The films in the German-produced Edgar Wallace Krimi-collection, that ran between 1959 and approximately 1968, are often a hit or miss. Despite the potential, "Zimmer 13" is leaning towards a miss. It has an overly familiar plot, and the intriguing aspects are badly overshadowed by the clichéd and derivative trademarks of these type of films. Elderly and freshly released from prison gangster Joe Legge schemes a massive train heist, and to assure his cover, he's blackmailing the eminent politician Robert Marney by threatening to reveal a scandal that took place 20 years ago. Legge operates from a sleazy nightclub in Soho, but here is also a vicious serial killer active, who slits the throats of women with a sharp razor blade. In the end, the serial killer sub plot is the only interesting one to mention, but even then, the identity of the culprit is relatively easy to guess if you use a simple process of elimination. On the brighter side, Eddi Arent is a lot less annoying than usual in his role as police doctor with a passion for developing explosives and a fetish for mannequin dolls.
7 Reviews
A lesser entry in the Edgar Wallace series
k_t_t20011 February 2005
Edgar Wallace was a popular British author of crime thrillers during the 1920s. Though Wallace himself died in 1932 ( while working on the screenplay for King Kong ) the popularity of his work spawned a number of films based on his novels. Of particular note is a series of German adaptations by Rialto Films, beginning in 1959 and continuing until 1971, that presented the material with a stylish mix of humor and thrills. While this approach led to some very entertaining films, such as DER HEXER, ZIMMER 13, or ROOM 13, is unfortunately one of the poorer entries, being a very predictable and pedestrian affair.
The disappointment begins almost immediately. While the ominous sounding title suggests some significant mystery, ( What, Where, is Room 13? ) it is very quickly revealed that room 13 is about as mysterious as room 222. Ten minutes into the film we learn that room 13 is simply the number of a room in the Highlow nightclub where gangster Joe Legge is planning his next heist. The film attempts to present this theft, a train robbery, as a minutely planned Mission: Impossible style caper, but in fact the whole business essentially consists of pulling the train onto a siding and unloading it.
On the side of the angels is Johnny Gray, played by Wallace series regular Joachim Fuchsberger. Gray is supposedly the greatest private detective in London, which would suggest a marked drop in standards since Sherlock Holmes' day. Gray is brought into the affair by Sir Robert Marney. Legge is threatening that unpleasant things will happen to Marney's daughter, Denise, unless Sir Robert provides some unspecified assistance with his planned robbery, and Gray is hired to protect her. What follows is rather uninspired business with Johnny Gray doing much running around but not much detecting. Often it seems the only progress that Gray actually makes toward solving the case, is when the heavy handed ineptitude of the thieves pushes him toward the solution.
The only actual mystery in the film, is the hidden identity of a maniac who likes to slice women's throats with a straight razor. This subplot seems almost like an afterthought, tacked loosely to the main narrative. Actually it isn't even really much of a mystery, as the film's complete lack of subtlety makes the identity of the killer blatantly obvious very early in the film.
The only real bright spot in the entire production is Eddi Aren't. Aren't is usually on hand in the Rialto Wallace films to provide comedy relief and in ZIMMER 13, he has his work cut out for him. As Higgins, a brilliant, if somewhat odd, police scientist, who is madly in love with his lab mannequin, Emily, Aren't is by far the most interesting thing in the movie. Unfortunately, Aren't alone simply isn't enough, and in the end ZIMMER 13, with its night club setting and hip private detective, feels very much like a less than inspired episode of PETER GUNN.
For fans of the Edgar Wallace mystery thrillers, ZIMMER 13 is available on DVD as part of the Edgar Wallace Collection from Tobis Home Entertainment. This impressive series presents pristine copies of all thirty-three of the Rialto Wallace films in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen. Happily, the majority of the DVDs releases in this series feature both German and English audio and subtitle options.
