ALLMEN UND DAS GEHEIMNIS DES KOI (DAS ERSTE)

The vacations of the dandy art detective Allmen turn into business as usual (i.e. troubles) when he must find a stolen Koi fish.

The flamboyant Johann Friedrich von Allmen and his loyal though sarcastic Guatemalan valet Carlos first appeared in Allmen and the Dragonflies (Allmen und die Libellen, 2011), a novel written by bestselling Swiss author Martin Suter and followed by five more books. Four Allmen TV movies based on the novels 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. Allmen und das Geheimnis des Koi, the fifth one, was filmed in 2023 and shown last month in Germany and Austria.

Those movies 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 der Koi, Allmen und das Geheimnis des Koi is directed by Sinje Köhler. Far from his money issues and the attention of the Zurich tax office, Allmen is on holiday in Tenerife with Jojo and Carlos.

 

Film mogul Steve Garrett uses music producer Freddie Turnbill, a friend of Johann, to get the services of the detective but not for a missing work of art. He wants him to find "Boy", his $1,5 million Japanese Koi fish which vanished from the pond in his garden. Garrett won't take a no for an answer so he forces Johann to accept. Garrett's girlfriend Dr. Akina de la Vega happens to be a Koi expert, author of a book called Miracle of the Koi. Allmen meets English photographer Helen Lifehouse and Italian gangster Vittorio Giunninazzi. Freddie is murdered and Jojo decides to investigate too. No Prague doubling as Zurich this time but the beautiful scenery of Tenerife, which suits our quatuor very well.

 

The excellent cast also includes Uwe Kockisch (Donna Leon) as Steve Garrett, Falilou Seck (Freddie), Alejandro Barrios (Bajrush), Edita Malovčić (Dr. Akina de la Vega), Jörg Witte (Vale), Michaela Rosen (Helen Lifehouse), David Lifschitz (Der König von Palma) as Vittorio Giunninazzi, etc. Produced by UFA Fiction  (a Fremantle company) with SunnySideUp Productions (Balko Teneriffa) for ARD Degeto and Das Erste. Produced by Alena Gößling and Sinah Swyter. Karsten Kilian and Bettina Höfke are the production managers. Holger Krenz is the line producer. Music by Fabian Römer and Mathias Hillebrand-Gonzalez. Thomas Franz is the production designer. Cinematography by Frank Küpper. Editing by David Kuruc.

 

Production services in Spain by Rolf Wappenschmitt (SunnySideUp), carried out in the Canary Islands. Allmen und das Geheimnis des Koi has benefited from the Spanish Tax Rebate in collaboration with the Spanish Government and the Tenerife Film Commission. We're not finished with the adventures of Johann Friedrich von Allmen, Carlos and their lady friends because there's a seventh Allmen book called Allmen und Herr Weynfeldt, released in March 2024. This "Herr Weynfeldt" is in fact Adrian Weynfeldt, the main character of Martin Suter's novel Der letzte Weynfeldt (2008).

 

https://www.daserste.de/unterhaltung/film/filme-im-ersten/sendung/allmen-und-das-geheimnis-des-koi-100.html 

https://www.diogenes.ch/foreign-rights/authors.html?detail=ea558281-f42e-425c-9959-7c0411d831c5

https://sunnysideup-productions.es/

https://www.tvspielfilm.de/news/tv/heino-ferch-ist-als-kunstdetektiv-zurueck-wie-geht-es-nach-allmen-und-das-geheimnis-des-koi-weiter,12569309,ApplicationArticle.html

ALLMEN: THE SECRET OF EROTICISM (ALLMEN UND DAS GEHEIMNIS DER EROTIK - DAS ERSTE, 2021)

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.

