Emil and the Detectives

Though Erich Kästner’s 1929 novel has never been out of print, this first of many adaptations of Emil and the Detectives is chiefly remembered these days as a vehicle for Billy (here billed as Billie) Wilder. He’s the only writer listed on screen, though the IMDb includes Kästner himself as well as Emerich Pressburger as collaborators. It’s a story about children being thrillingly set free to roam unimpeded in the world of adults, seen though the eyes of Emil, maybe 11 or so, who is packed off alone on a train to Berlin by his poor, struggling mother. She’s given him 140 Marks – maybe a month’s income – to give to his … Read more