MATULA - TOD AUF MALLORCA (ZDF)

To Monique Planson.

The legendary private detective Josef Matula and his dog Renz are back.

« Detektiv und'n Anwalt... Gab's da nicht schon mal'ne Fernsehserie?»

Claus Theo Gärtner (born in 1943) first portrayed the street-smart, working-class Hermann Josef Matula in Ein Fall für Zwei ("A case for two"). The long-running series, created by Georg Althammer and Karl Heinz Willschrei for Galmon Film (later Odeon Film), was about a private investigator and a defense attorney who solved crimes in Frankfurt am Main. Matula was 31 when it started on German pubcaster ZDF in 1981. When his partnership with Dr. Dieter Renz (Günter Strack) ended in 1988, the character teamed up with three other lawyers: Dr. Rainer Frank (Rainer Hunold, 1988-1997), Dr. Johannes Voss (Mathias Hermann, 1997-2000) and Dr. Markus Lessing (Paul Frielinghaus, 2001-2013).

In autumn 2011, Gärtner expressed his desire to leave after 30 years. The duo Matula-Lessing bowed out with the 300th episode in March 2013. Surprisingly, ZDF decided to revamp Ein Fall für Zwei around attorney Benjamin "Benni" Hornberg (Antoine Monot, Jr.) and p.i. Leo Oswald (Wanja Hues). With the same title but minus the famous theme composed by the great Klaus Doldinger (The Neverending Story, Das Boot, Tatort), the new version debuted in May 2014 and is still running. Claus Theo Gärtner even had a cameo in an episode. And every Good Friday since 2017, Herr Gärtner returns as one of the most popular characters of German television in Matula, a series of 90-minute specials penned by Ben Braeunlich (Tatort).

Matula - Tod auf Mallorca brings Josef Matula and his dog Renz (named after his first lawyer partner) in Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic islands. The detective must sail a yacht to one of the favourite destinations of German tourists for a rich client named Peter Janek. Once arrived, he meets Ingo Schumann, a yacht owner, and his companion Karin Weißbach. The morning after, Matula finds the dead body of Schumann floating in the harbour basin. Karin is quickly arrested for murder by Comisario Raphael Herras, the head of the local police. Josef discovers that the victim had other women in in his life and many secrets. From a golf course to a local club, via hotel balconies, he gets so close to the truth that someone wants him out of the island... or even dead.

Tod auf Mallorca is another brilliant case of the ever resourceful private eye played with panache and self-derision by Claus Theo Gärtner. Director Daniel Helfer (the SOKO franchise, Balko), who succeeds to Thorsten Näter, worked with the actor on a 2011 episode of Ein Fall für Zweï. Both Helfer and cinematographer Mathias Neumann sure know how to take advantage of the gorgeous locations. Guest starring Heike Trinker (Karin Weißbach), Proschat Madani (Der letzte Bülle) as Angela Bremer, Violetta Schurawlow (Maria Schubert-Sanchez), Carlos Lobo (Raphael Herras), Michael Roll (Kommissarin Lucas) as Robert Bremer, Jochen Horst (Balko) as Ingo Schumann, Tonio Arango (Silvio Mendes), etc.

Produced by Odeon TV (for ZDF and Austria's ORF) and distributed by ZDF Enterprises. Anette Kaufmann produces. Michael Bauernfeind and Rolf Wappenschmitt exec produce. Thomas Höbbel is the line producer. The excellent music was composed by Nikolaus Glowna. Matula - Tod auf Mallorca was filmed between October and November 2018. The real name of Matula's dog is Mumford and he's trained by Charlott Arzberger.

https://presseportal.zdf.de/pm/matula-tod-auf-mallorca/
https://www.mallorcazeitung.es/gesellschaft/2018/11/01/raubein-matula-ermittelt-palmen-mallorca/63750.html
http://www.quotenmeter.de/n/108775/der-alte-verteidigt-gesamt-sieg-auch-an-karfreitag-dritter-matula-mit-abstrichen (Ratings)

See also:

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/04/matula-der-schatten-des-berges-zdf.html (Matula - Des Schatten des Berges)
https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2017/04/matula-zdf_28.html (Matula - Wer Wind sät)

MATULA - DER SCHATTEN DES BERGES (ZDF)

[Spoiler-Free] Why is Josef Matula with a forehead injury and pursued by men who look like hunters? Wasn't he supposed to be on holidays in Italy with his dog Renz?

Following the success of Matula - Wer Wind Sät last easter, Claus Theo Gärtner returns on ZDF as private detective Matula in a new 90-minute film.

