Le Signe du trigone

A Scotland Yard inspector is called on to investigate a series of unsolved robberies and the death of her lady colleague previously tracking down the case, and ends up at the country manor of an eccentric noble English family, sharing their castle with a mysterious sisterhood.

Crazily convoluted thriller that also mixes several styles from crime and action to romance and black comedy, and is peopled by mainly dislikable eccentrics. Eventually, somehow all these elements combine to produce an enjoyable rehash of Edgar Wallace and a general air of slickness and competence.

I must admit this was an interesting picture. It has some zany scenes, like nuns racing down the River Thames in a motorboat, which alone are worth the price of admission. It was filmed partially at St. Mary's College in Twickenham, Middlesex, England, using the part of the college termed "Strawberry Hill," which Horace Walpole built as a Gothic-revival castle in the mid-1700's. I was an American teenager who happened to study at that college in 1969, and the staff mentioned that this picture had been filmed there a few years before. In fact, quite a few films and television shows have been made at "Strawberry Hill" because the college needs the funds badly for upkeep. I also remember a scene in the film with overt lesbian overtones.

THE TRYGON FACTOR is an odd little addition to the German cycle of krimi movies, aka Edgar Wallace adaptations, that were made throughout the 1960s. This one is more of a UK production although it's still listed as a UK-West German collaboration. Certainly the setting and cast are all British so this feels like a low budget British thriller and despite the odd appearance of a black-clad murderer in a creepy mask it doesn't really feel like a Wallace movie at all.

In fact, I'm not really sure what it does feel like. THE TRYGON FACTOR is a film with a bit of everything including a surprisingly lightness of touch that makes it feel like a comedy in places. In essence a cast of British notables go through their paces in a wacky story about the mysterious goings-on at a nunnery, of all places. An aristocratic family are implicated in a recent crime spree so a Scotland Yard detective is sent to investigate.

This low budget movie is directed by Cyril Frankel, who had recently made NEVER TAKE SWEETS FROM A STRANGER and THE WITCHES for Hammer. It's better than THE WITCHES, I'll give it that. Stewart Granger headlines the cast and does his best Cary Grant impersonation. Allan Cuthbertson is present in the arresting opening sequence as an investigating detective. Hammer starlet Diane Clare (PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES) is also around as a nun on the run, quite literally. The likes of Susan Hampshire, James Robertson Justice, and Robert Morley all play sinister suspects. Russian hardman Yuri Borienko (ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE) has a fine if clichéd part as a tough henchman and there's a great fight scene involving his character. At times THE TRYGON FACTOR feels like a random sequence of outlandish moments strung together by the barest of plots, but it's quite watchable and the ending is a memorable one.

I've only seen a handful of Krimi's so far, but already it's clear that you can expect just about anything to happen, and while the plots don't always make complete logical sense - you can at least be guaranteed a damn good time! The Trygon Factor is no exception to this rule as the film being together several different plot elements and manages to spin a very intriguing tale of crime and murder out of it! Like most (all?) of the genre, the film is based on a book by Edgar Wallace and puts it's main focus on a monastery inhabited by both a group of nuns and a strange family. There has been some strange happenings going on in the area; including murder, and this leads Scotland Yard detective Cooper-Smith to investigate. It's not long before his investigation leads him to the monastery, but gaining a search warrant is a difficult task considering that the centre of it all is a place lived in by nuns. The detective therefore has to try and gather some 'real evidence' on the crimes which will allow him to gain the warrant and crack the case!

On paper it really sounds like this film will be a disaster as there's a great deal of little subplots and characters; yet somehow, the story comes together and despite a few moments of confusion; actually is quite coherent. The style of the film is great; director Cyril Frankel delivers a great colour scheme and the look of the film really suits its wayward plot line. The acting is very decent too, and the film features a standout performance from Stewart Granger in the lead role. It's clear that the film is not meant to be taken entirely seriously, and this is to its benefit as a truly serious tone would have ruined it. There's plenty to chuckle at in this movie! The atmosphere is great and the monastery at the centre of the movie provides some nice locations for the action to take place in. The murder scenes are not gory, but they are entertaining to watch - the final one is not to be missed! Overall, the Krimi genre on the whole certainly takes a bit of getting used to but it's great fun and this film is no exception. Highly recommended viewing!

March 2024

Only just got to see this for the first time, so i assume its a hard title to get hold of and presuambly doesnt appear on tv very often, if at all.

I like to see all the British stuff of this period featuring some of those well known actors such as Robert Morley, James Robertson Justice and Allan Cuthbertson.

I didnt know this was a Krimi actually, but that probably is why i liked it so much and i am a huge giallo fan.

I was expecting more of a typical British comedy, it maybe had a couple of light hearted moments but was a crime thriller.

Well i really enjoyed it and will watch again at some point, its not a typical film for the likes of some of the British actors in it but it is a good one none the less.

7.5 pairs of black gloves out of 10.