The disappointment begins almost immediately. While the ominous sounding title suggests some significant mystery, ( What, Where, is Room 13? ) it is very quickly revealed that room 13 is about as mysterious as room 222. Ten minutes into the film we learn that room 13 is simply the number of a room in the Highlow nightclub where gangster Joe Legge is planning his next heist. The film attempts to present this theft, a train robbery, as a minutely planned Mission: Impossible style caper, but in fact the whole business essentially consists of pulling the train onto a siding and unloading it.
On the side of the angels is Johnny Gray, played by Wallace series regular Joachim Fuchsberger. Gray is supposedly the greatest private detective in London, which would suggest a marked drop in standards since Sherlock Holmes' day. Gray is brought into the affair by Sir Robert Marney. Legge is threatening that unpleasant things will happen to Marney's daughter, Denise, unless Sir Robert provides some unspecified assistance with his planned robbery, and Gray is hired to protect her. What follows is rather uninspired business with Johnny Gray doing much running around but not much detecting. Often it seems the only progress that Gray actually makes toward solving the case, is when the heavy handed ineptitude of the thieves pushes him toward the solution.
The only actual mystery in the film, is the hidden identity of a maniac who likes to slice women's throats with a straight razor. This subplot seems almost like an afterthought, tacked loosely to the main narrative. Actually it isn't even really much of a mystery, as the film's complete lack of subtlety makes the identity of the killer blatantly obvious very early in the film.
The only real bright spot in the entire production is Eddi Aren't. Aren't is usually on hand in the Rialto Wallace films to provide comedy relief and in ZIMMER 13, he has his work cut out for him. As Higgins, a brilliant, if somewhat odd, police scientist, who is madly in love with his lab mannequin, Emily, Aren't is by far the most interesting thing in the movie. Unfortunately, Aren't alone simply isn't enough, and in the end ZIMMER 13, with its night club setting and hip private detective, feels very much like a less than inspired episode of PETER GUNN.
For fans of the Edgar Wallace mystery thrillers, ZIMMER 13 is available on DVD as part of the Edgar Wallace Collection from Tobis Home Entertainment. This impressive series presents pristine copies of all thirty-three of the Rialto Wallace films in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen. Happily, the majority of the DVDs releases in this series feature both German and English audio and subtitle options.
Don't be fooled by the unusual title
Horst_In_Translation17 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Zimmer 13" or "Room 13" is a German black-and-white film from 1964, so over 50 years old already. It is another Edgar Wallace novel adaptation starring Joachim Blacky Fuchsberger as the main character. I already mentioned the title. Usually, they quote the main antagonist in here, but this time it is different. The rest is the same however. A cop chases a serial killer, the femme fatale is played by Karin Dor as always and the director is Harald Reinl, who also made many other Edgar Wallace films like this one, even if he is more known for Winnetou today. And this film runs approximately 90 minutes as usual. Eddi Aren't is in here too and just like him other cast members appeared in other Wallace films. There is nothing innovative or entertaining about this film here and the story is entirely interchangeable with any other Wallace film really, just like the characters. Four stars may already be a generous rating and the fact that these films are the most famous Germany has to offer in terms of 1960s film shows how bad this decade was for German movies. watch something else instead.
Lucky 13
Joseph_Gillis9 November 2013
Wealthy nobleman,Sir Robert Marney, receives an unwelcome visit from notorious criminal, Joe Legge, who seeks his assistance, by way of a veiled threat, in secreting the proceeds of his planned heist; meanwhile, somebody is killing dancers at a sleazy night-club.
One of my favourites of the eight or so of the Edgar Wallace 'krimis' that I've seen to date, although opinions are divided on its merits. I think the more preposterous plot elements, and the prominence given to comic Eddie Aren't's police doctor, enhances, rather than detracts, from it's appeal.
Given that the constituent plots are usually enough to sustain two films, part of the fun is waiting to see how the scriptwriters will join up the dots. In my case I wasn't overly concerned at how logical the resolution would be, as I was just enjoying the telling of it. Previously, I had begun to question the inclusion of Eddi Aren't's comic interludes - largely because of the absence of slapstick humour in Wallace crime novels - but I think here I finally 'got it': whether it was watching him cavort with his laboratory 'mannequin', his exaggerated 'Q' style experiments, or watching him getting up close and personal - mostly to their bemusement - with the nightclub dancers, this is where I officially became a fan; almost to the extent that my enjoyment of these films is almost directly proportional to the extent of his involvement.
