A really cool 4K restored release from German Subkultur, and with english
subtitles too. Many thanks! If just all German film companies
released their DVD and Blu-rays with english subtitles everything would
be great, but unfortunately most of the german speaking
releases as the highly interesting (for Cult film lovers world wide)
Krimi film series only has german audio without subtitles.
Also most german releases of french movies, be it thrillers of dramas
have NO english subtitles. Many of these e.g. french crime
thrillers from the 1950's and 60's may be attainable at Netflix soon
perhaps, but i rarely watch streamed films as i prefer to watch films
from a DVD or a Blu-ray. I'm an old record collector and only listening
to vinyl will do, no Spotify, maybe that's the reason.
Aaaaah (... censored ...) let's just think about it, all German
Krimi films ever made released in restored vesions on
blurays and with
english subtitles and with lots of extras, almost erotic just thinking
about it. German Gialli and collectors, Gialli lovers, all over the
world would want to buy them. With names as i.a. Alfred Vohrer, Harald
Reinl, Karin Dor, Klaus Kinski, Joachim Fuchsberger, Karin
Baal, Werner Peters, Gert Fröbe and goddesses as Daliah Lavi, Helga
Liné, Maria Perschy and Uschi Glas.
OK, sorry, now back to the 1987 German thriller "Abwärts"
.... Director Carl Schenkel managed to make something actually great
out of
4 people locked into the confined space of a lift cabin in an elevator
shaft in a modern high rise tenement building. A minimalistic
thriller with nailbiting suspense and with great acting, especially
from Götz George's Jörg.

The janitors at a high rise 40 stories building does
a sloppy work when they in the intro removes the Out of Order sign from
the lift
and lures people to think it's safe to use. It's Not. Due to a left
over screwdriver causing electric problems four people are suddenly
stuck in the lift cabin with nowhere to go. They are a middle-aged couple,
Jörg (Götz George), his maybe girlfriend Marion (Renee
Soutendijk), a young man Pit (Hannes Jaenicke) and an elder man Gössman
(Wolfgang Kieling) who just has robbed his boss safe
and carries a suitcase filled with money. The Alarm doesn't work and
they will have to wait all night for help and the tensions are
rising between Jörg and the young man. There's no possible way
out, If Not ....
They climb up into the elevator shaft and look for some
way out.
The film is presented in widescreen 1.66:1 and with
german or english audio with english subtitles. German audio in Mono
theatrical
Mix or in 5.1, english audio in mono. Restored 4K transfer Blu-ray in
region all or B. Extras:
Interview with actor Hannes Jaenicke (28 minutes in german with english
subtitles, made in 2020), Interview with cinematographer
Jacques Steyn (18 minutes in german with english subtitles, made in
2020),
Alternate Cut 90 minutes, Isolated score, English credits, German theatrical
trailer and a Gallery