https://trailersfromhell.com/black-gravel-region-b/

Excellent review of Helmut Kautner's BLACK GRAVEL, which first surfaced in a post-war German cinema retrospective in 2017 (https://www.filmlinc.org/series/the-lost-years-of-german-cinema-1949-1963/#films), was sourced by Kino in 2020 and appeared at NC's international noir festival that year.

Erickson covers all the bases regarding the film's controversial release in 1961, the differences in the original cut and the released version (the Radiance box set version, bundled with French heist film SYMPHONY FOR A MASSACRE--screened at our FRENCH 6 in 2019 and in various venues in the NC series--and the Japanese yakuza thriler CRUEL GUN STORY).

As solid as BLACK GRAVEL is, I'd argue that his earlier noir EPILOG (a film we were fortunate enough to show in our 2022 MIDCENTURY MADNESS series) is an even more impressive achievement. The two films together would be a superb "auteurist" showcase for Kautner...