The heist itself put me in mind of the contemporary British 'Great Train Robbery' - which itself was separately re-enacted by a West German production company - but despite the occasionally ludicrous characterisations and actions, it was excitingly staged.
The parallel plot line of the murders was somewhat implausibly resolved, though not wholly unpredictably, but it all combined to add to the general enjoyment.
Although there were a number of standout performances - notably Aren't - the entire ensemble , including the suitably ugly gang members, worked a treat together. Although later films were made in colour, I think black and white was more effective, not least in some nice moody landscape shots, and in the nocturnal outdoor sequences. The plots moved at a brisk pace, but not so fast that you couldn't make sense - or 'non-sense' -of what was unfolding
Ably directed by Harald Reinl, who had already proved himself a quality director of genre films
One of my favourites of the eight or so of the Edgar Wallace 'krimis' that I've seen to date, although opinions are divided on its merits. I think the more preposterous plot elements, and the prominence given to comic Eddie Aren't's police doctor, enhances, rather than detracts, from it's appeal.
Given that the constituent plots are usually enough to sustain two films, part of the fun is waiting to see how the scriptwriters will join up the dots. In my case I wasn't overly concerned at how logical the resolution would be, as I was just enjoying the telling of it. Previously, I had begun to question the inclusion of Eddi Aren't's comic interludes - largely because of the absence of slapstick humour in Wallace crime novels - but I think here I finally 'got it': whether it was watching him cavort with his laboratory 'mannequin', his exaggerated 'Q' style experiments, or watching him getting up close and personal - mostly to their bemusement - with the nightclub dancers, this is where I officially became a fan; almost to the extent that my enjoyment of these films is almost directly proportional to the extent of his involvement.
The heist itself put me in mind of the contemporary British 'Great Train Robbery' - which itself was separately re-enacted by a West German production company - but despite the occasionally ludicrous characterisations and actions, it was excitingly staged.
The parallel plot line of the murders was somewhat implausibly resolved, though not wholly unpredictably, but it all combined to add to the general enjoyment.
Although there were a number of standout performances - notably Aren't - the entire ensemble , including the suitably ugly gang members, worked a treat together. Although later films were made in colour, I think black and white was more effective, not least in some nice moody landscape shots, and in the nocturnal outdoor sequences. The plots moved at a brisk pace, but not so fast that you couldn't make sense - or 'non-sense' -of what was unfolding
Ably directed by Harald Reinl, who had already proved himself a quality director of genre films
One of the better Edgar Wallace films I've run seen
dbborroughs14 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
After 20 years, when the statute of limitations has run Joe Leg turns up on the door of Lord Ambrose. Threatening the Lord that he will reveal past misdeeds and harm his daughter, Leg tells the Lord to meet him at the High Low club in the titled room. The Lord hires a detective named Gray (a reoccurring character in the Wallace series) to protect his daughter. From there the story spins out as a past robbery, an upcoming train robbery and straight razor wielding maniac all come into play. This is a very good Wallace adaptation that moves along at a good clip and doesn't get distract with extraneous stuff, such as humor. Indeed the comic relief Scotland yard assistant isn't as intrusive as he would be in some of the other Wallace films. As with the best or better Wallace films they transcend their narrow niche and become a solid crime film on its own terms. Worth a look with a bog of popcorn and a soda.
The Bird with the Crystal Krimi.
morrison-dylan-fan13 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Listening to Kim Newman and Alan Jones excellent audio commentary to Dario Argento's Giallo debut The Bird with the Crystal Plumage a few years ago,I found out about an earlier title from the Krimi genre that featured themes which Argento used in his debut.Looking round for "Zimmer 13",I was disappointed to find the film not being available anywhere on DVD or Video.
