Film Review
Immediately after the phenomenal success of the first
Angélique film, the
actor-director Robert Hossein exchanged the clothes of the Count de
Peyrac for those of the notorious German serial killer Peter
Kürten, whose misdeeds are graphically portrayed in the
atmospheric drama,
Le Vampire de
Düsseldorf, released on the 7th April 1965. At the
start of the film, the viewer is warned that it is based on a true
story. In fact, Hossein strays far from the truth, but few can
blame him for attempting to take the sting out of a story about child
murders and the unspeakable cruelty of adults.
Kürten's murderous exploits had previously featured in Fritz
Lang's 1931 masterpiece
M (with the then unknown Peter
Lorre playing the killer), although Lang always denied that his film
had anything to do with Kürten. If the later film's
allusions to the real-life killer are seldom entirely convincing,
Hossein nonetheless manages to turn in a compelling psychological
horror film that is suitably moody and unsettling.
Le Vampire de Düsseldorf is
particularly worth noting for its authentic evocation of its era - the
misery of widespread poverty, the rise of Nazism and the decline of
society are all remarkably well represented. The terror which
beats down on Germany in the early 1930s is fittingly counterpointed by
the terror of a sad lone figure with a strange and dangerous
personality. Hossein evidently sees Kürten as the physical
manifestation of the evil of National Socialism. In reality,
Kürten's acts began as far back as 1913 (many years before Nazism
came to the fore) and ended in 1929.
Whilst the film has many artistic strengths - notably its atmospheric
lighting and a moody score composed by the director's father,
André Hossein - it has its shortcomings. The film makes no
real attempt to uncover the motives for the so-called vampire's
atrocious acts - he remains a shady, enigmatic creature of the night,
brilliantly portrayed by Hossein as a man with a twisted mind and
totally lacking in emotion. The part of the cabaret singer Anna
is played by Hossein's real-life lover at the time, Marie-France
Pisier, whilst the police inspector Momberg is admirably portrayed by
the Belgian actor Roger Dutoit.
Le Vampire de Düsseldorf
may not rank as a masterpiece, but it is an unusual and stylish
excursion into the one popular genre that is virtually absent from
French cinema, namely horror. Well-received by the critics on its
first release, the film attracted a respectable audience of 0.76
million in France, although today it is all but forgotten (in common,
sadly, with virtually all of Hossein's work as a film director).
The film's recent release on DVD should hopefully help to change that.
© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium) 2013
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Next Robert Hossein film:
Les Misérables (1982)
Film Synopsis
In the 1930s, chaos and misery reign over Düsseldorf as the Nazis
begin their campaign of terror. But the city is afflicted by
another menace, a serial killer who writes a letter to the police every
time he murders a young woman. Who would suspect Peter Kuerten, a
man who is so mild and unassuming? His only passion is Anna, a
singer in a café, but she ignores him and makes fun of
him. One day, Peter meets two young country girls, Paula and
Rosa. Not long afterwards, Paula is found dead and Rosa,
the prime witness to this murder, is herself killed a few days
later. Unaware of Peter's dark exploits, Anna becomes his
lover. But then she finds one of the messages he sends to the
police...
© James Travers
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