The Crimson Circle (German: Der rote Kreis) 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.
Contents
Plot
Scotland Yard detectives pursue a ruthless league of blackmailers known as The Crimson Circle.
Cast
Renate Ewert as Thalia Drummond
Klausjürgen Wussow as Derrick Yale
Karl-Georg Saebisch as Inspector Parr
Thomas Alder as Jack Beardmore
Ernst Fritz Fürbringer as Sir Archibald Morton
Erica Beer as Mrs. Carlyle
Fritz Rasp as Froyant
Eddi Arent as Sergeant Haggett
Edith Mill as Lady Doringham
Ulrich Beiger as Osborne
Richard Lauffen as Marles
Heinz Klevenow as Brabazon
Alfred Schlageter as Mr Beardmore
Panos Papadopulos as Sailor Selby
Albert Watson as Sergeant Johnson
Richard Grupe as James
Karl-Heinz Peters as Executioner
Friedrich Schütter as Henry Charles Lightman (and the masked head of the Crimson Circle)
Alf Marholm as Prison warden
Günter Hauer as Conductor
Jürgen Roland as 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 adapted for the screen by Egon Eis under his pen name "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 Copenhagen. 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.