Effigie – das Gift und die Stadt is a historical drama (based on a true story) which premiered at the Bremen film festival in 2019.
Set in the German city of Bremen in 1828, this story is about a female serial killer who managed to kill at least fifteen persons during the years 1813-1827.
She is one of the first female serial killers whose crimes have been carefully documented.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** English title: Effigy – Poison and the City
** Director: Udo Flohr
** Writers: Peer Meter, Udo Flohr, and Antonia Roeller
** Inspired by the play Die Verhöre der Gesche Gottfried by Peer Meter (1996) (2014)
** Language: German (the original version)
** Language: English (a dubbed version which is available on Amazon Prime)
** Subtitles: English
** Run time: 94 minutes
The cast includes the following:
The first group
** Suzan Anbeh as Gesine “Geshe” Gottfried (1785-1831) - the serial killer
** Elisa Thiemann as Cato Böhmer – a law clerk – she
is the narrator at the beginning of the movie and at the end of the movie - she is a fictional character
** Christoph Gottschalch as Senator Franz Friedrich Droste (1784-1849) – acting president of the criminal court in Bremen
** Roland Jankowsky as Captain Ehlers
** Uwe Bohm as Inspector Tonjes
** Marc Ottiker as Dr. Hoffschläger
The second group
** Eugen Krössner as Dr. Luce
** Ulrich Sachsse as Johann Smidt (1773-1857) – mayor of Bremen 1821-1857 (except the years 1849-1852)
** Christian Intorp as the Miller Steitz
** Ruben Apel as the boy Hans
** Tom Keidel as the office clerk Müller
** Manfred Schlosser as Pastor Heinrich Wilhelm Rotermund (1761-1848)
While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Some details may have been added, altered or excluded for dramatic reasons or practical purposes. But the basic story is true.
Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret.
I could tell you the all the horrible details about the female serial killer Gesche Gottfried here, but I am not going to do this. I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone.
What about the title? The first word is effigy. Why is this word used here? What is the meaning? I am not going to tell you. But when you get to the end of the drama, when you are watching the final scene, I think you will find the answer to this question.
What do reviewers say about this drama?
Here are some results:
On Rotten Tomatoes it has a rating of 100 percent based on 14 reviews from the professional critics. There are no reviews by the general audience.
On IMDb it has a rating of 69 percent. There are 15 user reviews. In addition, there are links to 50 external reviews written by critics.
Here are the headlines and the ratings offered by the 15 user reviews:
100 – A must watch
100 – Great movie
100 – Watch it now
100 – Two strong women and a real-life story
100 – Wonderful
100 – So much details in this film
100 – An exceptional movie
100 – Award winning
90 – Entertaining drama of a true story
90 – One of my favorite films
90 – Great filmmaking
90 - An amazing film
90 – Bravo
90 – Captivating, slow-burn cat-and-mouse
50 – The version dubbed into English is terrible
On Amazon there are at the moment 26 ratings of this product, including 20 with reviews.
The average rating is 3.1 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 62 percent. Here are the details:
5 stars = 37 percent
4 stars = 12 percent
3 stars = 10 percent
2 stars = 06 percent
1 star = 35 percent
** Two ratings offer four stars, including a review which complains about the dubbing into English
** Two ratings offer three stars, including a review which complains about the dubbing into English
** Eight ratings offer only one star, including six with reviews. Five of the six reviewers complain about the dubbing into English
When I consider the ratings and the reviews presented here, two conclusions are obvious:
# 1. This drama is highly praised by professional critics as well as the general audience
# 2. Many reviewers complain about the poor dubbing into English
I understand the numerous positive reviews and I agree with them.
I also understand the reviewers who complain about the poor dubbing into English and I agree with them. Dubbing is a horrible practice!
The original German version of this drama deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
The version dubbed into English is fatally flawed. It deserves a rating of one star (20 percent).
PS. The final scene at the end of the drama is set in 1849. In that year Cato Böhmer returns to Bremen, after living and working abroad for many years.
While she is there, she visits a cemetery where she stops to look at a tombstone erected for Senator Franz Droste and his wife Rebecca Luise.
According to the inscription, Franz Friedrich Droste lived from 1784 to 1849. This is correct.
According to the inscription, his wife Rebecca Luise born Kulenkampff lived from 1791 to 1827. This is not quite correct.
She was born in 1791, but she did not die in 1827. She lived until 1849.
On the tombstone, her first name is spelled Rebeca. The correct spelling is Rebecca.
REFERENCES
# 1. Items available online
John DeFore
“Effigy: Poison and the City: Film Review,”
The Hollywood Reporter
17 December 2020
Glenn Garvin
“Effigy’s German Serial Killer Drama Weaves Intoxicating - and Toxic - Tale,”
Reason
18 December 2020
Rachel Wagner
“Review: Effigy: Poison and the City,”
Rachel’s Reviews
20 January 2021
Anton Bitel
“Effigy: Poison and the City (Effigie – Das Gift und die Stadt) (2019),”
Projected Figures
26 April 2024
# 2. A book
Murderesses in German Writing, 1720-1860:
Heroines of Horror
By Susanne Kord
2009
[This volume is available online as a PDF file]
*****
Effigy:
Poison and the City
This poster offers the English title of
the historical drama
which premiered in 2019
*****
Gesina "Gesche" Gottfried
(1785-1831)
The female serial killer of Bremen
who was arrested in 1828.
She was executed in 1831.
It was the last public execution
in the city of Bremen
*****
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