The bottom line: Legends don't retire.

Claus Theo Gärtner (born in 1943) first portrayed the street-smart, working-class Hermann Josef Matula in Ein Fall für Zwei ("A case for two"). The long-running series, created by Georg Althammer and Karl Heinz Willschrei for Galmon Film (later Odeon Film), was about a private investigator and a defense attorney who solve crimes in Frankfurt am Main. Matula was 31 when it started on pubcaster ZDF in 1981. When his partnership with Dr. Dieter Renz (Günter Strack) ended in 1988, the character teamed up with three other lawyers: Dr. Rainer Frank (Rainer Hunold, 1988-1997), Dr. Johannes Voss (Mathias Hermann, 1997-2000) and Dr. Markus Lessing (Paul Frielinghaus, 2001-2013).

In autumn 2011, Gärtner expressed his desire to leave after 30 years. The duo Matula-Lessing bowed out with the 300th episode in March 2013. Surprisingly, ZDF decided to revamp Ein Fall für Zwei around attorney Benjamin "Benni" Hornberg (Antoine Monot, Jr.) and p.i. Leo Oswald (Wanja Hues). With the same title but minus the famous theme composed by the great Klaus Doldinger (The Neverending Story, Das Boot, Tatort), the new version debuted in May 2014. Claus Theo Gärtner even had a cameo in a 2015 episode. Last year, the legend returned in his own 90-minute special, Matula (aka Matula - Wer Wind sät), written by Ben Braeunlich and directed by Thorsten Näter.

5.26m viewers (16.8%) watched this brilliant comeback TV movie, aired by ZDF on Good Friday. Hence the commission of Matula - Des Schatten des Berges, an equally brilliant new case from the same writer and helmer. Josef Matula travels to Italy with Renz, his dog named after his first lawyer partner. They're in the Allgäu Alps when his Volkswagen minibus breaks down close to a winter sports resort. Josef stay with Renz at a guest house during the repair of his vehicle. At the inn, he witnesses an altercation between Martin Wiesner, the butcher, and businessman/mayor Peter Otting. Later, Matula walks near the mountain when he finds the body of Wiesner.

The local police concludes it was an accident. The detective disagrees and leads his own investigation against the villagers. Though clearly classic, the plot has all the ingredients that Ben Braeunlich successfully used in the previous film, starting with an appropriate sense of self-derision. Claus Theo Gärtner is masterful as the underdog old school private detective who still has resources. Director Thorsten Näter and cinematographer Joachim Hasse know how to take advantage of the gorgeous locations. The guest cast is perfect and it's quite moving to see the great Hans-Michael Rehberg (who plays Father Bornholt) in one of his final roles for television (1).

Also starring Frederick Linkemann (Valentin Leipold), Harald Windisch (Janosch Grebe), Marlene Morreis (Nora Wiesner), Martin Feifel (Peter Otting), Ferdinand Dörfler (Stefan Kleber), Joachim Raaf (Ludwig Berger), Eisi Gulp (Cyclist), etc. Matula - Des Schatten des Berges is produced by Odeon TV (for ZDF and Austria's ORF). Anette Kaufmann and Klaus Laudi are the producers. Peter Nawrotzki exec produces. Andrea Wetzel is the line producer. The excellent music was composed by Axel Donner. The real name of Matula's (fabulous) dog is Mumford and he's trained by Charlott Arzberger. Aired on this year's Good Friday, Matula - Des Schatten des Berges attracted 5.09m viewers (16.7%).

(1) Hans-Michael Rehberg died in November 2017.

Review of Matula - Wer Wind sät:

https://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2017/04/matula-zdf_28.html

See also:

https://presseportal.zdf.de/pm/matula-der-schatten-des-berges/
Primetime-Check: Karfreitag, 30. März 2018 – Quotenmeter.de (Ratings)
http://krimiserien.heimat.eu/f/ein_fall_fuer_zwei.htm

[Update - May 27, 2019] 

Review of Matula - Matula - Tod auf Mallorca (Matula #3):

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2019/04/matula-tod-auf-mallorca-zdf.html 

MATULA (ZDF)

[Spoiler-Free] Things are not going well for Josef Matula. Why is he lying unconscious on a North Sea beach? Maybe he should have kept his job in a Frankfurt department store. 

But private investigator is what Matula does best. Four years after his final episode of Ein Fall für Zwei, Claus Theo Gärtner returns as Josef Matula. A German television legend is back. 

