The Mad Executioners (1963)
And Central Cinema Company
By Paul McVay, It Came From Hollywood
The Mad Executioners was produced by Central Cinema Company and released in West Germany in 1963. CCC, as it is known, was a then exclusively West German production outfit started by Holocaust survivor Artur Brauner. They specialized in drama and anti-nazi films. This was 1946, and the horrors of World War II were a little too fresh in the minds of the citizens of West Germany to produce any kind of significant box office take, so CCC shifted gears and began producing a wide range of pictures covering just about every genre. CCC’s coffers soon exploded with all kinds of deutsche marks and allowed them to successfully build and operate multiple studios in Germany and parts of Spain.
In 1963 CCC expanded into the UK with major plans to continually produce films there. Alas, The Mad Executioners was one of only two films made before CCC closed shop and shifted productions back to their established studios. The other picture was Station Six Sahara which was released stateside by Allied Artists in 1964.
There are several valid reasons given for this move and the entire CCC story is nothing less than a fascinating essential chapter in the history of motion pictures. A history I will leave up to the reader to discover for themselves. But, before I get too long-winded (I heard someone say, “Too Late”!) let me focus on the film at hand and share a little bit of why you are aware of the genre films CCC produced, but you may not know it! …
The Mad Executioners (1963)
And Central Cinema CompanyRead More »