''The Ringer'' (German: ''Der Hexer'') is a 1932 Austrian-German

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

directed by

Martin Frič Martin Frič (29 March 1902 – 26 August 1968) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He had more than 100 directing credits between 1929 and 1968, including feature films, shorts and documentary films. Throughout his life, F ...

and

Karel Lamač Karel Lamač (27 January 1897 – 2 August 1952) was a Czech film director, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He directed more than 100 films in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Life Lama� ...

and starring

Paul Richter Paul Richter (1 April 1895 – 30 December 1961) was an Austrian film actor. He owed his great popularity in German films of the silent era largely to the directors Joe May and Fritz Lang. Biography Richter made his film debut right before W ...

, Maria Matray and

Wera Engels Wera Engels (12 May 1905 – 16 November 1988) was a German actress. After successful leading roles in productions of the well-established German UFA-studios in Babelsberg as well as in France, she was invited to Hollywood. Producers saw her a ...

. It is a screen adaptation of

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer of crime and adventure fiction. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was ...

's 1925 novel '' The Ringer''. Another German version, '' Der Hexer'', was made in 1964. It was shot at the

Sievering Studios Sievering Studios were film production studios located in Sievering, a suburb of the Austrian capital Vienna. The studios were established in 1916 by the film pioneer Alexander Kolowrat for use by his Sascha-Film. After the First World War they f ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Heinz Fenchel.

Synopsis

A master of disguise, the notorious "Ringer", has returned to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and is sending threatening messages to the criminal Maurice Meister. Inspector Wenbury of

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...

endeavours to capture the elusive Ringer before he is able to murder Meister.

Cast

as Inspektor Wenbury * Maria Matray as Mary Lenley *

Carl Walther Meyer Carl Walther Meyer was a German stage and film actor and film editor. Meyer appeared in more than fifty productions during the silent and early sound eras.Giesen & Hobsch p.66 Selected filmography * '' Women Who Fall by the Wayside'' (1925) * '' ...

as John Lenley *

as Cora Ann Milton *

Fritz Rasp Fritz Heinrich Rasp (13 May 1891 – 30 November 1976) was a German film actor who appeared in more than 100 films between 1916 and 1976. His obituary in ''Der Spiegel'' described Rasp as "the German film villain in service, for over 60 years." ...

as Maurice Meister *

Paul Henckels Paul Henckels (9 September 1885 – 27 May 1967) was a German film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1921 and 1965. Paul Henckels had started his acting career on the stage in the 1900s. He was well known for his eccen ...

as Hauptinspektor Bliss *

Leopold Kramer Leopold Kramer (29 September 1869 – 29 October 1942) was an Austrian stage actor, stage and film actor. Selected filmography * ''The Eye of the Buddha'' (1919) * ''Ungarische Rhapsodie'' (1928) * ''Frauenarzt Dr. Schäfer'' (1928) * ''Die gehe ...

as Polizeiarzt Dr. Lomond *

Karl Etlinger Karl Franz Etlinger (16 October 1879 – 8 May 1946) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1914 and 1946. Selected filmography * '' The Eternal Curse'' (1921) * '' The Poisoned Stream'' (1921) * '' The Films o ...

as Sam Hackitt *

Karl Forest Karl Forest (1874–1944) was an Austrian actor. He was married to the actress Traute Carlsen. Selected filmography * '' The Tales of Hoffmann'' (1923) * '' The Money Devil'' (1923) * '' Boarding House Groonen'' (1925) * '' The Guardsman'' (1925 ...

as Oberst Walford *

Franz Schafheitlin Franz Schafheitlin (9 August 1895 – 6 February 1980) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1927 and 1974. He was born in Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany and died in Pullach, West Germany. Selected filmograph ...

as Wachtmeister Carter

Production

It is Lamač's second adaptation from a novel by Wallace, after ''The Squeaker'', the year before, both being the first sound film adaptations of Wallace books in German cinema.

References

Bibliography

* Bergfelder, Tim. ''International Adventures: German Popular Cinema and European Co-Productions in the 1960s''. Berghahn Books, 2005.

External links