UCM.ONE, in cooperation with CCC Film on the Zeitlose Filmkunst label, is releasing the crime film “Unter Ausschuß der Öffentlichkeit” (English titles:today’s German writing: “Unter Ausschuss der Öffentlichkeit“) by director Harald Philipp for the first time in HD on Blu-Ray as part of a new Mediabook release. It stars Peter van Eyck, Marianne Koch, Eva Bartok, Claus Holm, and Wolfgang Reichmann.
Summary
A man is accused of murdering his wife: the prosecutor assumes that he committed the crime in order to spend more time with his mistress. However, the mistress testifies that the wife committed suicide and that the accused is therefore innocent. The suspect is released against the will of the public prosecutor and is found dead shortly afterwards. The public prosecutor decides to investigate further and comes across a criminal gang selling German state secrets. Shortly before the end of the investigation, a woman is murdered. When a witness testifies to having seen him near the dead woman, the public prosecutor finds himself in the dock and has to prove his innocence.
Production notes & critique
The film was shot in Paris, the south of France and Berlin from May to August 1961. It was screened by the FSK on 11 August and was approved for the age of 16. The film was not shown on television until 10 years later, on 11 December 1971 on ZDF. The criticism was mainly positive.
The criticism was that too many elements of the crime film were packed into one film. You have to be very attentive to be able to follow it all the time.
Director Harald Philipp was also responsible for the Winnetou films “Winnetou und das Halbblut Apanatschi” and “Der Ölprinz” and Jerry Cotton classics such as “Mordnacht in Manhattan” and “Um null Uhr schnappt die Falle zu“. Marianne Koch became a star as early as 1955 with her role in “The Devil’s General“.
The German film premiere took place on 06 October 1971 in Düsseldorf.
About director Harald Philipp
Harald Philipp was born in Hamburg on 24 April 1921. After completing his secondary school education, he completed an apprenticeship as a retail salesman. After passing his exams, he was drafted for military service and was discharged in 1945 with the rank of first lieutenant. He was not taken prisoner of war like many of his comrades. He received acting lessons in Hamburg and had his theatre debut in Hamburg in 1946. In 1948 he joined RIAS in Berlin and became a dubbing director there. In 1956 he joined the film industry. He was given the directorship of the Heimatfilm “Das alte Försterhaus“. He directed films of all genres, but his specialities were tough crime films and war films. Above all he was regarded as a good director in terms of craftsmanship. Harald Philipp also made a name for himself with the film adaptation of two novels by the successful author Heinz G. Konsalik. In 1960 this was the war film “Strafbataillon 999” and in 1967 the agent thriller “Liebesnächte in der Taiga“. In 1966 Harald Philipp received the Goldene Leinwand for the film “Der Ölprinz“, based on a story by Karl May.
From 1975 onwards, however, Harald Philipp only worked for television and withdrew completely from the cinema. He was annoyed by the critics who accused him of lacking inspiration.
Film data
| Original title: | Unter Ausschluß der Öffentlichkeit |
| Director: | Harald Philipp |
| Screnplay: | Harald Philipp, Fred Ignor |
| Producer: | Artur Brauner |
| Actors: | Peter van Eyck, Marianne Koch, Eva Bartok, Claus Holm, Wolfgang Reichmann, Werner Peters, Susanne Cramer, Alfred Balthoff, Leon Askin, Rudolf Fernau, Gudrun Schmidt, Ralf Wolter, Heinz Weiss, Jochen Blume, Heinz Welzel, Kurd Pieritz, Albert Bessler, Herbert Wilk, Klaus Dahlen, Peter Schiff, Barbara Saade, Ditmar Christensen, Kunibert Gensichen, Hans Schwarz jr., Heinz Spitzner, Carl de Vogt, Gerd Frickhöffer, Erik Radolf |
| Produktion company: |
Central Cinema Company Film (CCC) |
| Country: | Deutschland |
| Year of production: | 1961 |
Technical data
Mediabook | Aspect ratio: 1:1,33 | Lenght: 97 Min | Sound format: Mono | Bonus: Trailer | Mediabook with removable FSK sticker | Rating: FSK 16
More Information about the film label: Zeitlose Filmkunst
