The german R2 boxsets with the Edgar Wallace series has started being released. This is for me maybe the most interesting releases this year. The sets are excellent - all have newly restored anamorphic transfers. Box sets 1-4 has been released this month and box 5-6 will be released in december. The remaining boxes will be released march 2005.

This post is meant as a bit of a warning. The releases were advertised as having english subtitles on all movies (and english soundtracks on some).

Four movies in the first 4 boxes has no english options. An additional four movies seems to have no english options either. It seems that only movies with an english soundtrack availible for the releases has english subtitles - and the subtitles are "dub titles". So these releases are i my opinion still spectacular and recommended, but not as definite as advertised.

There is also some discussion about some movies being slightly overmatted, but it seems to be very slightly.

I have listed which movies has no english options.

Box #1:
Der Frosch mit der Maske
Der rote Kreis
Die Bande des Schreckens
Der grüne Bogenschütze (german only)

Box #2:
Die toten Augen von London (german only)
Das Geheimnis der gelben Narzissen (german only)
Der Fälscher von London (german only)
Die seltsame Gräfin

Box #3
Das Rätsel der roten Orchidee
Die Tür mit den 7 Schlössern
Das Gasthaus an der Themse
Der Zinker

Box #4:
Der schwarze Abt
Das indische Tuch
Zimmer 13
Der Hexer

Box #5
Die Gruft mit dem Rätselschloss
Das Verrätertor (german only)
Wartezimmer zum Jenseits
Neues vom Hexer (german only)

Box #6
Der Unheimliche Mönch
Der Bucklige von Soho
Das Geheimnis der Weissen Nonne (german only)
Die Blaue Hand (german only)

No info availible yet for box 7 and 8 other than the movies included will be:

Der Hund von Blackwood Castle
Der Mönch mit der Peitsche
Der Gorilla von Soho
Der Mann mit dem Glasauge
Im Banne des Unheimlichen
Das Gesicht im Dunkeln
Das Geheimnis der grünen Stecknadel
Das Rätsel des silbernen Halbmondes
Die Tote aus der Themse

Thanks for that update...those boxsets look veeeeery attractive...

Do you happen to know whether the individual DVD releases of these titles also feature the same audio/subtitle options? I'm probably only interested in upgrading a handful of my krimis (ZIMMER 13, zum Beispiel) and the attractive prices of the separate discs (under 10 Euros each) makes this seem an ideal option...

Thanks in advance. :)

Yes, the individual releases has the same soundoptions.

The only difference (as I understand it) is that the individual releases has none of the extras (commentary and interviews) that is on one of the discs in the boxsets. The extras has no subtitles.

Hi, can you tell me if the german only dvds have german subtitles?

Yes, the german only titles has excellent german subtitles.

This is a new area for me, but I'd like to at least dip my toe into this genre! Which box set would be the best to pick up as an introduction?

If you are limited to english, probably box 4 with Der Hexer and Der schwarze Abt

For my own convenience I added English titles for these and thought I'd add it to Torben's invaluable info for anyone who might find it useful:

Box #1
Der Frosch mit der Maske / The Fellowship of the Frog
Der rote Kreis / The Red Circle
Die Bande des Schreckens /Terrible People aka Hand of the Gallows
Der grüne Bogenschütze (german only) / The Green Archer

Box #2
Die toten Augen von London (german only) / Dead Eyes of London
Das Geheimnis der gelben Narzissen (german only) / The Devil's Daffodil
Der Fälscher von London (german only) / The Forger of London
Die seltsame Gräfin / The Strange Countess

Box #3
Das Rätsel der roten Orchidee / Secret of the Red Orchid
Die Tür mit den 7 Schlössern / The Door with Seven Locks
Das Gasthaus an der Themse / The Inn on the River
Der Zinker / The Squeaker

Box #4
Der schwarze Abt / The Black Abbot
Das indische Tuch / The Indian Scarf
Zimmer 13 / Room 13
Der Hexer / The Ringer

Box #5
Die Gruft mit dem Rätselschloss / The Curse of the Hidden Vault
Das Verrätertor (german only) / Traitor's Gate
Wartezimmer zum Jenseits / Mark of the Tortoise
Neues vom Hexer (german only) / Return of the Ringer (actually I couldn't find an English title for this one...the novel is entitled "Again the Ringer")

Box #6
Der Unheimliche Mönch / The Sinister Monk
Der Bucklige von Soho / The Hunchback of Soho
Das Geheimnis der Weissen Nonne (german only) / The Trigon Factor
Die Blaue Hand (german only) / Creature with The Blue Hand

The only real disappointment is that TRAITOR'S GATE and THE TRIGON FACTOR lack English language options as that is the original language for these two, with the German just being a dub.

The last title mentioned DIE BLAUE HAND has been released in the US so that disc, which I've not purchased and from a VW review sounded worth avoiding, now might be acquring as an aid to undertsanding it. I'm tempted to just order all the boxes, though I've seen some Wallace's in German and found the experience a little frustrating, but anyway 1,3 & 4 seem like must-haves.