Dead Pigeon On Beethoven Street

Starring: Glenn Corbett, Christa Lang, Sieghardt Rupp, et al.

Product Description

A private detective infiltrates a gang of drug-dealing extortionists who prey on politicians.

• Format: DVD
• UPC: 887090118804
• Release Date: January 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Publisher: Olive
• Director: Samuel Fuller
• Starring: Glenn Corbett, Christa Lang, Sieghardt Rupp, Anton Diffring, Alex D'Arcy, Anthony Ching, Eric P. Caspar
• Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes
• Number of Disks: 1
• Other Video Info: ntsc
• Weight: 0.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.4" x 7.5" x 0.7"

Customer Reviews

**“Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street” (1973)**

*A pigeon is somebody who cannot win. A born loser.* This film begins on a strong note: instead of floating names in the credits, we get actual pictures of the cast and crew. It’s a humanizing touch that more productions ought to consider. Of course, one draw is that the film’s director is Samuel Fuller. And as a bonus, we get Anton Diffring, who’s always a treat—he was a fireman in *Fahrenheit 451* (1966), after all. But the plus for presentation is quickly counterbalanced by language oddities. There are English subtitles… for the English dialogue. Half the film, however, is in German with no German translation—just the occasional subtitle that reads “Speaking German.” Not helpful. Sieghardt Rupp, as Zolloberinspektor Viktor Kressin, rattles off his lines in German. Thankfully, the vocabulary is plain, no philosophical gymnastics. But for those less inclined toward impromptu language decoding, Glenn Corbett’s Sandy comes to the rescue by repeating questions or overemphasizing answers in English. Eventually, Kressin dips into English sporadically, so stay sharp. There’s a PAL version available, complete with proper subtitles and some extras. Running time comparisons are curious: the version I watched clocks in at 1h 42m, while others list it at 2h 8m. Something’s been snipped—or added. The acting itself? Stiff. Intentionally stylized or unintentionally rigid—who’s to say? The music doesn’t help either, with background tunes leaning toward the nondescript and occasionally irksome. There is one bright spot: we hear John Wayne speaking German in a clip from *Rio Bravo* (1959). Unexpected and oddly charming. Plot-wise, it’s a tale of diplomatic blackmail. We watch as our characters navigate a web of undercover extortions—around 75% of the runtime is dedicated to these maneuvers. Does anyone come out ahead? Is a twist inevitable? Maybe. If German TV is your thing but procedural formats wear thin, pivot toward sci-fi. May I suggest *World on a Wire* (1973)? It’s a cerebral precursor to *The Matrix*, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. A virtual-reality thriller that trades speed for depth, style for philosophy, and CGI for cool dystopian introspection.