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Wednesday, January 1, 2025

BLACK GRAVEL / SCHWARZER KIES (1961)

Intriguing, if not fully functional German film noir straddles two major periods of post-WWII German economy: Black Market manipulators and the fast emerging Industrial Boom.  Co-writer/director Helmut Käutner does a great job loading on the ‘anything goes’ atmosphere usually associated with lawless border towns (had Orson Welles’ TOUCH OF EVIL/’59 made it to Germany?) here divided not by a river cutting North from South, but between job-seeking local drifters & grifters still adjusting to the New Germany in a well-paid transient market, and the continuing U.S. presence (military, political, entrepreneurial) running the show and fitfully keeping order.  What he doesn’t do so well is set up the action and characters which don’t click in till the second act is well under way.   Once that happens, the plot still has to fight thru some painfully indicative acting by the leads as an old flame is rekindled between gravel driver Robert Neidhardt (a late film debut at 39) and his ex, Ingmar Zeisberg, now married to an American Major.  As to the missing gravel that drives the plot?  It’s not stolen for sale by some nefarious third party, but swiped to bury a dead dog and a pair of lovers (one an American) accidentally killed and seriously complicating already complicated relationships.  Good nasty fun, with an alarmingly funny twist when a happy solution is suggested by a CIA plant who naturally thinks everything can be explained thru East/West conspiracies before a cascade of bad timing puts the kibosh on any possible future.   Definitely worth a look, but some indulgence needed.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  The film was slightly reedited between its premiere and general release, much to its detriment.  Especially the end where, in the shortened general release cut, the metaphoric postman not only doesn’t ring twice, but never gets to the mailbox.  Who thought this a good idea?!  Only a minute longer (113" to 114"), it makes all the difference.

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