The Door with Seven Locks (1962 film)
A 1962 German crime film based on Edgar Wallace's novel.
The Door with Seven Locks (German: *Die Tür mit den sieben Schlössern*) is a 1962 German crime film directed by Alfred Vohrer. The lead role of Inspector Richard "Dick" Martin is played by Heinz Drache. The movie adapts Edgar Wallace's 1926 novel of the same name, which had already been turned into a British film in 1940.
The cast includes Sabine Sesselmann as Sybil Lansdown, Eddi Arent as Kriminalassistent Holms, Pinkas Braun as Dr. Antonio Staletti, Hans Nielsen as Mr. Haveloc, Gisela Uhlen as Emely Cody, Werner Peters as Bertram Cody, Jan Hendriks as Tom Cawler, Ady Berber as Peter Cawler / Giacco, Siegfried Schürenberg as Sir John, Friedrich Joloff as caretaker Burt, and Klaus Kinski as Pheeny. Uncredited roles include Eva Ebner as an airport announcer and Vohrer himself as an airport announcer and onlooker.
Filming took place from 26 February to 30 March 1962 at Berlin’s Ufa-Filmatelier, with location work at Tempelhof and Pfaueninsel. The German board FSK rated the film for viewers 16 and older and deemed it unsuitable for public holiday screenings. The German premiere was on 19 June 1962 at the Europa-Palast in Frankfurt.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Alfred Vohrer
- Producer
- Preben Philipsen, · Horst Wendlandt, · Jacques Letienne
- Writer
- Edgar Wallace / Harald G. Petersson / Johannes Kai · de / Gerhard F. Hummel · de
- Starring
- Heinz Drache
- Music
- Peter Thomas
- Cinematography
- Karl Löb
- Editing
- Carl Otto Bartning
- Studio
- Rialto Film, · Les Films Jacques Letienne
- Distributor
- Constantin Film
- Released
- 2 June 1962 · France · 1962 · 06 · 19 · West Germany
- Runtime
- 95 minutes
- Country
- West Germany · France
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film was produced as an adaptation of Edgar Wallace's novel The Door with Seven Locks, which had already been adapted into a 1940 British film. Cinematography took place between 26 February and 30 March 1962 at the Ufa-Filmatelier in Berlin, as well as at locations including Tempelhof and Pfaueninsel. The cast includes Heinz Drache as Inspector Richard 'Dick' Martin, Sabine Sesselmann as Sybil Lansdown, and Klaus Kinski as Pheeny.
Reader's Guide
The Door with Seven Locks (1962) is a German-language crime film directed by Alfred Vohrer, notable as part of the wave of Edgar Wallace adaptations popular in German cinema during the 1960s. The film received an FSK rating of 16 and up and was deemed not appropriate for screenings on public holidays. It premiered in France on 2 June 1962 under the title La porte aux sept serrures, followed by its German premiere on 19 June at the Europa-Palast in Frankfurt. The film features a cast including Heinz Drache, Sabine Sesselmann, and Klaus Kinski, and was shot at Berlin's Ufa-Filmatelier and locations such as Tempelhof and Pfaueninsel. Its significance lies in its place within the German krimi genre and its adaptation of a classic Edgar Wallace mystery.
Did You Know?
- The film is an adaptation of the 1926 Edgar Wallace novel of the same name.
- Klaus Kinski appears in the film as the character Pheeny.
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