On the surface of the story "Der Fall Rabanser" is a solid, quite interesting thriller about a journalist who is suspected of a murder. Director Kurt Hoffmann is known for competent entertainment and for bright comedies, but what is strange and very interesting about this movie is the dark mood which surrounds everything. The characters in it seem secretive, melancholic, as if they were burdened with something from the past. The criminal case entraps innocent people. And above all there is this dismal illumination, the shadows eclipse the faces of the people in their dark rooms and shades the whole scenery. The good cast includes some well known German actors of the times during the WW II and the post war era. Watch out for the 'young' Inge Meysel in a little part, one of Germany's best known television actresses in one of her earlier roles (although she was around forty then) before she became known as Germany's so called "mother of nation" ("Mutter der Nation") in television series and TV movies. A good movie from a period you maybe wouldn't expect it from. 7,5 out of 10.
Review of Der Fall Rabanser