Produced by UFA Fiction  with Mia Film (Der Zürich-Krimi) for ARD Degeto and Das Erste. Benjamin Benedict and Sinah Swyter are the producers. Karsten Kilian and Petr Bílek are the production managers. Holger Krenz and Kirsten Frehse (ARD Degeto) are the line producers. Music by Fabian Römer and Mathias Hillebrand-Gonzalez. Albrecht Konrad is the production designer. Cinematography by Frank Küpper. Editing by Lucas Seeberger. Production services in Prague by Michal Pokorný and Zbyněk Pippal for Mia Film. Allmen und das Geheimnis der Erotik is available in the U.S. and Canada as Allmen: The Secret of Eroticism, thanks to MHz Choice. The SVOD service also has the other TV films. Allmen is distributed by Beta Film.

 

https://www.stern.de/lifestyle/leute/allmen-und-das-geheimnis-der-erotik--heino-ferch-verraet-details-zur--allmen--reihe-30453864.html

https://www.diogenes.ch/foreign-rights/authors.html?detail=ea558281-f42e-425c-9959-7c0411d831c5

https://www.daserste.de/unterhaltung/film/filme-im-ersten/sendung/allmen-und-das-geheimnis-der-erotik-porzellanfigur-100.html

ALLMEN: THE PINK DIAMOND (ALLMEN UND DAS GEHEIMNIS DES ROSA DIAMANTEN - DAS ERSTE, 2017)

A philosophical dandy turned art detective and his loyal butler are looking for a stolen diamond. Allmen und das Geheimnis des rosa Diamanten is the second of a very enjoyable and stylish German feature-length comedy/detective series aired on Das Erste since 2017.

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 lost his beautiful home. Thankfully, he turned an expertise in tracing missing artworks into a profession as the founder of Allmen International Enquiries. Though it allows him to maintain his idea of a costly lifestyle, 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. The project of a fifth one,  Allmen und der Koi, was evoked last year but shooting hasn't started. Those films star Heino Ferch (Nordholm, Anatomy of Evil) as Allmen and Samuel Finzi (Flemming) as Carlos. Adapted by scriptwriter Martin Rauhaus (Hotel Heidelberg) from the book Allmen and the Pink Diamond (Allmen und der rosa Diamant), Allmen und das Geheimnis des rosa Diamanten was directed by Thomas Berger (Kommissarin Lucas). The mysterious Mr. Montgomery gives Allmen a SFr.20,000 retainer to find a stolen pink diamond known as The Eye of Shiva.

 

The precious stone is believed to be in the hands of a Russian businessman named Artjom Sokolow. The art detective looks for information — Allmen style — in a nightclub. Carlos meets Sokolow's Colombian housemaid Maria Moreno and falls for her. Allmen finds the Russian at a prestigious German hotel where death soon strikes. The epicurian dandy and his manservant face dangerous adversaries. Most of the charm of these adaptations of Allmen comes from the performances of the  both talented Heino Ferch (with an incredible look) and Samuel Finzi. The likeable duo is often compared to P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster. Andrea Osvárt (Tranporter: The Series) plays Joelle "Jojo" Hirt, the daughter of one of the richest men in Switzerland and Allmen's love interest. Isabella Parkinson joins the regular cast as Maria Moreno.  

 

Also with Nora von Waldstätten (Vanessa), Daniel Wagner (Artjom Sokolow), Alexander Finkenwirth (Neuenhauser), Oscar Ortega Sánchez (Don Gregorio), Tomas Sinclair Spencer (Colin Montgomery), Robert Seeliger (American), Roman Šmejkal (Taxi driver Arnold) etc. Allmen und das Geheimnis des rosa Diamanten was mostly shot in Prague. Produced by UFA Fiction and Mia Film (Der Zürich-Krimi) for  ARD Degeto and Das Erste. Kristina Henning-Egger and Benjamin Benedict are the producers. Co-produced by Zbyněk Pippal and Michal Pokorný. Holger Krenz and Kirsten Frehse (ARD Degeto) are the line producers. Music by Fabian Römer and Mathias Hillebrand-Gonzalez. Benedikt Herforth is the production designer. Cinematography by Frank Küpper. Editing by Lucas Seeberger and Melania Singer. 

 

Allmen und das Geheimnis des rosa Diamanten is available in the U.S. and Canada as Allmen: The Pink Diamond, thanks to MHz Choice.

