Tenderness of the Wolves

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Tenderness of the Wolves ★★ Die Zartlichkeit der Wolfe 1973

Inspired by Fritz Lang's film “M” but sticking closer to its source material, the case of real-life mass murderer Peter Kurten, known as the Dusseldorf Vampire. Lommel's film is also given the “Fassbinder” spin (he's in the cast as well as the producer and editor). In 1925, black marketeer Fritz Haarmann (Raab) lures young runaway boys with the promise of a job, only to seduce and murder them—and sell their remains as meat. Raab rather resembles the Peter Lorre character but his Hartmann is all surface quiet and seething madness underneath. Very chilling. German with subtitles. 86m/C VHS, DVD . GE Kurt Raab, Jeff Roden, Margit Carstensen, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Wolfgang Schenck, Brigitte Mira, Ingrid Caven, Jurgen Prochnow; D: Ulli Lommel; W: Kurt Raab; C: Jurgen Jurges; M: Peer Raben.