Poppie is Also a Flower

An Iranian Film Festival Exclusive

Director: Terence Young, 1966, UK/US/Iran, 100 minutes, Cast: Yul Brynner Omar Sharif, Angie Dickinson, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Rita Hayworth, Trevor Howard, Trini López, E.G. Marshall, Marcello Mastroianni, Senta Berger, Anthony Quayle, Eli Wallach, Grace Kelly

This exciting adventure provides an interesting look into the manufacture and trafficking of opium and heroin. The original story was written by Ian Fleming creator of James Bond.
The story is set in Iran and opens as an American undercover agent is murdered in the desert while attempting to buy opium. Two more agents are sent to Teheran to investigate the death and stop the powerful drug ring behind the smuggling. Once there, they run into the dead agent’s girlfriend, who soon after suddenly disappears. Unfortunately, they cannot find her and so focus on their other job. To figure out where the drugs are going (and hopefully get a lead on the missing girl) they steal a bunch of opium and lace it with radioactive tracers so they can track it with Geiger counters. They then follow the drugs as they are slowly dispersed throughout Europe. After many twists, turns and blind alleys, the agents eventually succeed. This film contains cameos from many stars who worked for little pay because they strongly supported its anti-drug message. Those stars include Grace Kelly who introduces the film.

Terence Young

Terence Young (1915–1994) was a British film director and screenwriter best known for directing three James Bond films, Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), and Thunderball (1965). He made many films in Europe, including The Poppy Is Also a Flower (1966), Triple Cross (1966) starring Christopher Plummer, Mayerling (1968), L’Arbre de Noel starring William Holden (1969), and several films with Charles Bronson including Red Sun, Cold Sweat and The Valachi Papers. And popular mid sixties work Adventures of Moll Flanders with husband and wife team Richard Johnson and Kim Novak, and Wait Until Dark with Audrey Hepburn.