Everyone is familiar with the series about the adventures of the German Shepherd Rex, which serves the law, helps to investigate crimes and catch criminals. Filled with friendship, courage and heroism, "Commissar Rex" remained in the hearts of many TV viewers. The project first appears on screens in 1994 and has 18 seasons.
History. The plot of the series
"Commissioner Rex" was filmed with the joint participation of Germany, Austria, Italy. The series was released in November 1994. The project was filmed on television screens in about fifty countries. The series was liked by both children and teenagers, and their parents, as it contained many tricks, funny moments and embodied an interesting plot. From series to series, viewers were delighted with a new story, the turns of which were difficult to predict.
The series began in Austria, but in 2004 it was decided to close the project: at that time it had 10 seasons. Three years later, "Commissioner Rex" was resumed, but in Italy. Now investigations are being carried out in Rome, and 8 more seasons are coming out. Filming starts again in Slovakia in 2017.
The plot is quite simple: the watchdog Rex serves as an officer in the Vienna Criminal Police of the Homicide Investigation Department. A faithful dog helps colleagues to find criminals, saves people and at the same time loves its owner very much. Rex knows many tricks: he opens doors on his own, rushes at the villains on command, he himself saves those who were attacked. Her favorite pastime is to discreetly carry sausage from the buns of your colleagues.
There were no special requirements for the actors, the question of choosing "Rex" for the main role was acute. Several dogs participated in the series, which took specialized courses. Because Rex, on a strict command, had to perform tricks that an ordinary dog simply could not do.
The very idea of the series came to the mind of the creators in 1992. Tobias Moretti, who claimed the lead role, brought a dog with him to audition. As a result, the director invited the dog to the series as an actor.
Rex's hosts
During filming, Rex changed seven owners. The first owner was Richard Moser (Tobias Moretti): for four seasons he and the faithful dog investigated crimes side by side. In the very first episode, Rex's owner, Michael, dies. Moser takes up the investigation of the murder and immediately realizes that he will make friends with the dog. The dog handlers were against it, but their opinion did not bother him. The friendship between the dog and the policeman existed outside the studio. Acting the role of Tobias Moretti was popular in Austria, but after the release of "Commissioner Rex" he became known all over the world. Clarissa in 1998 and Dark Valley in 2014 are some of his most striking projects.
At the end of the fourth season, Moser dies: one of the most difficult moments for viewers. Rex was able to convey the emotions associated with the loss to the fullest. This proves once again how well the dog lends itself to training.
Moretti is replaced by Gedeon Burkhard, who played Alex, who previously worked in the secret service with his dog, but because of the explosion, the dog dies. Brandtner is transferred to another location and decides that he will never get a dog again. But Rex changed his mind. Later, Gideon notes the work on the series as one of the most exciting events in his career. Also, after several seasons, in 2001, the actor leaves the series. Later Burkhard dabbled in advertising, was the face of a fashion brand and starred in an episode of the film Inglourious Basterds.
The ratings of the series did not decline, although the actors changed one after another. Alexander Pschill (Mark Hoffman) becomes the third owner of Rex. He takes part in only two seasons (from 2002 to 2004). The actor received a Romy award for his role as an investigator. Pschill is known more for theatrical performance.
After four years of hiatus, in 2008 the series moves to Italy. The main role is played by Caspar Capparoni (Lorenzo Fabbri). From 2008 to 2012, the actor investigates crimes with a faithful friend. Previously, Lorenzo worked in the police, while studying to be a psychologist. In the 14th season of the series, they decide to kill him in front of Rex, because the main character arrested the head of the mafia. Further, the role of the owner was given (David Rivera and Marco Terzani). In 2017, Juraj Bacha becomes the captain under the name Richard Mayer and the new protagonist of the series.
After the release of Commissioner Rex, the popularity of the German Shepherd as a pet has grown dramatically.
Rex's childhood
The story of a loyal friend is described in detail in the movie "Baby Rex". A dog was born in the Antonius family from the champion dog, Athos. Antonius are renowned breeders and trainers. Many people want to buy a dog, but the family has already grown attached to a friend: they do not want to give Rex. At night, a criminal enters the house and kidnaps the puppy. A wealthy man and crime boss Kainz hired a bandit to steal the dog, but Rex escapes and accidentally ends up in an elderly man's house. The man is visited by his daughter Christina and her son Benny, whose father died. The little puppy becomes Benny's friend and distracts him from sad thoughts. Soon Antonius will find out where their beloved dog is, they want to take him back. But they see how Rex fell in love with the new owner.
Meanwhile, Kainz makes itself felt again: Benny and Rex solve his crime. Rex and Benny discover where the perpetrator is hiding and hold him back in the pool until the police arrive. The bandit tried to kill them, and also Benny's grandfather. But Rex protects his family from the culprit.
Awards. Interesting Facts
Since the start of filming, the series has won numerous awards:
- 1995: Wolf Bachofner, Tobias Moretti and Karl Markowitz receive the Bavarian Television Award;
- 1996: Tobias Moretti wins Golden Cable for Best Crime Series and Golden Lion for Best Actor;
- 1998: Tobias Moretti is also nominated for Best TV Series with the Telegatto award;
- 2006: "Best Foreign Series" - nomination "Golden Program".
During its existence, the series has earned worldwide popularity. After work, people ran to the TV screens to find out what crimes Rex will solve today? Critics also praised the project. Now the actors have become less famous, many of them concentrated on working in the theater. Tobias Moretti himself acted as a theater director in the production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni.
- Interestingly, the service dog cannot actually make decisions on its own, it just follows the directions. But in the series, Rex helps the owner as if deliberately. A total of six dogs participated in the project;
- In the first season, in the Amok series, Gedeon Burkhard himself plays. He plays the role of an AIDS patient. Several seasons after Moser's death, he becomes Rex's master;
- Series "Bloody Traces": the criminal Seidel is also played by the future owner of Rex (Mark Hoffman) - Alexander Pschill;
- The record for the frequency of appearances in the series is Gerhard Zemann, forensic scientist Leonardo Graf. He takes part in 10 seasons of the project;
- Commissioner Rex has 208 episodes that can be compared to the length of Santa Barbera itself;
- Belgium is the first country where a police dog training program was developed. Now the algorithm has been adopted in Austria, Hungary and Germany;
- The producers of the series looked for inspiration in characters that really existed. Dogs have worked as detectives in London since the 19th century. Charles Warren is the first investigator to have a trained dog as a partner;
- The funny thing is that once two hound dogs were chasing the maniac Jack the Ripper, but they were distracted by a sausage, and the idea failed. To this day, the German Shepherd is considered the most trainable and intelligent, especially suitable for work in the police.
