Es geschah am hellichten Tag (1958)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Ladislao Vajda

Writers:

Friedrich Dürrenmatt (screenplay)
Friedrich Dürrenmatt (story)

Release Date:

9 June 1958 (West Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Drama

Plot:

Several young girls were killed. Policeman Matthaei travels to the region where it happened and searches...

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Investigation | Child Murder | Haunted By Past | Child Murder Investigation

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Heinz Rühmann	...	Oberleutnant Matthäi
Sigfrit Steiner	...	Det. Feller
Siegfried Lowitz	...	Lt. Heinzi
Michel Simon	...	Jacquier
Heinrich Gretler	...	Polizeikommandant
Gert Fröbe	...	Schrott
Berta Drews	...	Frau Schrott
Ewald Balser	...	Professor Manz
Roger Livesey	...	Professor Manz (voice: English version)
María Rosa Salgado	...	Frau Heller
Anita von Ow	...	Annemarie Heller
Barbara Haller	...	Ursula Fehlmann
Emil Hegetschweiler	...	Gemeindepräsident
Rene Magron
Max Werner Lenz

Also Known As:

El cebo (Spain)
It Happened in Broad Daylight (USA)

Runtime:

Spain:90 min | Switzerland:100 min | West Germany:95 min (Berlin International Film Festival)

Country:

West Germany | Switzerland | Spain

Language:

German | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 | West Germany:12 (f) (w) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

CCC-Atelier, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Praesens-Film

Trivia:

Friedrich Dürrenmatt wrote the screenplay (together with Hans Jacoby and Ladislao Vajda) while at the same time developing the novel form of the story under the title "Das Versprechen" (The Pledge). He finished the novel after the film was completed and gave it a different, much darker ending.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Pledge (2001)

The BAIT is an awesome movie with tension, thriller,chills and extraordinaries performances

This haunting movie based on a Fredrich Durrenmatt novel concerns about a detective(an obstinate Heinz Ruhmann) becomes involved in the case of a little girl's killing . At the beginning appears as suspect an unfortunate vagrant(incomparable Michael Simon). Then the police hires a gas station and takes employee a single woman(a sweet Maria Rosa Salgado)with a daughter, being his intention of utilizing them as bait for a cruel murderous.The police detective trying to trap a child killer , at the same time his mind on the woman and the little girl.It leads to the climax with the presence of the serial killer along with the kid and the possible tragedy.

This is a well crafted movie plenty of suspense, thrills and psychological studio.The picture functions on various levels with superb personages well played by complete casting and a well-paced screenplay. Its perfect developing resides not in displays of frenzied action and grisly violence like happen in modern cinema, but rather lies about interesting characters and suspenseful. Atmospheric white and black cinematography by Heinrich Guerner and appropriate musical score with thrilling leitmotif by Bruno Cantafora.The motion picture is excellently directed by Ladislao Vadja, author of magnificent movies, such as 'The miracle of Marcelino, Angel passed on Brooklyn, and Uncle Jacinto' . In my opinion this is one of the best films to come out of Europe in the decade of the 50s.If you like thoughtful and brooding films that are exciting and rich pace with rhythm but no displaying a great deal of action, you'll like this one.

Another movies about this exciting novel are the following : 'The cold light of day'directed by Rudolf Van Den Berg with Richard E Gant,; a German version(1997) directed by Nick Hoffman, and American version 'The pledge' by Sean Penn with Jack Nicholson and Robin Whright Penn.