It is not easy to see from today's point of view why this film created such controversy when it came out, today it appears quite tame, and even a bit dated.
The casting is generally fine, with the exception that Hardy Krüger was at least 5 years too young for his role as a worldly architect -- in the German version of the film. Yes, this was one of the last Hollywood examples of films made in different language versions, with slightly different casts to appeal to these different audiences. The best written role in this teleplay is 'David Slater', but it requires an actor of distinctive scene-stealing qualities to pull it off. Both David Niven (American version) and Johannes Heesters (German version) fit this bill perfectly.
The casting is generally fine, with the exception that Hardy Krüger was at least 5 years too young for his role as a worldly architect -- in the German version of the film. Yes, this was one of the last Hollywood examples of films made in different language versions, with slightly different casts to appeal to these different audiences. The best written role in this teleplay is 'David Slater', but it requires an actor of distinctive scene-stealing qualities to pull it off. Both David Niven (American version) and Johannes Heesters (German version) fit this bill perfectly.