The Devil Strikes At Night Nachts Wenn Der Teufel Kam

“The Devil Strikes At Night” is a tale of moral ambiguity and political hypocrisy in the form of a thriller and the Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film (1957). The story is based on actual events. Bruno Lüdke was a serial killer who thrived from 1928 until his arrest 15 years later. All in all, 51 people were killed. Kommissar Kersten is the officer who traces the murders back to Bruno. He's captured halfway through the movie and charged with the crimes. SS officer Rossdorf, a good Nazi party member, tries to use this case as propaganda for enforced eugenics. But the publicity of the capture backfires on the Nazis. How could this monster have been allowed to kill at will under the totally efficient regime of the superior race? Soon it becomes obvious that the only answer is to find a scapegoat for the crimes and erase all traces of Bruno Lüdke. Siodmak’s depiction of the Nazis in a non-military situation damns them for their moral indifference and makes them all the more horrible villains. He had had four different careers over his lifetime and after his return to his own country, he wanted desperately to make a ‘different’ kind of movie than the usual Hollywood thriller. “The Devil Strikes At Night” might be his most incisive film. DVD EXTRAS Ghosts Before Breakfast (1928) - The film that scared the Nazis. Considered ‘decadent’ by the Third Reich, attempts were made to destroy all copies of it. But fortunately, they did not succeed. This playful Dada-esque film throws seemingly unconnected images at you in a way that makes them seem relevant. (Silent with a new music track, 6min). Nazis Sign Historic Surrender (1945) -Newsreels stories depict the end to World War II, including the Nazi surrender, justice in Italy and our boys coming home (6 min).