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The Devil’s Daffodil

£150.00

Film

The Devil’s Daffodil

Additional information

Year

1961

Size/Type

UK Quad / (30″ x 40″) / Single Sided / Printed in England by Leonard Ripley & Co Ltd. London

Country of Origin

UK / British

Condition

Very Fine; originally folded (as issued)

Director

Anos Rathony

Actor/Actress

Christopher Lee, Albert Lieven, Klaus Kinski, Marius Goring, Penelope Horner, William Lucas

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“The girl with the Golden arm…the inside story of the sordid narcotic underworld.”

An incredibly rare UK quad film poster for the British / German co-production of “The Devil’s Daffodil”. Released in 1961 the UK design and artwork is particularly striking with a heavy ‘drug’ influence; hugely controversial for the time. Originally folded (as issued) it is totally unrestored and displays and presents to very good effect effect with minimal handling and age wear, clever use of block colour and striking stylised design that is an obvious nod to American poster designer Saul Bass. Scarce and desirable this is an excellent example of original, great looking movie memorabilia.

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Film Description

The Devil’s Daffodil Film Poster

“A Chinese detective breaks up a drug smuggling ring and tries to find the “Daffodil Killer.” The drug smugglers had devised the ingenious method of smuggling heroin from Hong Kong in the stems of daffodils.”

The Devil’s Daffodil is a packed to the brim Edgar Wallace offering, made in Germany but filmed in the UK. It’s the kind of film that you have to watch closely because the plot is very dense and just working out who’s who and the relationships between the characters is tricky indeed. Still, there’s plenty to recommend about this one, not least the moody black and white photography and the antics of a knife-wielding masked killer who adds plenty of thrills to the picture.

Cast-wise, chiefly of interest is none other than Christopher Lee, once again playing a Chinese guy. I’m not sure why Lee always ended up cast as an Oriental but he certainly makes for an imposing presence here and it’s nice to see him playing a good guy for a change. He’s a Charlie Chan-style investigator, prone to reciting proverbs at the most inconvenient times. He’s a real hoot.

Lee is supported by an erstwhile cast, including the familiar faces of Walter Gotell and Marius Goring, and there’s a nice turn from a typically twitchy Klaus Kinski, just in the process of becoming a big star in Germany. The Devil’s Daffodil is an unashamed B-movie throughout, and one that has much in common with the British thrillers of the 1950s that were being churned out by Nettlefold Studios and the like. However, the low budget is put to fine use and there’s certainly never a dull moment here.

 

 

Vintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria

Mint
A poster that has never been used or displayed and may show the most minor signs of age and wear. The poster should have no holes or tears.

Near Mint
A generally unused poster with fresh, saturated colors. May have minimal tears at folds. Has no significant holes, no paper loss, may have minor tears along edges, may have fine pin holes.

Very Fine
A poster with bright colour and crisp overall appearance. It may have very general signs of use including slight fold separation and fold wear. It may have pin holes or very minor tears. This is the highest grade allowed for a poster that has been restored either on linen or on paper.

Fine
A poster with good colors and overall clean appearance. It may have minor tears small paper loss and minor stains. It may have some fold seperation.

Good
An average poster with overall fresh color. May have tears, minor paper loss, minor hazing. Paper may be brittle due to age, may have minor stains. May have a small amount of writing in an unobtrusive place. May have medium or major restoration.

Fair
A poster with faded colors and brittle paper, showing significant signs of use. May have tears and paper loss. May have tape, writing, stains in image area. In need of restoration or had major restoration.

Poor
A poster that is worn, torn, and/or damaged. May have staining, cracking, dry rot, and/or large tears. May be heavily soiled, may have pieces missing. In need of major restoration.

All photographs and images used on our site are photographs of the actual poster/item you are buying, we do not use stock photographs.

Most Popular Poster Types

US Posters

LOBBY CARD
11 x 14″ printed on heavy stock paper. Used as display in theatre lobbies. Originally made in sets of eight. Some sets have a title card, which contains credits and artwork, essentially a mini-poster. The remaining seven cards are coloured photographic credits and poster artwork showing different scenes from the movie.

WINDOW CARD
14 x 22″ printed on heavy stock paper with the top 4-6 inches usually left blank for the local cinema owner to fill in the cinema and the date it was due to play. Largely discontinued during the 1970’s.

HALF SHEET
22 x 28″ printed on heavy stock paper. The image displayed is normally a smaller version of the main poster, although some do have different artworks and sometimes come in two versions.

INSERT
14 x 36″ printed on heavy stock paper. Inserts usually have the same artwork as a one sheet. Popular with collectors since they are smaller and easier to frame. Normally come tri folded or rolled.

STYLE Y/FORTY BY SIXTY
40 x 60″ printed on heavy stock paper. Rare since they were primarily used for major motion pictures only. Designed to be used outside the theatre, on an easel, normally at a drive-in movie theatre.

ONE-SHEET
27 x 41″ printed on paper. This is the most common size of poster, intended to be displayed in a glass “marquee” case. It is the most sought after size by collectors. Since the 1980’s most posters are sent to the theatre rolled and maybe slightly smaller measuring 27″ by 40″ and with the advent of backlit light boxes a growing number of modern movie posters are available double-sided and the more traditional single-sided.

THREE-SHEET
41 x 81″ printed on paper. These were printed on two or three separate sheets designed to overlap, few survive. Used for larger advertising spaces, normally posted on walls, perfect for huge movie theatres the drive-in, where people could see them from a distance. From the 1970’s on, three-sheets were sometimes printed in one piece and issued as “international” versions to be used abroad.

BRITISH Posters

BRITISH QUAD
30 x 40″ Most common poster size used in the UK. British Quads are horizontal and may have different artwork to the US one sheet. Like a US one sheet they normally come in two versions. Like a US one sheet they are usually supplied single-sided or more commonly now as a double sided poster.

BRITISH ONE-SHEET
27 X 40″, printed on paper. Very rarely used size.

ITALIAN Posters

ITALIAN LOCANDINA
13 x 28″ six inches shorter than the US insert, very nice size to frame. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.

ITALIAN PHOTOBUSTA
18 x 26″ Glossy, high quality, used as lobby cards in Italy. Size may vary, either vertical or horizontal format. There are also double Photobusta or mini Photobusta.

2-FOGLIO (DUE)
(DUE): 39 x 55″ This is the standard poster size used in Italy. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.

4-FOGLIO
(QUATTRO) 55 x 79″ Very large Italian poster printed in two pieces, often contains very beautiful artwork.

FRENCH Posters

FRENCH
47 x 63″ (GRANDE) or 24 x 33″ (PETITE) French movie posters normally come with different artwork to either the US or the UK. Like the Italian’s some of the artwork is extrememly beautiful.