CrimeThriller

It Happened in Broad Daylight

The search for a child murderer drags a once-respected detective into an all-consuming obsession.

Release Date : 1958-06-09

Language :German

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Praesens-FilmChamartínCCC Filmkunst

Production Country : GermanySpainSwitzerland

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Oberleutnant Matthäi

Original Name : Heinz Rühmann

Gender : Male

Character Name : Det. Feller

Original Name : Sigfrit Steiner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lt. Heinzi

Original Name : Siegfried Lowitz

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jacquier

Original Name : Michel Simon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Polizeikommandant

Original Name : Heinrich Gretler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Schrott

Original Name : Gert Fröbe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Frau Schrott

Original Name : Berta Drews

Gender : Female

Character Name : Prof. Manz

Original Name : Ewald Balser

Gender : Male

Character Name : Frau Heller

Original Name : María Rosa Salgado

Gender : Female

Character Name : Annemarie Heller

Original Name : Anita von Ow

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ursula Fehlmann

Original Name : Barbara Haller

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gemeindepräsident

Original Name : Emil Hegetschweiler

Gender : Male

Character Name : o.A,

Original Name : Rene Magron

Gender : Male

Character Name : o.A.

Original Name : Max Werner Lenz

Gender : Male

Character Name : Herr Moser

Original Name : Hans Gaugler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tankstellenbesitzer

Original Name : Ettore Cella

Gender : Male

Character Name : Frau Moser

Original Name : Margrit Winter

Gender : Female

Character Name : o.A.

Original Name : Traute Carlsen

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lehrerin

Original Name : Anneliese Betschart

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : Max Haufler

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

There Are Such Monsters In The World. Es geschan am hellichten Tag (It Happened in Broad Daylight) is directed by Ladislao Vajda and collectively written by Vajda, Hans Jacoby and Friedrich Durrenmatt, from the Novel The Promise. It stars Heinz Ruhmann, Sigfrit Steiner, Siegfried Lowitz, Michel Simon and Gert Frobe. Music is by Bruno Canfora and cinematography is by Ernst Bolliger and Heinrich Gartner. When a child is found murdered in the woods, Oberleutnant Matthai (Ruhmann) promises the child’s parents he will find the killer. It’s a promise that weighs heavy on him, causing him to go outside of his rational thinking to hopefully lure the killer into a trap. The source material has proved ripe for picking as regards film adaptations, latterly with a big Hollywood production directed by Sean Penn and starring Jack Nicholson (The Pledge 2001). There’s a whole bunch of themes bubbling away in the story, all of which are handled superbly by the makers. At its core it’s a criminal investigation fuelled by an obsession, but morality and mob justice play a big part in proceedings as well. Lashings of intrigue permeate the atmosphere, as does a number of suspenseful scenes as the child killer enters the fray and we see him operating his vile schtick. The sequences of him at home, a complete milquetoast to a harpy wife, simmer away with deadly expectation, the acting superb. The psychological studies of the key characters carry considerable weighty merit, always niggling away at the audience, keeping us hooked to the very last frame. With chills (for instance the hand puppet scenes are blood curdling), expressionistic touches and a film noir sense of the human condition gone wrong, it’s a film deserving of a more wider and appreciative audience. Personally I prefer the ending that Durrenmatt rewrote as Das Versprechen (the author wasn’t happy with Es geschan am hellichten Tag’s resolution), and that was the ending Penn went for in The Pledge. This is not in the same class as Fritz Lang’s “M”, but it deserves to be on the same shelf, and that is praise indeed. 8/10