Review: The Devil’s Daffodil

An Anglo airline security officer (Joachim Fuchsberger) and a Chinese detective named Ling Chu (Christopher Lee) investigate a series of murders of young women that seem to be connected to a heroin smuggling ring involving hollowed-out plastic daffodils. Scotland Yard (represented by Walter Gotell) is also on the case, with the security officer and Ling Chu eventually combining their resources to track the killer down. Peter Illing plays a bar manager whom Ling Chu prises information from in torturous fashion, whilst Klaus Kinski plays to type as a disturbed man, and Albert Lieven is the crooked club owner.

 

One of my white whales in trying to get my eyes on every movie Christopher Lee ever made, this 1961 West German-UK co-production from Hungarian director Akos Rathonyi (“Don’t Blame the Stork” with Ian Hunter, Brenda de Banzie, and Thora Hird) is yet another Edgar Wallace mystery. The Germans seemed obsessed with the author, with the Brits not far behind. This is a solid film, with nice, shadowy B&W cinematography by Desmond Dickinson (“Fire Down Below”, “The City of the Dead”, “Berserk”), and mostly well-acted as well. The plot can be a touch unwieldy given all the characters here to keep track of, but I’m glad I finally caught up with this one.

 

The supporting cast proves far more interesting here than leading man Joachim Fuchsberger who isn’t terribly charismatic. He’s fine, it’s just that he’s the least interesting person on show here. Unlike “Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace” and “The Secret of the Blood Orchid”, Christopher Lee does his own German language dubbing here…to play a Chinese guy. An English actor speaking German playing a Chinese man. Yeah, it’s a lot to take in, but at least you’re hearing Lee’s real voice. White actors in ‘Asian’ makeup is on the nose obviously, but Lee generally didn’t look too bad in the makeup and his overall performance is quite good. The character itself is in the film a lot more than Lee’s low billing might suggest and is a really interesting, shadowy figure. The only issue is with the fortune cookie Chinese proverb-driven dialogue Lee has been given. It’s clichéd and annoying. Walter Gotell, Marius Goring (as a shonky businessman), and Peter Illing are also solid, and despite having a minor role Klaus Kinski is hard to ignore here. The killer isn’t hard to figure out here, but just because you can figure out who, doesn’t mean you’ll have all the pieces to the mystery, so it still entertains.

 

A much better German/UK co-produced effort than the subsequent “The Secret of the Blood Orchid”, this crime-mystery film (shot in England) is a must for Christopher Lee completists. He plays the most interesting character here. In fact, with a more charismatic and interesting lead the film might’ve been even better. Based on an Edgar Wallace novel, the screenplay is by Egon Eis (“The Secret of the Blood Orchid”), Horst Wendlandt (more prolific as a producer including “The Secret of the Blood Orchid”), and Gerhard F. Hummel (“The Inn on the River”, another Wallace adaptation).

 

Rating: B-

 

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