Might be one of those German things… in the 1960s and partly 70s, a series of films based on Edgar Wallace crime stories was hugely successful in Germany. They were home-made in Germany and the actors and producers are still hugely popular. Spectacular ratings every time they were shown on tv. The Wixxer films spoof those originals, but basically by trying to be as serious about them as the originals were – and that is exactly the right approach, because there is no way around the fact that our parents were in for some strange taste here.
Written by German prime tv satirical masterheads Oliver Kalkofe, Oliver Welke and Bastian Pastewka, these two films (the first one having been "Der Wixxer", obviously) are rare examples for German cinema humour not being embarassing. The films are being done in good style, well paced, a bit over the top, and with a nice and sober atmosphere of hiliarousness. Never get excited, but always day with a smile. There is probably no point in trying to sell the films internationally, but if one can get a hand on the DVD with subtitles, I suggest to check it out, because it’s a good opportunity to see relexed German humour at work… on the other hand… maybe you shouldn’t, it’s kind of too strongly linked to childhood tv watching experiences….
All films based on Edgar Wallace stories (a lot!) at IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908624/ and at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Wallace_movies.
thomas4cinema 