''The Black Vampire'' () is a 1953 Argentine

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

of the

classical era Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the interwoven civilization ...

directed by

Román Viñoly Barreto Román Viñoly Barreto (8 August 1910 – 20 August 1970) was a Uruguayan-Argentine film director notable for his work during the classical era of Argentine cinema. Biography Viñoly Barreto directed 28 feature films between 1947 and 1966 i ...

, starring

Olga Zubarry Olga Zubarry (30 October 1929 – 15 December 2012) was an Argentine actress who appeared in film between 1943 and 1997. She made over 60 appearances in film, spanning six decades of Argentine cinema, but is best known for her work during the Go ...

and

Roberto Escalada Roberto Escalada born Aldo Roberto Leggero (4 July 1914 – 5 December 1986 in Buenos Aires) was an Argentine actor, an icon of the Golden Age of Argentine cinema, classic era of Argentine cinema. Roberto Escalada began his career working on ...

. It is inspired by

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...

's '' M''.

Plot

Amalia, a glamorous nightclub singer, witnesses, through a small barred window in her basement dressing room, the figure of a man dumping a small body into a storm drain in the alley behind the nightclub. The man, nicknamed the vampire serial killer by police, has been murdering little girls and disposing of their bodies without leaving a trace of his own identity. Government Prosecutor Dr. Bernard questions Amalia and she falsely denies having seen anything; if her occupation as a nightclub singer (a less-than-respectable job) is exposed, she could be deprived custody of her daughter. A merchant seaman seen furtively hiding in the dark environs of the crime is arrested as the first suspect, but he is merely an adulterer having an affair with a married woman. Dr. Bernard realizes he is not the guilty party. In the meantime, a peculiarly shy, self-effacing language teacher, Professor Ulber, who is always dressed in a black overcoat, is seen stalking a little girl. He disables the elevator in her apartment building and catches her on the stairs and kills her. The police set a trap for the killer by staking out a little girl on a sidewalk while they watch from a nearby car. The Professor, though tempted by this bait, narrowly evades it. By coincidence, however, the Professor is an admirer of Cora, one of Amalia’s co-workers at the nightclub, whom the Professor frequently visits, but only to stare at her because he is pathologically inhibited, and Cora merely tolerates while ridiculing him, which aggravates his deviant lust for children’s blood. Dr. Bernard, the Prosecutor, is very solicitous of his wheelchair-using wife, who exhibits the virtues of a saint. He is sexually frustrated, and when he questions Amalia again because he is sure she lied to him, he cannot resist the opportunity to seize and kiss her, although Amalia rebuffs him. Amalia does, however, admit to Dr. Bernard that she saw the vampire through her window and explains to him why she did not want to become involved. The police suspect that the owner of the nightclub, Gastón, has returned to trafficking in narcotics, and they stage a raid of his club in which he is shot and killed and the club is closed. Out of a job, Amalia brings her daughter home from school and one afternoon leaves her with Cora while she departs on an errand. It is at this point that Professor Ulber, the vampire, comes to visit Cora, who, not realizing that Ulber is the vampire, gets rid of him by telling him to take Amalia’s daughter out for a walk, during which Ulber takes her on rides at an amusement park, creating suspense that he may kill her too. Ulber has a habit of whistling a tune that he was heard whistling by some homeless street beggars while escorting one of the little girls he has already killed. The tune, not identified in the film, is one of the numbers from the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite, “The Hall of the Mountain King.” One of the street beggars, a Norwegian, recognizes it, and when he hears it again while Ulber is walking by with Amalia’s daughter, he sounds the alarm and all the beggars as well as the police chase and catch Ulber, rescuing Amalia’s daughter in the process. Unlike the dénouement in the film “M” (which inspired this film), in which the outcome of the serial killer’s trial is left untold, Ulber is sentenced to death.

Cast

as Amalia / Rita *

as Dr. Bernard *

Nathán Pinzón Nathán Pinzón (27 February 1917 – 15 August 1993) was an Argentine actor. He starred in the 1962 film ''Una Jaula no tiene secretos''. Selected filmography * '' Santos Vega'' (1936) * ''Juan Moreira'' (1948) * '' Passport to Rio'' (1948) ...

as Teodoro Ulber, 'El profesor' *

Nelly Panizza Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

as Cora * Georges Rivière as Presunto culpable * Pascual Pelliciota as Gastón * Gloria Castilla as Sra. Bernard *

Mariano Vidal Molina Mariano Vidal Molina (23 October 1925 – 20 February 1996) was an Argentine actor. He appeared along Joaquín Parra (actor), Antonio Parra and Gustavo Re in ''The Corruption of Chris Miller'' (1973), by Juan Antonio Bardem, ''Carola de día, Ca ...

as Lange * Mathilde García Lange *

Enrique Fava Enrique Fava (1920 – 13 June 1994) was an Argentine actor. He appeared in 32 films and television shows between 1948 and 1986. He starred in the film '' Los dioses ajenos'', which was entered into the 8th Berlin International Film Festival ...

as El noruego * Ricardo Argemí as Juez * Absalón Bernal * Emma Bernal as Srta. Fermina *

Lucía Besse ''Lucía'' is a 1968 Cuban black-and-white drama film directed by Humberto Solás, and written by Solás, Julio García Espinosa and Nelson Rodríguez. It was the winner of the Golden Prize and the Prix FIPRESCI at the 6th Moscow International Fi ...

Alberto Barcel Alberto Barcel (1907–1975) was an Argentine actor. He appeared in more than 60 films from 1948 to 1966. He starred in the film ''Circe'' (1964), which was entered into the 14th Berlin International Film Festival. Selected filmography * '' ...

as defense lawyer

Reception

This adaptation of Fritz Lang’s ''M'' is highly regarded but not widely known. The Film Noir Foundation regards it as “extraordinary in every respect.”

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Black Vampire 1953 films 1950s Spanish-language films Argentine black-and-white films Films directed by Román Viñoly Barreto Films shot in Buenos Aires Argentine horror films 1953 horror films 1950s Argentine films