The Sinister Monk

The Sinister Monk (German: Der unheimliche Mönch) is a 1965 West German thriller film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Karin Dor, Harald Leipnitz and Siegfried Lowitz. It is based on the 1927 play The Terror by Edgar Wallace and was part of a very successful series of German films inspired by his works.^[1]

The Sinister Monk
Directed by	Harald Reinl
Written by	Jochen Joachim Bartsch [de] Fred Denger [de] based on the play The Terror by Edgar Wallace
Produced by	Horst Wendlandt Preben Philipsen
Starring	Karin Dor Harald Leipnitz Ilse Steppat
Cinematography	Ernst W. Kalinke
Edited by	Jutta Hering
Music by	Peter Thomas
Production company	Rialto Film
Distributed by	Constantin Film
Release date	17 December 1965 (1965-12-17)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	West Germany
Language	German

It was shot at the Spandau Studios in Berlin with location shooting in London, Hamburg and Hamelin in Lower Saxony. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Walter Kutz and Wilhelm Vorwerg.

Cast

• Karin Dor as Gwendolin
• Harald Leipnitz as Inspector Bratt
• Siegfried Lowitz as Sir Richard
• Siegfried Schürenberg as Sir John
• Ilse Steppat as Lady Patricia
• Dieter Eppler as William
• Hartmut Reck as Ronny
• Kurt Waitzmann as Cunning
• Rudolf Schündler as Mr. Short
• Kurd Pieritz [de] as Monsieur d'Arol
• Uta Levka as Lola
• Dunja Rajter [de] as Dolores
• Susanne Hsiao [de] as Mai Ling
• Uschi Glas as Mary
• Eddi Arent as Pedell Smith
• Walter Echtz as Mr. Smith / Monk
• Erik Radolf [de] as Servant
• Wilhelm Vorwerg as Notary

Production

It is the fourth film adaptation of the play The Terror by Edgar Wallace. Earlier versions were made in 1928, 1934, and 1938.

Cinematography took place from 6 October to 17 November 1965 at London and Hameln (or Hamelin).^[2]

Reception

The FSK gave the film a rating of 16 and up and found it not appropriate for screenings on public holidays.^[2]

References

1. A New History of German Cinema p. 380
2. "Filmportal: Der unheimliche Mönch". Retrieved 7 February 2017.

Bibliography

• Bergfelder, Tim (2005). International Adventures: German Popular Cinema and European Co-productions in the 1960s. Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-57181-539-2.
• Donnelly, Kevin J.; Hayward, Philip, eds. (2013). Music in Science Fiction Television: Tuned to the Future. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-64107-4.
• Kapczynski, Jennifer M.; Richardson, Michael D., eds. (2014) [2012]. A New History of German Cinema. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN 978-1-58046-854-1.

External links

• The Sinister Monk at IMDb