The Dead Eyes of London

The Dead Eyes of London (German: Die toten Augen von London and also known as Dark Eyes of London) is a 1961 West German black and white crime film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Joachim Fuchsberger, Karin Baal and Dieter Borsche.

The Dead Eyes of London
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAlfred Vohrer
Written byEdgar Wallace (novel)
Egon Eis
Wolfgang Lukschy
Produced byHorst Wendlandt
StarringJoachim Fuchsberger
Klaus Kinski
CinematographyKarl Löb
Edited byIra Oberberg
Music byHeinz Funk [de]
Production
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Distributed byPrisma Film
Release date
  • 28 March 1961 (1961-03-28)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryWest Germany
LanguageGerman

Plot

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A series of murders of wealthy men leads investigators to a group of blind men with a mysterious leader.

Cast

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Production

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The film is based on the 1924 novel The Dark Eyes of London by Edgar Wallace,[1] which had been previously adapted into the 1939 British film The Dark Eyes of London, a.k.a. The Human Monster, introducing a number of horror elements which had not been in the original book. The British film had been released in Germany and proved to be popular. The German film is closer to being a remake of the earlier British film, rather than a close adaptation of Wallace's novel.

The Dead Eyes of London was the first Edgar Wallace film to be directed by Alfred Vohrer, who directed 13 more films in the genre.

Reception

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The FSK gave the film a rating of "16 and up" and found it not appropriate for screenings on public holidays. The film premiered on 28 March 1961 at the "Walhalla" cinema in Wiesbaden.[2] Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film two out of four stars, calling the film "[an] Acceptable thriller".[3]

References

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  1. ^ Hal Erickson (2009). "New York Times: The Dead Eyes of London". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 September 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
  2. ^ "Filmportal: Die toten Augen von London". Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  3. ^ Leonard Maltin; Spencer Green; Rob Edelman (January 2010). Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide. Plume. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-452-29577-3.
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