Hands Up or I'll Shoot

(Hände hoch oder ich schieße)

GDR, 1966, 75 min, b&w
In German; no subtitles
Credits:
Director
Assistant Director
Script
Dramaturg
Editor
Camera
Set Design
Costume Design
Make-up
Music (Score)
Sound
Narrator
Cast
Production Company

Synopsis

Because he lives in a small town with the lowest crime rate in East Germany, Investigator Holms (played by comedian Rolf Herricht) is stuck looking for a stolen pet rabbit even as he dreams of cracking a big case. Caught between his fantasies and his dull reality, Holms begins to suspects he is hallucinating when his bike is stolen, returned, and then stolen again. He goes to a psychologist, who advises him to simply stay calm and ignore the problems.

 

Finally, his neighbor and former crook Pinkas decides to help him out by planning a major heist: stealing the statue of Duke Nepomuk from the market square. Finally, Holms gets to investigate the case of a lifetime as he pursues Pinkas' gang to Leipzig.

Commentary

This crime comedy was banned in East Germany and never made it into cinemas in spite of numerous changes and cuts. The original version was reconstructed on the basis of the film script in 2008/2009.

 

Availability

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