THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY On Blu-ray From Eureka

 

We return to Eureka's TERROR IN THE FOG Blu-ray set, this time to cover THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY, a 1964 German Krimi that is heavily influenced by the legend of Jack the Ripper. 

In modern London, a number of prostitutes are being savagely murdered within the same vicinity that a successful play about Jack the Ripper is being performed. The actor who portrays the killer in the story, Richard Sand (Hansjorg Felmy) is getting burned out in the role after so many performances, and he's also facing pressure from those who think the play might be influencing the real-life murders. Sand has had personal issues in the past, and the actor starts to wonder if he himself might be the killer without even realizing it. As the play gets more notoriety, the killings continue, and Sand gets caught up in the investigation. 

THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY is an above-average Krimi that goes against the grain in a few ways. Instead of a leading man-type detective being the main character, the major suspect takes center stage, and the audience isn't too sure whether he's guilty or not. The idea of whether violent entertainment influences actual crime has been a major debate for the past few decades, but it's unusual to see it referenced in a movie which revels in atmospheric scenes of beautiful young women being stalked and killed. (These striking scenes, by the way, have a decidedly Mario Bavaesque feel to them.) Marianne Koch (who would next appear in FISTFUL OF DOLLARS) plays Sand's sympathetic girlfriend, while Peer Schmidt and Chariklia Baxevanos are a couple of Tommy & Tuppence-like private eyes who decide to find the killer on their own so they can claim the reward and get married. Some viewers might find the amateur detectives annoying, but they do provide some levity among all the morbid goings-on. 

The black & white visuals of THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY look very crisp and fine on this 2.35:1 print which Eureka has furnished with its own disc. As with the rest of the films in this set, the movie is uncut, with the original main titles (which are in color), and German and English voice tracks are provided, with English subtitles. 

The extras include a video essay entitled PASSING THE KNIFE, by Alexandra Heller-Nichols. She discusses how the German Krimi was a major precursor to the slasher films of later decades, and yes, she talks about the gender politics of the genres. Tim Lucas provides another introduction, in which he points out the similarities between this film and THE PHANTOM OF SOHO. Lucas also compares THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY with the 1971 version of MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, which also deals with a violent play being performed while a real madman is going around killing people. 

There's also a new audio commentary, once again with Kim Newman, but this time he's joined by Stephen Jones. It's a lively one, although Newman does repeat some of the things he's mentioned in his other talks included in this set. The duo discuss why very little is known about Bryan Edgar Wallace, and what actual writing he might have done, and once again we get a talk about how the German Krimi version of London has no relation to the actual location. 

THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY feels more like a modern-day Jack the Ripper tale instead of a basic Krimi, but this is a positive. For those who have not seen it, the killer's identity, and the way in which he is revealed, will be a surprise. There's just one more movie to go in this fine box set from Eureka.