A philosophical dandy turned art detective and his loyal butler are in trouble again, because of the former (as usual).
Allmen und das Geheimnis der Erotik is the fourth of a very enjoyable and stylish German feature-length comedy/detective series aired on Das Erste since 2017.
« Verzeihen Sie mir die peinliche Formulierung. Don John, wir sind pleite. »
Johann Friedrich von Allmen lives in Zurich. He's a bon vivant, a man of culture and taste who likes elegance and refinement. Allmen has no equal when it comes to spending his money, to the point that he squandered the family fortune and came to finance his expensive lifestyle with occasional thefts of pricey antiques. Thankfully, he turned an expertise in tracing missing artworks into a profession as the founder of Allmen International Enquiries. Though it allows him to satisfy his costly habits, his faithful Guatemalan valet Carlos does his best to moderate — not without a touch of irony — the flamboyant "Don John". Created by bestselling Swiss author Martin Suter, Allmen first appeared in Allmen and the Dragonflies (Allmen und die Libellen, 2011), a novel followed by five more.
Four Allmen TV movies based on the books were aired by pubcaster Das Erste between 2017 and 2021: Allmen und das Geheimnis der Libellen, Allmen und das Geheimnis des rosa Diamanten, Allmen und das Geheimnis der Dahlien and Allmen und das Geheimnis der Erotik. A fifth one, Allmen und das Geheimnis des Koi, was shot this year. Those films star Heino Ferch (Nordholm, Anatomy of Evil) as Johann Friedrich von Allmen and Samuel Finzi (Flemming) as Carlos. Andrea Osvárt (Tranporter: The Series) plays Joelle "Jojo" Hirt, the daughter of one of the richest men in Switzerland and Allmen's love interest. From the second film, Isabella Parkinson joined the cast as Carlos' Colombian girlfriend Maria Moreno. Adapted by scriptwriter Martin Rauhaus (Hotel Heidelberg) from the book Allmen und die Erotik, Allmen und das Geheimnis der Erotik is directed by Thomas Berger (Kommissarin Lucas).
« Aus welchem Grund hätte Nikolaus II einem eher systemkritischen Schriftsteller ein Fabergé-Ei schenken sollen? »
Carlos tries to warn his employer about their financial situation but "Don John" doesn't care. Allmen and Jojo attend a reading organised by Klaus Sternwald, who brought back from Saint Petersburg a Fabergé egg offered to Leo Tolstoi by Czar Nicholas II. Johann meets Jasmin Sterner, the granddaughter of an expert porcelain seller. He decides spontaneously to steal the egg but ignores that he's filmed. Wilhelm Krähenbühler, head of security of the exhibition, does not report him to the police. Instead he wants Allmen to steal a group of porcelain pieces made by German master Johann Joachim Kändler (1706-1775). A last-minute intervention of Maria allows Allmen and Carlos to manage the impossible. The gentleman detective/philosopher visits a very modern cloister. Of course, he cannot resist a double-cross but soon he faces an even more dangerous adversary.
The fast-paced and fun Allmen und das Geheimnis der Erotik has excellent dialogues, a very good cast, superb sets and great locations (Prague and Zurich). Most of the charm of these adaptations of Allmen comes from the performances of Heino Ferch (with an incredible look), Samuel Finzi and Isabella Parkinson, a talented trio. Allmen and Carlos are often compared to P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster. With Devrim Lingnau (The Empress) as Jasmin Sterner, Stefan Kurt (Cognatus Reimund), Christoph Bach (Wilhelm Krähenbühler), Kristin Suckow (Irmela), Jörg Pintsch (Klaus Sternwald), Borek Slezácek (Boeni), Roman Smejkal (Taxi driver Arnold), Joe Weintraub (All Quiet on the Western Front) as Vitzum, Roy McCrerey (Richard Hess) and Elizaveta Maximová. Jörg Pintsch played in the second and third Allmen TV movies, but in different roles.
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