Years later:
Looking round for interesting movies on Amazon.Com that I could import,I decided to take a look at their "Sinister Cinema" label.Getting near the end of the first page,I was thrilled to discover that they had put out Zimmer 13 under its English dubbed title Room 13!,which led to me getting ready to finally find out how lucky number 13 would be for a Krimi.
The plot:
Fearing that his political career could be ruined, Sir Marney tries to keep an underworld gang silent.Not being happy with Sir Marney's offer,the gang start making plans on staging an epic robbery.Fearing that his daughter Denise may be in danger,Marney hires police officer Johnny Gray to keep her safe.As Gray tries to stop the gang in their tracks,a mysterious killer starts to bring back memories which led to the tragic death of Denise mum.
View on the film:
Opening with a razor blade held by a black glove wearing killer gliding across the screen,director Harald Reinl (who made 6 films in this genre with his then-wife Karin Dor) and cinematographer Ernst W. Kalinke slash the Krimi into the yet to appear Giallo genre,with Reinl and Kalinke breaking taboos with the murder of a naked stripper, (which led to the movie getting an "adult" rating,which helped it to bomb at the box office!)and the other victims being killed in a strikingly stylised manner.Building the tension up towards each murder set-piece,Reinl gives the Krimi a firm Film Noir atmosphere,as long winding staircases and dusty rooms filled with broken dolls allow the killer and the criminals to lurk in the shadows,whilst Reinl's long tracking shots of murky streets and strip clubs in England, (which for the third and final time for the Krimi genre were actually shot in Denmark)reveal the seedy world that Johnny Gray is trying to open.
For the proto-Giallo slices of the screenplay, Will Tremper hangs a eerie feeling of dread above the Krimi,with the shadow from Denise's mums portrait covering everyone with suspicion of murder,as the razor stabs into the heist activates and allows the film to dip into some delightfully odd moments which go from cut up mannequins to the identity of the killer giving the title a dark final note.Whilst the Giallo edge of the Krimi shines in the low-light,Tremper's attempts to cross the murder mystery with a "British" heist Drama leads to the tension sadly cooling down.Originally starting as a heist "ripped from the headlines" of the previous year Great Train Robbery,Tremper's crossing over of the heist leads to the stylish Giallo/Krimi mystery being pushed to the side lines,due to Tremper getting caught up in a tangle of placing each of the robbers in dazed and confused conspiracies.
Searching for the mysterious killer and the underworld thugs, Joachim Fuchsberger gives a very good performance as Johnny Gray,with Fuchsberger giving Gray a hard-nose ruthlessness to stop the thieves in their tracks and also to break the deadly razor blade.Looking gorgeous,Karin Dor gives a wonderful performance as Denise,thanks to Dor's wide eyed shivers giving the mystery an deep icy feel,as the Krmi enters the Giallo room 13.
Years later:
Looking round for interesting movies on Amazon.Com that I could import,I decided to take a look at their "Sinister Cinema" label.Getting near the end of the first page,I was thrilled to discover that they had put out Zimmer 13 under its English dubbed title Room 13!,which led to me getting ready to finally find out how lucky number 13 would be for a Krimi.
The plot:
Fearing that his political career could be ruined, Sir Marney tries to keep an underworld gang silent.Not being happy with Sir Marney's offer,the gang start making plans on staging an epic robbery.Fearing that his daughter Denise may be in danger,Marney hires police officer Johnny Gray to keep her safe.As Gray tries to stop the gang in their tracks,a mysterious killer starts to bring back memories which led to the tragic death of Denise mum.
View on the film:
Opening with a razor blade held by a black glove wearing killer gliding across the screen,director Harald Reinl (who made 6 films in this genre with his then-wife Karin Dor) and cinematographer Ernst W. Kalinke slash the Krimi into the yet to appear Giallo genre,with Reinl and Kalinke breaking taboos with the murder of a naked stripper, (which led to the movie getting an "adult" rating,which helped it to bomb at the box office!)and the other victims being killed in a strikingly stylised manner.Building the tension up towards each murder set-piece,Reinl gives the Krimi a firm Film Noir atmosphere,as long winding staircases and dusty rooms filled with broken dolls allow the killer and the criminals to lurk in the shadows,whilst Reinl's long tracking shots of murky streets and strip clubs in England, (which for the third and final time for the Krimi genre were actually shot in Denmark)reveal the seedy world that Johnny Gray is trying to open.
