The Secret of the Red Orchid (Das Rätsel der roten Orchidee) is one of those wonderfully outrageous krimis produced by Rialto Films in Germany, starting in the early 60s. Mostly based on the works of Edgar Wallace (who apparently had an enormous following in Germany) they’re a mix of comedy and murder mystery, often with horror and gothic elements as well. And totally insane plots.In this one Chicago gangsters have started a kidnapping racket in London, targeting the very wealthy. To combat this threat Scotland Yard has the assistance of a gun-toting two-fisted macho crimefighter from the FBI, played by Christopher Lee (yes, really). Also involved in the fight against these dangerous hoodlums is an eccentric butler, played by Eddi Arent (who provided the comedy relief in most of these films). There are numerous shootouts, mostly involving machine-guns, and lots of sorted mayhem. There’s a romantic sub-plot as well, and various shenanigans to do with wills, and a long-lost heir to a fortune with a passion for orchids. Trying to keep track of what’s going on isn’t easy, but it also isn’t necessary. The trick is to sit back and just enjoy the madness.
It’s incredibly badly dubbed, which adds considerably to the fun. Christopher Lee is as good as you’d expect him to be playing an American FBI man. Klaus Kinski plays one of the many rival gangsters, and is delightfully hammy. Eddi Arent is the kind of comic relief that can so often be annoying in the extreme, but in these films his performances actually work, adding yet another layer of weirdness. There are plenty of faces that will be familiar to fans of European exploitation cinema, including Adrian Hoven and the lovely Marisa Mell (who was the girlfriend of Diabolik in Mario Bava’s glorious comic book spoof Danger: Diabolik!).
The Secret of the Red Orchid is available on a double-sided DVD from Retromedia, paired with another krimi, The Monster of London City. Picture and sound quality are quite reasonable, and the package represents great value for anyone who loves off-best movies. Lots of outrageous fun!
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I've seen several British films with dodgy 'American' gangsters, but this one leaves them in the dust! Awesome fun!
"Christopher Lee is as good as you’d expect him to be playing an American FBI man"
Have you ever seen 'Das Geheimnis Der Gelben Narzissen' aka 'The Devil's Daffodil? It was an earlier Rialto krimi made as an Anglo-German co-production, filmed in the UK, with two different versions, one in English with English leads, and one in German with German leads, but most of the rest of the cast in both versions, mostly German actors working in England - and, bizarrely, Carry On alumnus Lance Percival in a non-speaking comic role!
Lee plays a Chinese Hong Kong drug squad detective who's an ally of the hero - in the German version he sends up the cliched quotation-spouting 'Honourable Chinese' brilliantly. It's one of the Tobis DVDs without English subtitles, but they can be found online. The English version's probably available somewhere, too.
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