immaculate and understated performance.

Gert Froebe turns in a truly terrifying portrayal of the murderer Schrott which by all accounts led to his eventual casting as Auric Goldfinger and special mention must be made of Michel Simon's stupendous performance as the unfortunate Jacquier. One would have fully expected him to be dubbed but this superlative actor has learnt his lines phonetically and delivers them with the utmost conviction.

Swiss writer Friedrich Duerrenmatt professed to being unhappy with the script, feeling that it did not go far enough and required a more realistic ending. He refined and expanded the theme in the form of a novel entitled 'The Pledge', in which the detective's obsession leads to alcoholism and insanity. This version was made in 2001 by Sean Penn with an impressive central performance by Jack Nicholson. In true Hollywoodland fashion both the film and its star were overlooked as the film failed to make any money.

The later film has thus far garnered no less than 624 reviews whereas the original has achieved the grand total of ...21. The present eye praises the present object it seems plus the inescapable fact that the demographic of IMDb is mainly American.