The Black Abbot (1963 film)

The Black Abbot German Der Schwarze Abt is a 1963 West German mystery film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Joachim Fuchsberger. It was part of a very successful series of German films based on the writings of Edgar Wallace and adapted from the 1926 novel of the same name.

The film follows the novel quite closely over long stretches. However, in the novel Harry and Dick are brothers. Lord Chelford is looking for the elixir of youth that is supposedly part of the treasure, not for the gold. Mary Wenner proposes to marry Arthur Gine as part of a deal to get at the treasurewhich in the novel is said to includetons of gold. The novel does not start with a murder like the film. Sergeant Puttler Inspector Puddler initially comes to the castle as a favour to Alford, he is on vacation and wants to spend it doing some light investigative work concerning the strange goingson around the estate. There is no police assistant in the novel, or comic relief of the kind provided by Arents character in the film. In fact, the first character to be killed is Thomas, who dies in his Black Abbot costume, just like in the film. Lord Chelford is found to have disappeared from his room, signs of a fight remain behind. Arthur Gine goes abroad after tricking Gilder into signing a large cheque. Later, Leslie Gine is kidnapped. Gilder finds out that Alford is the Black Abbothe later confesses to it, saying that he used the costume to scare his insane and at times violent brother into staying inside the estate. The end is relatively close to the film with a pursuit through the tunnels and Lord Chelfords death. However, in the novel there is not just a happy ending for Leslie Gine and Dick Alford, but also for Wenner and Gilder who get engaged. Doctor Loxon and Lady Chelford do not appear in the novel at allshe has actually died years before.Der Schwarze Abt was the 13th in a series of films based on works by Edgar Wallace made in the late 1950s and 1960s by producer Horst Wendlandt for Rialto Film. The script to the film was adapted by Johannes Kai and Franz Josef Gottlieb from the Edgar Wallace novel The Black Abbot 1926. An earlier film version had been made in Britain in 1934. This was the fourth script Kai a pen name for Hanns Wiedmann had writte

Source: Wikipedia