For the proto-Giallo slices of the screenplay, Will Tremper hangs a eerie feeling of dread above the Krimi,with the shadow from Denise's mums portrait covering everyone with suspicion of murder,as the razor stabs into the heist activates and allows the film to dip into some delightfully odd moments which go from cut up mannequins to the identity of the killer giving the title a dark final note.Whilst the Giallo edge of the Krimi shines in the low-light,Tremper's attempts to cross the murder mystery with a "British" heist Drama leads to the tension sadly cooling down.Originally starting as a heist "ripped from the headlines" of the previous year Great Train Robbery,Tremper's crossing over of the heist leads to the stylish Giallo/Krimi mystery being pushed to the side lines,due to Tremper getting caught up in a tangle of placing each of the robbers in dazed and confused conspiracies.
Searching for the mysterious killer and the underworld thugs, Joachim Fuchsberger gives a very good performance as Johnny Gray,with Fuchsberger giving Gray a hard-nose ruthlessness to stop the thieves in their tracks and also to break the deadly razor blade.Looking gorgeous,Karin Dor gives a wonderful performance as Denise,thanks to Dor's wide eyed shivers giving the mystery an deep icy feel,as the Krmi enters the Giallo room 13.
Wunderbar
feindlicheubernahme5 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
At the time of writing, there are six reviews here, with the star ratings of 3,4,5,8,8,9. So I think it's fair to say that opinions vary somewhat on Room 13! I'm definitely in the "loved it" camp. In fact, I'll go all the way and say that, of the 32 Rialto-produced EW films, this is my favourite, taking the top spot away from The Crimson Circle. I do, however, still have the final six black & white films to watch (I've seen all the ones in colour already), so...
There's no point in describing the plot, which others have already done much better than I could, so I'll just give my impressions.
To begin with, the classic pairing of Joachim Fuchsberger and Karin Dor, who were certainly the most prolific leading man and woman, respectively, of the series. Fuchsberger was very much the action man of the EW films, more physical than the other investigators I can remember. Dor, as a woman in 60s cinema, unfortunately was never allowed to do much other than fall in love and be rescued. But she did what she had to do well and she was, of course, devastatingly beautiful.
Room 13 consists of two strands, a series of murders by a proto-giallo razor-wielding maniac and a train heist. In my opinion, the film does a great job of intertwining the two strands, with a murder occurring fairly early on at the club which is the train robbers' base. Even though there are clearly two separate storylines, there's always a link between them since so much of the action takes place at the club and involves the criminal gang. Indeed, the next murder victim is one of their own.
Fuchsberger does his usual action stuff, fighting bad guys, jumping from high windows and so on. His character has something of the traditional hard-boiled noir detective about him, smooth and tough, with a slight air of cynicism.
Dor's Denise Marney starts off in typical fashion for these films, meeting the hero and immediately going out with him. Later, she naturally gets kidnapped and has to be rescued. But in between, she gets to do some staring at a spooky painting of her mother in her room, which alerts Gray and us to the fact that something may be a bit amiss with this miss.
Edie Arent's really good here. Even though his character is pretty over the top, he is actually a genius who comes up with a number of ideas and inventions which are integral to the plot, unlike in The Black Abbot, for example, where his policeman was a buffoon only there for comedic value; he did nothing of any use to the investigation and quickly became a major irritant.
The train robbery part of the plot goes well. It's planned with military precision by Joe Legge (Robert Häussler, who at this point was probably behind only Klaus Kinski as the most frequent guest star and might have overtaken him but unfortunately died later in the year of this film's release). The actual heist looks genuinely impressive and you're kind of willing the gang to succeed.
