Der Teufel kam aus Akasawa (1971)

Country of Origin: Spain / West Germany
Year of Production:
Running Times: 88 mins
Length: 2301 metres
Format: Eastmancolor 35mm
Ratio: 1.66:1
Sound:

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: CCC Filmkunst GmbH / Fénix Cooperativa Cinematográfica
Executive Producer: Karl Heinz Mannchen
Producer: Artur Brauner
Production Manager: Luis Lasala, Rudolph Hertzog Jr

SCRIPT
Script: Paul André, Ladislao Fodor
Dialogue: Arne Elsholtz (uncredited)
Novel: The Devil Came from Akasawa by Edgar Wallace

DIRECTION
Director: Jess Frank (real name: Jesus Franco)
Assistant Directors: Ani Settimo de Esteva, Rudolf Hertzog

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Manuel Merino
Assistant Director of Photography: Sierbhard Mayes

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editors: Clarissa Ambach, María Luisa Soriano

MUSIC
Music: Manfred Hübler, Odón Alonso, Siegfried Schwab
Jazz Solos: Manfred Hübler

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Karl Meyerberg

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Ana María Esteva

LOCATIONS
Locations: Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain; Berlin, Germany; CCC-Atelier, Berlin, Germany; Huelva, Andalucía, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Dedicated To: Soledad Miranda (Spanish version only)

CAST
Fred Williams (Rex Forrester)
Susann Korda (real name: Soledad Miranda) (Jane Morgan)
Paul Müller (Dr Henry)
Howard Vernon (Humphrey)
Horst Tappert (Dr Andrew Thorrsen)
Ewa Stroemberg (Ingrid Thorrsen)
Siegfried Schürenberg (Sir Philip)
Walter Rilla (Lord Kingsley)
Blandine Ebinger (Lady Abigail Kingsley)
Alberto Dalbes (Irving Lambert)
Angel Menéndez (Dr Forrester)
Antonio Padilla
Moisés Augusto Rocha (killer agent)
Augusto Rocha
Jesus Franco (Tino Celli)
Karl Heinz Mannchen (Inspector)

VOICES (all uncredited)
Christian Brückner (Rex Forrester)
Michael Chevalier (Irving Lambert)
Gerd Duwner (Tino Celli)
Almut Eggert (Ingrid Thorrsen)
Tina Eilers (Lady Abigail Kingsley)
Arne Elsholtz (Sergeant / man at airport / waiter)
Klaus Jepsen (Inspector)
Gerd Martienzen (Dr Henry)
Heinz Petruo (Professor Forrester)
Helga Truemper (Jane Morgan)
Konrad Wagner (Lord Kingsley)

PLOT SUMMARY

Dr Forrester discovers a mysterious mineral which turns common metal into gold and humans into zombies. His sample is stolen and Interpol sends in their best man while the British Secret Service despatch the beautiful Jane Morgan as their undercover operative. As other agents converge on the thief's, the race is on to retrieve the mineral before it can be sold into the wrong hands.

A bewildering spy / horror / science fiction hybrid which makes no sense whatsoever and which is enlivened only by the wonderful Soledad Miranda in her last role before her tragically untimely death. The script appears to have been cobbled together on the fly as the filming progressed, the direction seems to comprise mostly of out-of-focus zoom shots and the actors seem as confused as the audience. Franco's films can often be an ordeal to sit through, but this one really is all but impossible. For devoted Francophiles only.

Germany
Video Distributor: Video Toppic
DVD Distributor: Polyband

Greece
Video Distributors: Video Trust; Tsintas

Netherlands
Video Distributor: Skyline

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: C.E.A. Distribución
Video Distributors: Divisa Cine Negro; Major

Worldwide
International Sales: Cine-International/Munich

West Germany
Rating: 16

1970
August
3: Spain – filming begins

September
9: Spain – filming ends

1971
March
5: West Germany – theatrical release

November
12: Spain – theatrical release

2002
September
30: Germany - DVD release (Polyband)

El sensacional robo del diamante mas grande del mundo.

The Devil Came from Akasava – UK title
El diablo que vino de Akasawa – Spanish title
Una venere senza nome per l'ispettore Forrester – Italian title

BOOKS

Obsession - The Films of Jess Franco - Lucas Balbo, Peter Blumenstock (eds) pp.83-84 (Berlin: Selbstverlag Frank Trebbin (1993))
credits, illustrated review (by Peter Blumenstock)

KEYWORDS

book into film; secret agents; showers; spies

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009