THE INDIAN SCARF On Blu-ray From Vinegar Syndrome

 

Included in Vinegar Syndrome's KRIMIS IN BLACK & WHITE Blu-ray set is THE INDIAN SCARF (original German title DAS INDISCHE TUCH), a 1963 Edgar Wallace series entry directed by Alfred Vohrer and very loosely based on a play by Wallace. 

This Krimi is not set in London--the entire story takes place in a remote manor called Mark's Priory that is located on a small island off the northern coast of Scotland. The manor is the home to Lord Lebanon, and the movie begins with his murder. Lord Lebanon's heirs are then gathered at the estate to hear the reading of his will....and as these things usually go in these types of stories, the late lord's instructions are rather unique. The various heirs can only obtain their shares of the inheritance by staying on at the manor for six days and six nights, when still yet another will is to be read. A massive storm cuts off the manor from the mainland, and (of course) all phone service is cut off. The heirs start dropping off one by one, each strangled by the scarf of the movie's title. It's up to the solicitor who is in charge of the will (Heinz Drache) to find out who is the culprit. 

THE INDIAN SCARF is basically a combination of THE CAT AND THE CANARY and AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. The Old Dark House cliches fly thick and fast, but as with most Krimis, all the expected elements wind up having an off beat twist to them. 

There's plenty of suspects galore--as a matter of fact, all the characters are suspects one way or another. The disgruntled heirs include a belligerent American, a duplicitous doctor, and Lord Lebanon's legitimate son, a pianist with a major mother fixation. It will be no surprise to the reader that there is also a young, pretty female relative (Corny Collins) who has nothing in common with her distant cousins. The inimitable Klaus Kinski, a red herring in numerous Krimis, gets a bigger role than usual in this one, and he makes the most of it. The movie is enlivened by a cast of Krimi regulars such as Siegfried Schurenberg, Ady Berder (the Tor Johnson of Germany) and Eddi Arent, doing his by now familiar comic relief role as the manor's butler. 

I wouldn't say that THE INDIAN SCARF is one of the better Krimis, but it is an entertaining twist on the Dark House/Greedy Relatives sub-genre. THE INDIAN SCARF is a bit lighter than most of the other films in the Edgar Wallace series, despite all the murders. Those murders are committed by an unseen assailant--all the viewer gets a glimpse of is a pair of gloved hands twirling the deadly scarf. The murders are shown from the assailant's point of view, and this technique, along with the gloves, has caused nearly everyone who discusses this film to compare it to a giallo, which honestly is a bit of a stretch. 

Director Alfred Vohrer manages to keep things from being stuffy and restrained despite the entire story taking place in the same setting. Peter Thomas provides yet another strange score for a Krimi film, and at times the music seems written for an entirely different movie. This film is very much aware of its genre and its source material, as the final revelation makes clear. 

Vinegar Syndrome presents THE INDIAN SCARF in its original 2.35:1 black & white aspect ratio, and the visuals are sharp and clear. The original German and English dub tracks are provided, along with English subtitles. The movie is uncut, and the original main titles (which are in color) are provided. 

THE INDIAN SCARF is recipient of a new audio commentary by Samm Deighan, who spends most of her time going over the various aspects and traditions of the Krimi genre. It is an informative talk, but it works best for those who have very little experience or knowledge of the Krimis. 

THE INDIAN SCARF is actually something of an outlier among the Edgar Wallace Krimis, with its one non-London location and handful of characters. It kind of reminded me of the many 1930s and 40s Poverty Row old Dark House mystery thrillers, except this has more energy, weirdness, and slickness to it. I sincerely hope Vinegar Syndrome will be releasing more of the German Edgar Wallace movies on home video in the future.