Redhead
1962 · Italy, Germany · 100 min
- Director
- Helmut Käutner
- Screenplay
- Alfred Andersch
- Producer
- Walter Koppel, Carlo Ponti
- Cinematography
- Otello Martelli
- Editing
- Klaus Dudenhöfer
- Production company
- Real Film Berlin, Compagnia Cinematografica Champion, Magic
Cast
What it is about
Franziska, a German woman bored with her life and her marriage to businessman Herbert, seizes the chance of a trip to Milan to flee and start afresh in Venice. There she checks into a hotel and meets Patrick O'Malley, a charming Briton whose intentions turn out to be very different from what they appear. She also becomes involved with Fabio, an Italian violinist, while her new life grows increasingly complicated.
How it was made
Redhead is a West German-Italian co-production directed by Helmut Käutner from the novel of the same title by Alfred Andersch, who also wrote the screenplay. Walter Koppel and Carlo Ponti are credited as producers. The cast includes Ruth Leuwerik, Rossano Brazzi and Giorgio Albertazzi, among others. Shooting took place at the Tirrenia Studios in Tuscany and on location in Milan and Venice. Otello Martelli handled the cinematography, and the sets were designed by Saverio D'Eugenio and Robert Stratil.
Reception and legacy
The film was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival. The sources consulted do not detail its critical reception or later path in any depth, so its place in Käutner's filmography is best understood through its literary origin, its blend of drama and suspense, and its international cast.
Stills
More films by Helmut Käutner
The Captain from Köpenick
Love from Paris
The Devil's General
Große Freiheit Nr. 7Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.