Devil in Silk

Devil in Silk
Directed by	Rolf Hansen
Written by	Jochen Huth [de; fr] Alf Teichs
Based on	Der Teufel nebenan (novel) by Gina Kaus
Produced by	Heinz Abel Artur Brauner Alf Teichs
Starring	Lilli Palmer Curd Jürgens Winnie Markus
Cinematography	Franz Weihmayr
Edited by	Anna Höllering [de]
Music by	Mark Lothar
Production company	Fono Film
Distributed by	Deutsche Film Hansa
Release date	5 January 1956 (1956-01-05)
Running time	106 minutes
Country	West Germany
Language	German

Devil in Silk (German: Teufel in Seide) is a 1956 West German drama film directed by Rolf Hansen and starring Lilli Palmer, Curd Jürgens, and Winnie Markus.[1] After leaving his overbearing wife for another woman, a composer is suspected of her murder when she is found dead.

It was shot at the Spandau Studios in Berlin. Location shooting took place at Kampen on the island of Sylt in Schleswig-Holstein. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Robert Herlth and Arno Richter [de; fr] and Peter Röhrig [de].

Plot

On a train journey, penniless composer Thomas meets rich publisher Melanie. The two get married and Melanie gets Thomas a lucrative job in her publishing house. However, Melanie turns out to be a jealous control freak and Thomas is unhappy in their marriage. When he begins an affair with his secretary and demands a divorce from Melanie, she commits suicide and makes it appear as if he killed her.[2]

Cast

• Lilli Palmer as Melanie
• Curd Jürgens as Thomas Ritter
• Winnie Markus as Sabine
• Adelheid Seeck as Sylvia Angermann
• Hans Nielsen as Dr. Zacharias
• Wolfgang Büttner as Dr. Hess
• Hilde Körber as Sophie
• Paul Bildt as Dr. Heinsheimer
• Helmuth Rudolph as Georg Angermann
• Robert Meyn as Untersuchungsrichter
• Otto Graf as Gerichtsvorsitzender
• Wolf Martini [de] as Prosecutor
• Else Ehser as Frau Schwarz
• Paul Bösiger [de] as Peter Dornberg

References

1. Bock & Bergfelder, p. 356.
2. Hansen, Rolf, Teufel in Seide (Drama), Bayerische Film- und Fernsehförderung, CCC Filmkunst, Fono Film, retrieved 2 May 2022

Bibliography

• Bock, Hans-Michael; Bergfelder, Tim, eds. (2009). The Concise Cinegraph: Encyclopaedia of German Cinema. New York: Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-57181-655-9.

External links

• Devil in Silk at IMDb