Don Manuel the Bandit

DON MANUEL, THE BANDIT

1929, Germany

Aka… Don Manuel, der Bandit / ‘Don Manuel, The Bandit’ (Ger)

Pc: Mengon-Film [Romano Mengon]

Dist: Mengon-Film [Romano Mengon] (Visa, 04/19/29, Ger), (10/29, Ger, Hamburg)

D: Romano Mengon; P: Romano Mengon & Hanns Marschall; Sc: Hanns Marschall; Ph: Giovanni Vitrotti

C: Angelo Ferrari (Don Manuel de Croix), Liane D'Orland (Tante Georgette), Diomira Jacobini (Mercedes Perez), Romero Valvidares (Bankier Perez), Judith Massena (Miss Quera, Clifford McLaglen (Juan Carizzo, a bull farmer), Dora Meves (Rita Carizzo), Karl Platen (Fernando, Perez's secretary), Yvonne Reggia, Nico Turoff [Nikolai Turow] (Rodriguez, a bandit)

Syn: An unnamed Spanish-speaking country. Here lives Don Manuel de Croix, outwardly leading the life of a country nobleman, but in truth, he is nothing more than a common bandit. He left his wife long ago after he had squandered her money, and he is already once again on the lookout for a new partner. There, the masked Don Manuel robs the unsuspecting farmer as he is on his way with a large sum of cash and abducts him.  The police arrive soon, and before the gang of bandits can be arrested, a duel takes place between Don Manuel and Juan, in which the latter emerges victorious.

     Comm: Western elements? Most likely.  The story takes place in an unnamed Spanish-speaking country (Mexico, or Spain?). The film was shot from December 1928 to January 1929 with outdoor scenes at the bull farm at Gardanne near Marseille, France,  as well as in the Spanish city of Cordoba, in Andalusia, Spain.

     German made ‘bandit’ film shot in France and Spain, with an imported American co-star, plus a masked character. It would at least look and feel like a Spaghetti!. Ummm. Too bad it's considered lost.

      DON MANUEL, THE BANDIT passed the censorship on April 19, 1929. It premiered in several Hamburg cinemas in October of that year.

     Film-Journal Magazine said "In terms of performance, Clifford McLaglen shines as Farmer Juan. […] Compared to him, the smooth professionalism of Angelo Ferrari pales considerably."  Hans Eberhard Friedrich wrote: "Meaninglessly kitschy with postage stamp landscapes." Typical putdown.

South African born actor Clifford McLaglen was Victor McLaglen's brother, and uncle to future western director Andrew V. McLaglen.

     Nico Turoff later appeared in two East German westerns: the war film “Sheriff Teddy” and the ‘snowie’, “Kit & Co” (1974).

 

By Michael Ferguson