Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen" or "Kingdom of the Silver Lion" is a West German / Spanish co-production, but like almost all of the other Karl-May films, this is in German language in the original, even if some of the non-German actors got dubbed (e.g. Barker). It runs for 90 minutes and was directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb, who is today mostly known for his German trash films from the 1970s. The cast includes many familiar faces for fans of the German Karl May western films, such as the aforementioned Lex Barker, Marie Versini (very stunning) and Ralf Wolter (again not really funny). This is the third and final of Barker's Kara Ben Nemsi films and I guess this is a good thing as this movie has almost nothing to offer beyond the nice landscapes anymore and for these you can also watch a nature documentary and you will also learn something at least. You learn nothing here. The story, plot and acting are all entirely forgettable aspects here, very generic and predictable. The "spectacular" final fight sequence feels forced and it's the old problem of all good or all bad that was very existent in that era. Characters simply lacked shades altogether. I would say that this is among the weaker Karl May films, but I am not a fan of these in general. I thought the absence of Pierre Brice, who is a pretty lousy actor, could help here, but the script is just far too weak to let me recommend this one. Thumbs down. If that is what quality films looked like in the 1960s, then we can be proud of our films heroes these days.
unbrokenmetal
This is the sequel to Durchs wilde Kurdistan", although the 2 novels by Karl May were not directly connected. So if you think only the title Im Reich des silbernen Löwen" was used for a newly created story, you're close to the truth. Nevertheless, an enjoyable adventure in 19th century Turkey and the country we today call Iraq. Kara Ben Nemsi (Lex Barker) tries to save Ingdscha (Marie Versini) who was abducted by bandits, needs to prove to his powerful protector, the Padischah, that he is not a traitor and chases his enemy the Machredsch who wants to steal the treasure protected by Marah Durimeh. It's a hard day's work for a hero! The most spectacular scenes are the fight on the salt lake where his dog becomes Kara's best help and the duel between Kara and the Machredsch - hanging on ropes from a mountain top! Abu Seif, the leader of the bandits, is played with vicious intensity by Sieghardt Rupp (you will remember him from "A Fistful of Dollars"). Less memorable: the Marah Durimeh character who is quite wasted compared to the charisma she had in the novel.
AD
