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Directed by Robert Siodmak
Der Mann, der seinen Mörder sucht
A man in bad sorts hires a burglar to later kill him, then changes his mind when his fortunes turn and must find the contracted murderer before it is too late.
The Man in Search of His Murderer is showing in 1 cinema in London - next screening Tuesday 27 October at 18:15 at BFI Southbank.
Next screenings: Tuesday 27 October.
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Imagine a screwball comedy in the world of M, and no I’m not just saying that because it’s German. Even this early in his career, you can really see Billy Wilder shine, this script is so funny and the pacing is great. If you look this film up on Wikipedia, it says it’s partially lost, and if that’s the case for the version I watched, it’s still very coherent without whatever is missing. The acting is all very fun, I liked our baby-faced main character he was perfect for this role. If you’ve always thought German expressionism needed more hilarious car chases, this one’s for you.
I feel like, whenever one hears of a collaboration between two famous artists, it's more of a roll-of-the-dice than one would think to have it turn out the way one imagines when hearing their names in proximity. But I'm happy to report that "zippy farce directed by Robert Siodmak and co-written by Billy Wilder" is EXACTLY how you'd picture it in your head, full of wry humor and goofy slapstick, with a just-barely-under-an-hour runtime that's the perfect length for such frothy content.It might be a little too broad for some folks' taste (there's a number of occasions where a slide whistle is in liberal use, and for some reason during a windy scene the SFX guys use a old-fashioned stage wind machine), but Heinz Rühmann wibbling around like a teutonic Rick Moranis is the cherry on top of this airy confection.
A desperate man hires a criminal to end his life, but must frantically track him down after falling in love and regaining his will to live.
Robert Siodmak directed the 1931 German comedy.
Yes, the film is partially lost, with only about 50 minutes of the original runtime surviving today.