Claus Theo Gärtner (born in 1943) first portrayed the street-smart, working-class Hermann Josef Matula in Ein Fall für Zwei ("A case for two"). The long-running series, created by Georg Althammer and Karl Heinz Willschrei for Galmon Film (later Odeon Film), was about a private investigator and a defense attorney who solve crimes in Frankfurt am Main. Matula was 31 when it started on pubcaster ZDF in 1981. When his partnership with Dr. Dieter Renz (Günter Strack) ended in 1988, the character teamed up with three other lawyers: Dr. Rainer Frank (Rainer Hunold, 1988-1997), Dr. Johannes Voss (Mathias Hermann, 1997-2000) and Dr. Markus Lessing (Paul Frielinghaus, 2001-2013).

In autumn 2011, Gärtner expressed his desire to leave after 30 years. The duo Matula-Lessing bowed out with the 300th episode in March 2013. Surprisingly, ZDF decided to revamp Ein Fall für Zwei around attorney Benjamin "Benni" Hornberg (Antoine Monot, Jr.) and p.i. Leo Oswald (Wanja Hues). With the same title but minus the famous theme composed by the great Klaus Doldinger (The Neverending Story, Das Boot, Tatort), the new version debuted in May 2014. Claus Theo Gärtner even had a cameo in a 2015 episode. Aired by ZDF on Good Friday, Matula (aka Matula - Wer Wind sät) is a 90-minute special written by Ben Braeunlich and directed by Thorsten Näter.

This TV movie was filmed last year in Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Frankfurt and on Föhr Island. Five years ago, German private channel Sat.1 tried to resurrect their crime drama Wolffs Revier (1992-2006), another creation of Karl Heinz Willschrei, with a terrible TV movie called Wolff - Kampf im Revier. Thankfully, the return of the beloved detective from Ein Fall für Zwei is a complete success similar to the comeback of Schimanski (1997-2013). Josef Matula lives in a motorhome in Frankfurt and makes ends meet as a security guard in a department store. He quits after chasing a thief too many in order to become a private investigator again.

His first new client is Dr. Claas Jessen, a lawyer. Jessen wants him to have a look at a friend named Agathe Wollert. Mrs Wollert, a 82-year old professor emeritus, recently moved to a seniors' residence in Cuxhaven and asked Jessen for help because she feels threatened. Matula drives to the North Sea coast with his motorhome to find the old lady dead, but he doesn't buy the accidental cause. Her phone leads him to the Bremerhaven Research Institute, where the professor used to work. There he meets Helen Petersen, a secretive PhD student, and Agathe's ex-colleagues Pr. Rolf Lech and Ann-Gret Dahus.

Matula ages well. His instinct remains the same and the man is still full of resources (well, except money). And he has a dog, or rather it's the dog who choses him. Its name, given at the end, is a nice nod to the past. The atmosphere of Matula - Wer Wind Sät is a pleasant mix between The Rockford Files and Nordic Noir, with a good plot and an appropriate sense of self-derision. Guest-starring Sinja Dieks (Helen Petersen), Ulrike Krumbiegel (Ann-Gret Dahus), Götz Schubert (Claas Jessen), Thomas Sarbacher (Rolf Lech), Lutz Herkenrath (Dr. Hans Zerbaum), Anna Böttcher (Gesine Franke), Josephine Ehlert,  etc.  

Matula is produced by Odeon TV (for ZDF and Austria's ORF) and distributed by ZDF Enterprises. Michael Bauernfeind exec produces. Thomas Höbbel is the line producer. Anette Kaufmann and Klaus Laudi are the producers. Music composed by Axel Donner. Joachim Hasse is the cinematographer. The real name of Matula's (fabulous) dog is Mumford and he's trained by Charlott Arzberger. Matula - Wer Wind Sät attracted 5.26m viewers (16.8%). A second TV movie, tentatively titled Matula - Der Schatten des Berges, is currently filmed until the end of the month. A third may be commissioned.

https://presseportal.zdf.de/pm/matula/
https://www.facebook.com/Matula.DieSerie/

See also:

http://www.quotenmeter.de/n/92470/mit-dem-matula-koennen-wir-dagegen-schon-anstinken

[Update - April 29, 2018] 

Review of Matula - Des Schatten des Berges (Matula #2):

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2018/04/matula-der-schatten-des-berges-zdf.html

[Update - May 27, 2019] 

Review of Matula - Matula - Tod auf Mallorca (Matula #3):

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2019/04/matula-tod-auf-mallorca-zdf.html