Written by: Pieter Boven on August 15th, 2004
Theatrical Release Date: Germany, 1968
Director: Harald Reinl
Writers: Rolf Schulz, Christa Stern
Cast: George Nader, Heinz Weiss, Silvia Solar, Carl Möhner, Claus Holm, Marlies Dräger
DVD released: November 6, 2002
Approximate running time: 84 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Non-Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (English, German) Dutch Subtitles (optional)
DVD Release: Japan Shock
Region Coding: Region 0 PAL
Retail Price: $44.95
UK Version
German Version
German Version
German Version
The Film :
Secret agent Jerry Cotton is one the job once again and this time around he mission is to infiltrates a gang of who plans to pull off a diamond heist. To get his foot in door Jerry pretends to be alarm specialist Rick Trevor. Will Jerry be able to break this diamond racket up before his cover is blown?
Video:
The movie is presented in it’s original 1.66:1 aspect ratio, which is not anamorphic. Scratches, dirt marks, white spots and other forms of print damage are visible throughout the movie. Also the colours are a bit washed out. Obviously the movie could use a lot of cleanup but it’s watchable.
Audio:
The audio is in better condition then the video with clear, understandable dialogue.
Extras:
There are no extras to speak of except a pointless slideshow gallery containing stamp size screenshots from the movie. I do like the artwork on both the black cardboard box and the 4 individual keepcases.
Overall:
The DVD contains 2 different transfers, an English and a German version. There is a difference in length which I have not investigated further (it’s not due to different begin or end credits). As you can see from the screenshots the 2 versions also vary in colour and framing. Both transfers have their benefits and picking out the best one seems impossible. Because there are only optional Dutch subtitles, English viewers are limited to the English version anyway. I also noticed some difference in dialogue, for example in the German version Jerry talks about blonds at one point, in the English version he talks about redheads. Another example is Jerry’s mother mentioning he had to stay in the hospital for 3 weeks in the German version and 7 months in English version.
I had not seen a Jerry Cotton movie before but I’ve become a fan. Although the movies are merely average and none of them stands out, I really enjoy it as a series. Also George Nader’s performance as Jerry Cotton is great and I love his suggestive humour and facial expressions. Something I find rather annoying is the Jerry Cotton theme music which seems to popup in every movie and sounds really goofy. Also several scenes, usually when Jerry travels somewhere, look very fake due to what seems like a primitive blue screen technique (screenshot 1).
The other movies in Volume 1 have similar specifications and quality,
except “Death in a Red Jaguar” does not have English audio. Furthermore, the Dutch subtitles for “Murderers Club of Brooklyn” do not seem to work at all. Volume 2, containing the 4 black & white Cotton movies, is also of comparable quality. Besides an English language booklet containing a short summary of all the Cotton movies, also included is a 64 minute extra titled “A Gala Evening with Jerry Cotton star George Nader”. However it’s in German only and the speakers are hard to understand because the audio sounds rather muffled. The German label Kinowelt released a Jerry Cotton Box in September 2004, containing 6 movies at a similar price. It does contain a few more extras but you are missing the two movies “Death in a Red Jaguar” and “Deadly Shots on Broadway”.
Note: This title is only available in G-Man Jerry Cotton Box Set Volume 1 also containing Murderers Club of Brooklyn (1967) / Death in a Red Jaguar (1968) (no English) / Deadly Shots on Broadway (1969)