On a fan DVD - Max Berghouse discovers a film by Ladislao Vajda IT HAPPENED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT (Switzerland/Germany/Spain, 1958)

It's not very often a film and/or a director about whom I know nothing comes to my attention. I limit this to the "western canon" of the Americas and Europe. I don't profess to have much intimate knowledge of Africa or Asia. So it was with considerable delight that I watched It Happened in Broad Daylight (Es geschah am hellichten Tag, 1958) by the Hungarian (presumably émigré) director Ladislao Vadja. 

The film is set in Switzerland, in the Canton of St Gallen, which is one of the German-speaking Cantons. I imagine it was a mixed European production even though most of the behind the camera staff have German names.

IMDb indicates that the director (1906-1965) had 48 credits as a director and was a judge at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. He was obviously no slouch. But there is no need, indeed it would be entirely pointless, for any reader to observe that my knowledge of film is grievously deficient in not knowing this Vajda and his achievements.

The plotline concerns the murder of a seven-year-old schoolgirl with an old-fashioned cutthroat razor. While this would not be absolutely unique, violent murder of a young child is not frequently dealt with in films of this period. The initial suspect played by the great French actor Michel Simon, once arrested, and although denying heartily his guilt, commits suicide.  Whereupon the case is closed. Incidentally Simon either speaks extremely good German or is otherwise exceptionally well dubbed. 

The leading police investigator Lt Mattai refuses to accept this judgement and proceeds through the bulk of the film on a single-handed pursuit of the killer, despite the damage it does to his career prospects.

The development is very much a "slow burn"  dogged investigation with a number of plot inadequacies which are nonetheless suitably covered by the directors' skill.

It is a "film policier " in direct line of descent from the early 20th century onwards "roman policier" and the most famous examples of such films and indeed such novels can be found in the writings of Georges Simenon. Except at the very climax when several shots are fired, killing the murderer (played by Gert Frobe), there is neither violence nor much unnatural suspense. 

But the film is certainly engrossing. The credits indicate that within the "other crew" were a psychological consultant and a criminal consultant.

When I discussed the possibility of writing a short note on this film with the editor he mentioned that comments had been made about prior reviews of myself which seemed to emphasise "guns". I might like to add in my own defence that I am not especially interested in guns at all and am certainly not one of Mrs Clinton's "deplorables". I find that discussing such things as weaponry and also of motor vehicles is often a very good guide as to whether the "period" is fully and properly captured. So to be completely clear, there is very little violence in this film at all but I was extraordinarily happy to have encountered it. 

Probably the most interesting feature for me was the way it captured the very insular and inward looking life of Switzerland, at least at that time. Personally I think it continues to this day but it happens in the film with such naturalness, that I don't think anyone would have tried to create this; it was simply the natural understanding of the country at that time. One of the consequences of this is that it portrays very many Swiss driving very recent American large cars. The murderer in this case is driving an early 1950's Buick. This is a reflection of reality because most of Europe could certainly not afford to drive cars of such size and massive fuel consumption, whereas in Switzerland it was quite common indeed. I can't provide a reason.

For what the film was and presumably aspired to be, it gave me a great deal of satisfaction. Some things I still don't understand. For example the credits indicate that the great Roger Livesey provided the voice of one of the characters, Prof Manz. He certainly didn't in the version I saw. I would recognise his gravelly voice anywhere. Perhaps there is some edition about which is dubbed but from the credits his is the only English-speaking name I recognise.

I’ve seen enough to hunt out some of the other films of this director.