FACE OF THE FROG (1959)

Lord Farnsworth and his wife are awakened in the night by odd sounds. Lady Farnsworth thinks it's frogs croaking outside but when she investigates, she sees it's actually a man in a frog mask breaking into their safe and getting away with her jewels. Inspector Hedge of Scotland Yard is stymied so his cocky American nephew Richard Gordon (Joachim Fuchsberger) decides he might be of service, but Hedge is relying on one of his men, Higgins, who has infiltrated the large underworld gang that follows the orders of The Frog; unfortunately, Higgins is found out and disposed of. The Frog has ordered his men to keep an eye on the children of John Bennett, Ray and Ella, and they are told to kill anyone who hangs around Ella too much. Eventually, stray clues in the case bring Richard to visit the Bennetts and, sure enough, as he strolls with Ella, he gets shot at but escapes injury and kicks the attacker's ass. The would-be killer has the stamp of the Frog on his wrist, and is carted off to prison, though he feels certain that an Frog gang member on the inside that he identifies as Number Seven will spring him. Indeed, a trusted policeman turns out to be a Frog spy and frees him. The plot machinations are just beginning to churn: Ray Bennett, a useless would-be playboy, gets a job at the Lolita nightclub and cozies up to Lolita herself; a blind beggar just happens to be around when Frog gang events are happening; someone creeps into Ella's room and freaks her out; Richard suspects that Harry Lime is involved—yes, that seems to the villainous Harry Lime who is played by Orson Welles in the noir classic THE THIRD MAN; there's a death by gassing, a kidnapping, and a gun fight or two before the Frog is unmasked.

I've become a fan of these German krimi films despite (or maybe a little bit because of) their overstuffed and confusing plots, their large casts of characters, and the constant red herrings thrown in our path. Some viewers go so far as to call this film a bit surreal, though I wouldn't go that far. Unlike some other krimi films, this one is less like a gothic melodrama and more like an urban crime movie. Even when I got lost in the wild and wooly incidents, I could still keep some semblance of order in my head about the main plot. Usually considered the first in the krimi genre, this also established Joachim Fuchsberger as the reliable but unexciting hero. I like him very much, and though he plays different characters in each film, he has the same look and same traits in each movie, and as a fairly calm center in the storm of twists and turns, he helps ground the story a bit. Good old reliable Eddi Arent is the sidekick, and supporting cast standouts include Walter Wilz as Ray, Erwin Strahl as a cop named Barclay, and Eva Pflug as Lolita. The damsels in distress are pretty interchangeable in these movies, and Eva Anthese is a little colorless as Ella. Recommend because it's kooky fun. Pictured are Fuchsberger and Arent. Also known as Fellowship of the Frog. [YouTube]