 

https://www.stern.de/lifestyle/leute/allmen-und-das-geheimnis-der-erotik--heino-ferch-verraet-details-zur--allmen--reihe-30453864.html

https://mhzchoice.com/first-look-allmen/

 

See also:

 

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2022/08/allmen-secret-of-dragonflies-allmen-und.html (Allmen #1)

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2021/06/allmen-allmen-and-mystery-of-dahlias.html  (Allmen #3)

ALLMEN: THE SECRET OF THE DRAGONFLIES (ALLMEN UND DAS GEHEIMNIS DER LIBELLEN - DAS ERSTE, 2016)

A penniless but philosophical aristocrat thinks he can solve his money issues. Instead, he and his loyal butler are embroiled in a dangerous adventure. 

Allmen und das Geheimnis der Libellen is the first of a very enjoyable and stylish German feature-length comedy/detective series aired on Das Erste since 2017.

 

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. Carlos, his faithful Guatemalan manservant, 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. The project of a fifth one,  Allmen und der Koi, was evoked last year but shooting hasn't started yet. Those films star Heino Ferch (Nordholm, Anatomy of Evil) as Allmen and Samuel Finzi (Flemming) as Carlos.

 

Adapted by scriptwriter Martin Rauhaus (Hotel Heidelberg), Allmen und das Geheimnis der Libellen was directed by Thomas Berger (Kommissarin Lucas). Johann Friedrich von Allmen is broke. It's too bad because he owes a lot of money to a ruthless man named Dörig. Trying his luck at roulette won't help and he's an embarassment for his banker. Even selling his antiques to art dealer Jack Tanner is no longer enough. When Allmen meets Joelle "Jojo" Hirt, the daughter of millionaire Klaus Hirt, he believes he has the solution to his predicament: five priceless "Dragonflies" Art Nouveau glass bowls, created by French artist and designer Émile Gallé, from the collection of Jojo's father. Allmen crosses path with Terry Werenbusch, an old rival. Dörig loses patience, Jack Tanner is shot dead and someone tries to kill Allmen. Fast-paced and humorous, Allmen und das Geheimnis der Libellen lies on the performances of the both talented Heino Ferch (with an incredible look) and Samuel Finzi. The likeable duo is often compared to P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster. 

 

Andrea Osvárt (Tranporter: The Series) plays Jojo. Also with Ben Becker (Terry), Peter Kurth (Babylon Berlin) as Dörig, Gustav Peter Wöhler (Jack Tanner), Hanns Zischler (Klaus Hirt), Jürgen Schornagel (Doppelter Einsatz) as Werenbusch Senior, Roman Šmejkal (Taxi driver Arnold) etc. Allmen und das Geheimnis der Libellen was mostly shot in Prague. Produced by UFA Fiction and Mia Film (Der Zürich-Krimi) (1) for ARD Degeto and Das Erste. Kristina Henning-Egger and Benjamin Benedict are the producers. Co-produced by Zbyněk Pippal and Michal Pokorný. Holger Krenz and Kirsten Frehse (ARD Degeto) are the line producers. Music by Fabian Römer. Benedikt Herforth is the production designer. Cinematography by Frank Küpper. Editing by Lucas Seeberger and Melania Singer. Allmen und das Geheimnis der Libellen is available in the U.S. and Canada as Allmen: The Secret of the Dragonflies, thanks to MHz Choice.

 

(1) Swiss actor Andrea Zogg, who plays the manager of the Grandhotel in Allmen und das Geheimnis der Libellen, later became a regular of Der Zürich-Krimi as taxi driver Beat Bürki. 

 

https://www.stern.de/lifestyle/leute/allmen-und-das-geheimnis-der-erotik--heino-ferch-verraet-details-zur--allmen--reihe-30453864.html

https://musee-ecole-de-nancy.nancy.fr/informations-transversales/actualites-2658/emile-galle-16556.html (Émile Gallé)

https://mhzchoice.com/first-look-allmen/

 

See also:

 

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2021/06/allmen-allmen-and-mystery-of-dahlias.html