The Black Abbot (1963) User Reviews (9)

Confusing, but stick with it

[Joseph_Gillis · 7/10 · 9 November 2013]

This one is closer to the straight drama of the British Edgar Wallace series, despite the presence of the ubiquitous Eddi Aren't, whose presence serves to lighten the tone; on this occasion he's the assistant to the investigating police officer, and displays an unexpected talent for wrestling.

It features so many characters and subplots - swindlers and forgers, gold-diggers and blackmailers; to name just four - that it's quite easy to get lost in the plot, or sub-plots, but as long as you concentrate on the main plot thread that treasure is buried in the grounds of Lord Chelford's estate; that it is being protected by a mysterious 'Black Abbott' figure; and that literally everybody wants to get their hands on it, you can settle back and let the proceedings unfold. It helps,also, that the investigating officer seems to have an uncanny knack of getting to the heart of the matter - without seemingly doing much investigating - and thus does all the figuring out for you.

Aren't aside, it boasts wonderful ensemble playing from actors, many of whom I've come to know and love as staples of the series, including Joachim Fuchsberger, as Dick Alford; Werner Peters, as Fabian Gilder, and a young Klaus Kinski, as an ex-con butler.

The film has a number of good nocturnal chase scenes, excitingly filmed. It also boasts a wonderfully kitschy soundtrack.

Ratings-wise, I'd probably say 7/10: the first-third of the film where too many characters are introduced causes it to drag, unduly; the final third more than makes up for it in my book; as does the ensemble playing, the chase and fight scenes; the music, and the nocturnal cinematography.

Joachim Fuchsberger present? Klaus Kinski present? Comic-relief guy present? Alright, let's Krimi!

[Coventry · 6/10 · 23 January 2021]

The so-called Krimi-movies based on the books by Edgar Wallace follow a very strict, yet simple and successful formula. They work with frequently returning actors and directors, and there's always minimally one character - usually a police inspector - providing comic relief. The comedy is presumably inserted because the whodunit stories of Edgar Wallace are convoluted, talkative and often requiring a fairly long time to shift into gear.

"The Black Abbott" is slightly atypical in the plotting department, though, since it's not a genuine whodunit/mystery. The story revolves around an ancient gold treasure, hidden somewhere in an eerie abbey, and everybody who unravels the mystery of where exactly it's hidden gets murdered by a killer dressed up as a monk with a black cape. The first hour of the film is overly talkative and confusing, with too many characters to tell apart and the numerous intrigues between them. It's also doesn't help that the only two female characters almost look identical. The last half hour contains a lot of action and excitement, though, and the set-pieces are deliciously grim.

Do not watch in a prone position

[jameselliot-1 · 5/10 · 25 April 2021]

With this awesome cast, locations, music and cinematography, The Black Abott should have been a winner. Too slow and talky, the ending shoot out is ridiculous even for a krimi. Our heroes chase a shotgun toting criminal and actually run at him as he fires at them. Blackie gets shot in the arm and acts like it's a splinter.

Atmospheric Edgar Wallace thriller!

[copycat1025 · 3 January 2004]

Atmospheric Edgar Wallace thriller, about a large treasure hidden in an old country estate. Several persons show up, who happen to be employed by the lord of the estate, but only to get their hands on the treasure. However, a black-hooded killer soon makes his entrance, and begins killing those who know the secret. This is one of the better Edgar Wallace thrillers I've seen to date, and features some really spooky scenarios.

The story is better than the execution

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 13 January 2009]

A body is found on the grounds of an old abbey. In the near by manor house the administrator of the estate takes great pains to make sure that all is in order before the police are called. From there it spins out as a masked figure of an abbot begins to lurk, the financial standing of several people is called in question, treasure is sought and people die. Very good story is hampered by a lack luster presentation. The film seems more concerned with filling the screen with big screen images, unfortunately it doesn't really work. Shot in a widescreen black and white in a style that screams this should have been widescreen and color. Worse the film is so concerned with its look that the pacing becomes slack and what should have been an exciting film isn't, it never manages to generate any sense of danger needed to keep the audience on the edge of its seat. The flaw isn't fatal, the film is a good one, but in all honesty this could have been a great one if the producer and director had cared enough to realize that this is supposed to be an old dark house mystery. Worth a look if you run across it on cable but I wouldn't go beyond that (though I wish I could)

Black Abbott

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 14 February 2023]

Several employees on a nobleman's estate show up at a former abbey, reputed to be haunted, to search for a hidden treasure. However, a mysterious hooded figure begins killing off those who may have figured out where the treasure is hidden.

Less gruesome representative of the Edgar Wallace series, I found this thriller fairly acceptable and watchable for the most part, though it can get complicated, have too much dialogue and not enough action. Dieter Borsche, Joachim Fuchsberger and Klaus Kinski act well. There's some good atmosphere, fine set-pieces. The last twenty minutes are in particular are quite good.

Hands above your head. Even if you're a ghost.....

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 8 July 2022]

The pacing of this version of the Edgar Wallace story may be slow, but often that works in its favor. It has a great opening with a man unknowingly being approached by a figure in a monks robe and stabbed in the back, later being found dead creating a mystery on the large estate. The mansion itself is dull inside its living area, but once they get into the bowels of the underground parts of the estate, if it comes fascinating especially when people exploring it are confronted by bats. The people who live in the mansion and come out to investigate the murder are a strange group, and some of them beyond creepy.

As the film was originally done in German, the English dub isn't very good as far as the sound is concerned, so if you can put up with the original language and subtitles, that's highly recommended. While the film is slowly paced, it takes great patience to stick with it, but when the gothic elements strike, it becomes fascinating. While not necessarily a horror film, this is reminiscent of many of the European melodramas of the '60s that had four elements, and certainly, some of the visuals are very macabre. Very different than the British quota quickies based on the Edgar Wallace stories that came out between 1960 and 1965.

The black abbot

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 17 June 2016]

"Der schwarze Abt" is a German black-and-white sound film from 1963, so this one is already over 50 years old as well. Writer and director is Franz Josef Gottlieb and he also worked on many other of these old Edgar Wallace films. Sadly, I must say, despite the title which sounds like a promising main antagonist, that this was a pretty boring and mediocre watch. Then again, I may be a bit biased in terms of the whole thing as I almost liked none of the Edgar Wallace films I watched and I saw almost all of them. This was probably a bit of a missed opportunity here as the cast includes quite a few big names, such as Blacky Fuchsberger, Borsche, Aren't, Boettcher and, last but not least, Klaus Kinski. But Kinski is already the perfect example of how mediocre these Wallace films are. He was definitely a gifted actor, but the characters he played in these films were extremely interchangeable, just like the whole stories and antagonists. I give "The Black Abbot" a thumbs-down. Not recommended.

Far from slow moving Mr Maltin

[evilskip · 9/10 · 26 October 2000]

Superior Edgar Wallace thriller.We have a spooky estate with a haunted abbey;there is of course The Black Abbot,madness,double crosses, triple crosses, a treasure and several murders tossed in to spice things off.

What is unusual about this krimi is this really isn't a whodunit.You have to pay close attention to what is going on to stay abreast of the plot.So if you're looking to nod off find another movie.

Nice night photography,great use of locations, a spooky ruins, great house and nice use of seemingly autumnal weather.Fast pacing and a good cast put this one near the top.Enjoy!