MartinHafer
"The Phantom of Soho" ("Das Phantom von Soho" or "Murder By Proxy") is a very, very cheap German film. The music is cheap, the sets are cheap and the film looks like it was made on an Ed Wood budget. The DVD print is REALLY cheap--and looks like it was copied from a scratchy old videotape. The only positive is that English dubbing (which I always dislike compared to good old subtitles) is pretty good.Oddly, the film is set in the UK and features an investigation by Scotland Yard--probably because that's where Edgar Wallace set it, but I am still surprised the German production didn't just say it was in Hamburg, for example, and the investigators were the local police. Patrons of a Soho sex club are getting stabbed right and left but it turns out they have more in common than just a love of debauchery--they all shared the same life boat after a ship wreck. As to who is unknown killer is and why, I won't tell, as it would spoil the suspense.So is the film any good? Well, it's not terrible--but it is incredibly talky and slow. Add this to the terrible print and it's a wonder if many people (other than a few nuts like me) would bother with this movie. Looking back at it, despite the cool title and neat DVD cover, I wouldn't have bothered had I known.
rwagn
First off I recommend the Retromedia release as it is struck from a very good print. I might add this is the uncut version of the film. It contains two topless strip scenes and knife kill closeups that are usually missing from other prints. The dubbing is impressive. What I enjoy most is the agile and imaginative camera direction of Gottleib. The camera is almost never static.We are often treated to scenes which begin overhead then move down and envelop the actors. The scene involving the knife throwing act where the camera revolves as the assistant revolves is inventive. The plot is mediocre and you can identify the killer early on but taking the journey is most of the fun. A wonderful recreation of London with plenty of smoke and fog makes an excellent backdrop for this krimi thriller. Add to it an early 60's jazzy lounge soundtrack and you can't spend a better 96 minutes in my book.
Hitchcoc
A German film taking place in England. A nice little plot with some entertaining policemen. The fun is in the investigation, though it does become muddied at times. For some reason, I knew the ending. Maybe I've watched too many movies. Still, there are some nice, stuffy performances and it is a pretty good whodunnit. If there is a criticism, it is editing and pacing. At times you just want to yell, "Get on with it!" But the plot does revolve around a crime for money and it really makes good sense when it is all over. The dubbing isn't bad. Whoever did voice overs did a nice job of trying to match the current scene.
Chuck Straub
The Phantom of Soho takes us to a setting of dark alleys and the dirty, crime infested streets of Soho England. We meet a varied assortment of characters including strippers and prostitutes. This is where we are taken in this movie which has a combination of horror, mystery, sexual backgrounds and situations. All of these together make this 1966 movie a bit different from the typical `who done it' movie. I didn't have high expectations for this movie but found myself to be pleasantly surprised having been caught up in it's suspense and mystery. In my opinion, there are a lot of better horror/mysteries out there, but this one is still worth watching and makes an enjoyable viewing. Give it a chance.
AD
