The Poppy Is Also a Flower is a 1966 American-French-Austrian made-for-television spy and anti-drug film. It was originally made under the auspices of the United Nations as part of a series of television specials designed to promote the organization's work. The film was directed by Terence Young and stars Yul Brynner, Omar Sharif, Eli Wallach, Angie Dickinson, Senta Berger, Stephen Boyd, Trevor Howard, Jack Hawkins, Rita Hayworth and Marcello Mastroianni. Grace Kelly (as Princess Grace of Monaco) narrates.
The film was also known by alternative titles Poppies Are Also Flowers, The Opium Connection, and Danger Grows Wild (in the UK).
Contents
Plot
In an attempt to stem the heroin trade at the Afghanistan–Iran border, a group of narcotics agents working for the United Nations inject a radioactive compound into a seized shipment of opium, in the hopes that it will lead them to the main heroin distributor in Europe.
Cast
In alphabetical order
Production
The film is based on an idea by Ian Fleming, the James Bond creator. Funded in part by a grant from Xerox, it was produced by the United Nations and the stars received a salary of $1. Terence Young left the direction of Thunderball to make the film.
One of the props from Thunderball features in the beginning of the film - the underwater watch provided to James Bond (Sean Connery) by Q (Desmond Llewelyn), with a built-in Geiger Counter which in the former film is meant to detect a nuclear weapon, and in this production to permit long-range tracking of drug shipments which contain a radioactive marker.
Part of the production of this film took place overseas. Iran was the main setting for many desert and border scenes. The crew spent several weeks on location and the local cinematographers joined the team to accomplish the production. Famous Iranian cinematographers cooperated with this project, including Maziyar Partow.
The Poppy Is Also a Flower was the last of four television movies commissioned by the United Nations, to publicize its missions and roles in world peace and diplomacy. The film was originally 80 minutes in length for its ABC telecast, minus commercial time for the 90-minute slot. It was expanded to 100 minutes for a US theatrical release by Astral Films in 1967.
After its television broadcast on ABC in 1966, Eli Wallach won an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 19th Primetime Emmy Awards, for his portrayal of drug kingpin "Happy" Locarno. This was the production's only award.