Old Shatterhand (film)
Encyclopedia
The film Old Shatterhand (known as Apaches Last Battle in the UK) is a very successful Eurowestern based on the character Old Shatterhand
invented by German novelist Karl May
. It is a French, Italian, Yugoslavian, West German co-production filmed in 70mm. With about 5,000,000 DM in production the film was the most expensive Karl May Western. Composer Riz Ortolani was even allowed to use a chorus for his film score
. Part of the set for this production was the Plitvice Lakes National Park in in Croatia
.
s have broken the peace treaty. Old Shatterhand, blood brother
of the Apache chief Winnetou
, finds out that ruthless lands grabbers did the killings, hoping to start off a war between the Indians and the settlers, and follows the trail right back to the gates of the cavalry's fort.
's "Treasure of Silver Lake" (Der Schatz im Silbersee) in 1962 produced by Horst Wendlandt
for the Rialto Film-Company, his rival Artur Brauner
from the CCC-Film-Company also wanted to have his share in this looming series. Since Wendlandt got the rights for the original Karl-May-novels (although none of his films ever got too close to their respective plots), Brauner only had the chance of making a movie "inspired by" Karl May, using some of the already known personnel personated by American Lex Barker as "Old Shatterhand" and French Pierre Brice as "Winnetou
". American Guy Madison
, who had starred in the American TV series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
, played one of the bad guys and exotic Israeli Daliah Lavi was one of the "damsels in distress", before turning to a singing career as did American Bill Ramsey
, the comic part in this movie, already known in Germany for his Schlager
s and later Jazz
songs.
One mystery remained from the movie: today no one remembers who the original singer of the song "Nothing To Say" („Die Stunde kam“) by saloon-singer Rosemarie (played by but not sung by Kitty Mattern) was.
Old Shatterhand
Old Shatterhand is a fictional character in western novels by German writer Karl May . He is the German friend and blood brother of Winnetou, the fictional chief of the Mescalero tribe of the Apache...
invented by German novelist Karl May
Karl May
Karl Friedrich May was a popular German writer, noted mainly for adventure novels set in the American Old West, and similar books set in the Orient and Middle East . In addition, he wrote stories set in his native Germany, in China and in South America...
. It is a French, Italian, Yugoslavian, West German co-production filmed in 70mm. With about 5,000,000 DM in production the film was the most expensive Karl May Western. Composer Riz Ortolani was even allowed to use a chorus for his film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
. Part of the set for this production was the Plitvice Lakes National Park in in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
Plot summary
Killings of innocent ranchers indicate the ApacheApache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
s have broken the peace treaty. Old Shatterhand, blood brother
Blood brother
Blood brother can refer to one of two things: two males related by birth, or two or more men not related by birth who have sworn loyalty to each other. This is usually done in a ceremony, known as a blood oath, where the blood of each man is mingled together...
of the Apache chief Winnetou
Winnetou
Winnetou is a fictional Native American hero of several novels written by Karl May in German, including the sequels Winnetou I through Winnetou IV....
, finds out that ruthless lands grabbers did the killings, hoping to start off a war between the Indians and the settlers, and follows the trail right back to the gates of the cavalry's fort.
Background
After the success of director Harald ReinlHarald Reinl
Harald Reinl was an Austrian film director. He is especially known for the movies he made based on Edgar Wallace and Karl May books .He started his career as an extra in the mountain-films of Arnold Fanck...
's "Treasure of Silver Lake" (Der Schatz im Silbersee) in 1962 produced by Horst Wendlandt
Horst Wendlandt
Horst Wendlandt was a German film producer. He produced 99 films between 1956 and 2002.He was born and died in Berlin, Germany.-Selected filmography:* Pappa ante Portas * L'as des as * Lola...
for the Rialto Film-Company, his rival Artur Brauner
Artur Brauner
Artur "Atze" Brauner is a polish film producer and entrepreneur. He was born to a Jewish family in Łódź, Poland. Artur and his brother Wolf survived the Holocaust by fleeing to the Soviet Union, then emigrated to Berlin after the war. As a young man he saw Fritz Lang's film The Testament of Dr...
from the CCC-Film-Company also wanted to have his share in this looming series. Since Wendlandt got the rights for the original Karl-May-novels (although none of his films ever got too close to their respective plots), Brauner only had the chance of making a movie "inspired by" Karl May, using some of the already known personnel personated by American Lex Barker as "Old Shatterhand" and French Pierre Brice as "Winnetou
Winnetou
Winnetou is a fictional Native American hero of several novels written by Karl May in German, including the sequels Winnetou I through Winnetou IV....
". American Guy Madison
Guy Madison
Guy Madison was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Robert Ozell Moseley in Pumpkin Center, California, Madison attended Bakersfield College, a junior college, for two years and then worked briefly as a telephone lineman before joining the United States Coast Guard in...
, who had starred in the American TV series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok is an American Western television series which ran for eight seasons from 1951 through 1958. The Screen Gems series began in syndication, but ran on CBS from 1955 through 1958, and, at the same time, on ABC from 1957 through 1958.-Synopsis:The Adventures of Wild...
, played one of the bad guys and exotic Israeli Daliah Lavi was one of the "damsels in distress", before turning to a singing career as did American Bill Ramsey
Bill Ramsey (singer)
Bill Ramsey is German - American jazz and pop singer, journalist and actor. Famous for his German-language hits.- Biography :...
, the comic part in this movie, already known in Germany for his Schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
s and later Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
songs.
One mystery remained from the movie: today no one remembers who the original singer of the song "Nothing To Say" („Die Stunde kam“) by saloon-singer Rosemarie (played by but not sung by Kitty Mattern) was.
Awards
- Goldene LeinwandGoldene LeinwandThe Goldene Leinwand is an award created in 1964 by the HDF and the journal Filmecho/Filmwoche....
(= Golden Screen) for over 3 million visitors within 12 months handed over on October, 8th 1965 at Gloria-Palast-cinema, BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.