But my favourite thing about Room 13 is the conclusion. There have been previous EW films where it's been hinted that the leading lady might turn out to be the guilty party, but that's always turned out to be a red herring and we end up with the usual male culprit.
Here, we finally get our female murderer (and Dor gets to do something different.) I'm not sure it's quite what female equality campaigners would have been demanding, but it's great to see a woman revealed as the killer and, for these films, it makes a refreshing change.
By the reveal, it is glaringly obvious that Denise is ga-ga and that she's the killer, however it's a shame that we go from seeing her staring again at the creepy portrait to finding her dead on the floor, having committed suicide. It's far more satisfying to at least have one scene where the killer is confronted by the good guys and made aware that they've been rumbled. But that's my only gripe.
(Columbo voice) Just one last thing. Yippee! Denise's guilt and death means that, in a rare exception, Room 13 doesn't end with a cheesy shot of hero and heroine smooching, or walking off into the sunset with arms around each other or something similar. Sorry, but anyone who's read one of my other reviews will know that I'm not a great fan of corny, sickly-sweet romances in my murder mysteries or action films.
To begin with, the classic pairing of Joachim Fuchsberger and Karin Dor, who were certainly the most prolific leading man and woman, respectively, of the series. Fuchsberger was very much the action man of the EW films, more physical than the other investigators I can remember. Dor, as a woman in 60s cinema, unfortunately was never allowed to do much other than fall in love and be rescued. But she did what she had to do well and she was, of course, devastatingly beautiful.
Room 13 consists of two strands, a series of murders by a proto-giallo razor-wielding maniac and a train heist. In my opinion, the film does a great job of intertwining the two strands, with a murder occurring fairly early on at the club which is the train robbers' base. Even though there are clearly two separate storylines, there's always a link between them since so much of the action takes place at the club and involves the criminal gang. Indeed, the next murder victim is one of their own.
Fuchsberger does his usual action stuff, fighting bad guys, jumping from high windows and so on. His character has something of the traditional hard-boiled noir detective about him, smooth and tough, with a slight air of cynicism.
Dor's Denise Marney starts off in typical fashion for these films, meeting the hero and immediately going out with him. Later, she naturally gets kidnapped and has to be rescued. But in between, she gets to do some staring at a spooky painting of her mother in her room, which alerts Gray and us to the fact that something may be a bit amiss with this miss.
Edie Arent's really good here. Even though his character is pretty over the top, he is actually a genius who comes up with a number of ideas and inventions which are integral to the plot, unlike in The Black Abbot, for example, where his policeman was a buffoon only there for comedic value; he did nothing of any use to the investigation and quickly became a major irritant.
The train robbery part of the plot goes well. It's planned with military precision by Joe Legge (Robert Häussler, who at this point was probably behind only Klaus Kinski as the most frequent guest star and might have overtaken him but unfortunately died later in the year of this film's release). The actual heist looks genuinely impressive and you're kind of willing the gang to succeed.
But my favourite thing about Room 13 is the conclusion. There have been previous EW films where it's been hinted that the leading lady might turn out to be the guilty party, but that's always turned out to be a red herring and we end up with the usual male culprit.
Here, we finally get our female murderer (and Dor gets to do something different.) I'm not sure it's quite what female equality campaigners would have been demanding, but it's great to see a woman revealed as the killer and, for these films, it makes a refreshing change.
By the reveal, it is glaringly obvious that Denise is ga-ga and that she's the killer, however it's a shame that we go from seeing her staring again at the creepy portrait to finding her dead on the floor, having committed suicide. It's far more satisfying to at least have one scene where the killer is confronted by the good guys and made aware that they've been rumbled. But that's my only gripe.
(Columbo voice) Just one last thing. Yippee! Denise's guilt and death means that, in a rare exception, Room 13 doesn't end with a cheesy shot of hero and heroine smooching, or walking off into the sunset with arms around each other or something similar. Sorry, but anyone who's read one of my other reviews will know that I'm not a great fan of corny, sickly-sweet romances in my murder mysteries or action films.
See also
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