Father Malachias, offended by the bar and brothel next to his church, prays the building (and all its inhabitants) onto a rock in the North Sea. What follows proves to be more than the padre bargained for.
Based on the book by the Scots writer, Bruce Marshall, this movie was directed by Berhard Wicki--easily one of West Germany's best post-war directors. Wicki uses a technique of having the camera follow various people talking as they cross paths that Fellini would put to even better use a couple years later in "8½." the tone of the film is similar to Billy Wilder's "Ace in the Hole," with a harsh cynicism toward the human tendency to exploit events for profit.
The films stars Horst Bollmann. This is his first film, and it shows. He would eventually become a good actor, but here he was still learning his craft--under fire, so to speak. Wicki reportedly finished this film only seven hours before it premiered, and this shows as well. The film has a few rough spots and scenes that could have used retakes. Nonetheless, the film is fun to watch and stands as a one of the better films to come out of Germany during the sixties.
