The German silent cinema knew many popular detective films like the Joe Deebs serial or the Sherlock Holmes adaptations. Another example is Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer/A Night in the Steel Chamber (Felix Basch, 1917) with Leopoldine Konstantin, Harry Liedtke, Gertrude Welcker and Heinrich Peer as the sleuth Harry Reep.
German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2023. Photo: Union Film. Publicity still for Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer/A Night in the Steel Chamber (Felix Basch, 1917) with Harry Liedtke and Leopoldine Konstantin.
German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2024. Photo: Union Film. Heinrich Peer in Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer/A Night in the Steel Chamber (Felix Basch, 1917).
German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2025. Photo: Union Film. Publicity still for Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer/A Night in the Steel Chamber (Felix Basch, 1917) with Heinrich Peer.
The plot of Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer/A Night in the Steel Chamber (Felix Basch, 1917) deals with bank director Kendall (Harry Liedtke). To satisfy the needs of his girlfriend, the art maecenas and performer Celestine (Leopoldine Konstantin), Kendall steals from his bank's safe money which his father-in-law had invested in his business.
The known detective Harry Reep (Heinrich Peer) is hired to investigate the theft. When the banker's wife's brother lends another big sum to keep the bank going, this sum is stolen too. Harry, disguised as bank manager, is suspected himself but then finds Kendall shot.
Harry later drives with the empty bank cassette in his car but is held up by Celestine who with a trick steals the empty cassette. Reep pursues Celestine by car but she manages to escape.
Later in the theatre where Celestine performs, he fights and conquers her. He discovers the cassette had a secret drawer and is filled with the stolen money. Celestine kills herself and Reep finds a suicide letter by Kendall, who committed suicide out of remorse.
Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer was shot mid-1917 and shown in Austria from August 1917. German censorship forbid the film for the duration of the war, so it was released there from late 1918 onwards.
"Not only does this film work have an interesting criminal theme as subject, the technique is brilliant, state-of-the-art, and the acting is exemplary. Rarely does one find such a perfectly harmonious interplay as is the case in this picture. Harry Liedtke, a reckless man who becomes a criminal, is as excellent as Heinrich Peer as the detective. A special attraction, however, is the well-known actress Leopoldine Konstantin ... In addition to all these advantages, it should be mentioned that a eye keen on sensation also gets his money's worth." (Neu Kino-Rundschau, 25 August 1917)
German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2026. Photo: Union Film. Publicity still for Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer/A Night in the Steel Chamber (Felix Basch, 1917) with Harry Liedtke.
German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2027. Photo: Union Film. Publicity still for Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer/A Night in the Steel Chamber (Felix Basch, 1917) with Gertrude Welcker (on the postcard written as Gertrude Welker).
Heinrich Peer. German postcard by Verlag Hermann Leiser, Berlin. no. 5296. Photo: Alex Binder, Berlin, 1916.
Source: Wikipedia (German).
German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2023. Photo: Union Film. Publicity still for Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer/A Night in the Steel Chamber (Felix Basch, 1917) with Harry Liedtke and Leopoldine Konstantin.
German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2024. Photo: Union Film. Heinrich Peer in Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer/A Night in the Steel Chamber (Felix Basch, 1917).
German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2025. Photo: Union Film. Publicity still for Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer/A Night in the Steel Chamber (Felix Basch, 1917) with Heinrich Peer.
Stolen money in a secret drawer
The plot of Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer/A Night in the Steel Chamber (Felix Basch, 1917) deals with bank director Kendall (Harry Liedtke). To satisfy the needs of his girlfriend, the art maecenas and performer Celestine (Leopoldine Konstantin), Kendall steals from his bank's safe money which his father-in-law had invested in his business.
The known detective Harry Reep (Heinrich Peer) is hired to investigate the theft. When the banker's wife's brother lends another big sum to keep the bank going, this sum is stolen too. Harry, disguised as bank manager, is suspected himself but then finds Kendall shot.
Harry later drives with the empty bank cassette in his car but is held up by Celestine who with a trick steals the empty cassette. Reep pursues Celestine by car but she manages to escape.
Later in the theatre where Celestine performs, he fights and conquers her. He discovers the cassette had a secret drawer and is filled with the stolen money. Celestine kills herself and Reep finds a suicide letter by Kendall, who committed suicide out of remorse.
Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer was shot mid-1917 and shown in Austria from August 1917. German censorship forbid the film for the duration of the war, so it was released there from late 1918 onwards.
"Not only does this film work have an interesting criminal theme as subject, the technique is brilliant, state-of-the-art, and the acting is exemplary. Rarely does one find such a perfectly harmonious interplay as is the case in this picture. Harry Liedtke, a reckless man who becomes a criminal, is as excellent as Heinrich Peer as the detective. A special attraction, however, is the well-known actress Leopoldine Konstantin ... In addition to all these advantages, it should be mentioned that a eye keen on sensation also gets his money's worth." (Neu Kino-Rundschau, 25 August 1917)
German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2026. Photo: Union Film. Publicity still for Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer/A Night in the Steel Chamber (Felix Basch, 1917) with Harry Liedtke.
German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2027. Photo: Union Film. Publicity still for Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer/A Night in the Steel Chamber (Felix Basch, 1917) with Gertrude Welcker (on the postcard written as Gertrude Welker).
Heinrich Peer. German postcard by Verlag Hermann Leiser, Berlin. no. 5296. Photo: Alex Binder, Berlin, 1916.
Source: Wikipedia (German).
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