''Mistress of the World'' (german: Die Herrin der Welt, french: Les mystères d'Angkor, it, Il mistero dei tre continenti) is a 1960

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...

spy film The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many James Bond films) ...

remake of the 1919 eight-part silent film ''

The Mistress of the World ''The Mistress of the World'' (german: Die Herrin der Welt) is an eight-part 1919 silent film made in the Weimar Republic starring Mia May in the lead role. The film, under the creative control of director Joe May, is noted for bringing togeth ...

'' directed by

William Dieterle William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 – December 9, 1972) was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Hollywood primarily as a director for much of his ...

and starring

Martha Hyer Martha Hyer (August 10, 1924 – May 31, 2014) was an American actress who played Gwen French in ''Some Came Running'' (1958), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her autobiography, ''Finding My Way ...

and

Carlos Thompson Juan Carlos Mundin-Schaffter, known as Carlos Thompson, (7 June 1923 – 10 October 1990) was an Argentine actor. Career Of German and Swiss descent, he played leading roles on stage and in films in Argentina. He went to Hollywood in the 1950s ...

."Il mistero dei tre continenti". It marked the comeback in his native country of the director William Dieterle after several decades spent in Hollywood."Il mistero dei tre continenti". Marco Giusti. ''007 all'italiana''. Isbn Edizioni, 2010. . In West Germany, it was released in a longer version split in two parts (''Die Herrin der Welt - Teil I'' and ''Die Herrin der Welt - Teil II'').

Plot

With his secret research, the Swedish physicist Professor Johanson, head of the Nuclear Physics Institute, has succeeded in obtaining bundled energy from nuclear fusion. This formula could revolutionize the world, with it enormous amounts of energy could be released. Sweden's secret service sends its top agent Peter Lundström to shadow the scientist and possibly protect him from kidnappers. Lundstrom follows Johanson's heels and meets his attractive, blonde daughter Karin, who works as her father's assistant. After the effectiveness of Johanson's method can be proven for the first time in an explosion and Johanson has to be transferred to the hospital injured as a result of the widespread destruction, a group of sinister, international profiteers and conspirators to develop a keen interest in this invention. Professor Johanson is in grave danger. Karin is now continuing her father's research and is also caught in the cross hairs of the mysterious opponents. Johanson himself retreats to a Cambodian monastery in order to escape the gangsters' shots and recover. Meanwhile, the international criminals manage to steal Johanson's energy formula. Karin then goes after the thieves, supported by Lundstrom. But he also has his own goals. The hunt takes them around the world. It soon turns out that a certain Madame Latour is behind the sinister machinations. Eventually old Johanson falls into her hands. In Southeast Asia, a showdown ensues between the kidnappers and Lundstrom and Karin. ( from German Wiki - Herrin der Welt )

Cast

Production

''Mistress of the World'' was developed when producer

Artur Brauner Artur "Atze" Brauner (born Abraham Brauner; 1 August 1918 – 7 July 2019) was a German film producer and entrepreneur of Polish origin. He produced more than 300 films from 1946. Life and career He was born the oldest son of a Jewish family ...

invested in a three-hour West German-French-Italian co-production. Brauner contracted

to direct the film. The film was made with a predominantly German crew, but with a multi-national cast including

and Sabu from Hollywood,

from Argentina and

Gino Cervi Luigi Cervi (3 May 1901 – 3 January 1974), better known as Gino Cervi (), was an Italian actor. He was best known for portraying Peppone in a series of comedies based on the character ''Don Camillo'' (1952-1965), and police detective Jules M ...

from Italy, and

Micheline Presle Micheline Presle (; born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne; 22 August 1922) is a French actress. She was sometimes billed as Micheline Prelle. Starting in 1939, she starred in over 50 French and English language films that were made in H ...

and Lino Ventura from France. The film was shot between September 1959 and January 1960. The film shot around the world, including

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

Angkor Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

, and the

Spandau Studios The Spandau Studios or CCC Studios were film and television studios located in Spandau, a suburb of Berlin. They were established in 1949 following the Second World War by the producer Artur Brauner Artur "Atze" Brauner (born Abraham Brauner; ...

in Berlin. While filming in

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

, Dieterle left the production, leaving cinematographer

Richard Angst Richard Angst (23 July 1905 – 24 July 1984) was a Swiss cinematographer who worked on more than ninety films during his career, most of them in Germany. Angst emerged as a leading photographer of mountain films during the silent era. He often wo ...

to take over directing.

Release

The first part of ''Mistress of the World'' was released in Hamburg on April 14, 1960. The second part was released on April 26, 1960.

Reception

The film was not received well by critics in West Germany on its release.

References

External links

*
''Mistress of the World''
at filmportal.de/en {{William Dieterle 1960s science fiction adventure films 1960s spy thriller films West German films German science fiction films German spy thriller films French science fiction adventure films French spy thriller films Italian science fiction adventure films Italian spy thriller films Films directed by William Dieterle Films set in Sweden Films set in France Films set on the French Riviera Films set in Turkey Films set in Cambodia Films shot at Spandau Studios Remakes of German films Sound film remakes of silent films Films released in separate parts UFA GmbH films 1960s Italian films 1960s French films 1960s German films