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The Flower with the Deadly Sting

Original title: Il fiore dai petali d'acciaio
  • 1973
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
289
YOUR RATING
Carroll Baker, Gianni Garko, and Ivano Staccioli in The Flower with the Deadly Sting (1973)
MysteryThriller

A wealthy doctor Andrea Valenti (Gianni Garko) accidentally kills his mistress, then the doctor falls victim of blackmail.A wealthy doctor Andrea Valenti (Gianni Garko) accidentally kills his mistress, then the doctor falls victim of blackmail.A wealthy doctor Andrea Valenti (Gianni Garko) accidentally kills his mistress, then the doctor falls victim of blackmail.

  • Director
    • Gianfranco Piccioli
  • Writers
    • Gianni Martucci
    • Gianfranco Piccioli
  • Stars
    • Gianni Garko
    • Carroll Baker
    • Ivano Staccioli
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    5.5/10
    289
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Gianfranco Piccioli
    • Writers
      • Gianni Martucci
      • Gianfranco Piccioli
    • Stars
      • Gianni Garko
      • Carroll Baker
      • Ivano Staccioli
    • 11User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Gianni Garko in The Flower with the Deadly Sting (1973)
    Carroll Baker and Gianni Garko in The Flower with the Deadly Sting (1973)
    The Flower with the Deadly Sting (1973)
    Carroll Baker, Gianni Garko, and Ivano Staccioli in The Flower with the Deadly Sting (1973)

    Top cast

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    Gianni Garko
    Gianni Garko
    • Dr. Andrea Valenti
    Carroll Baker
    Carroll Baker
    • Evelyne Graffi
    Ivano Staccioli
    • Ispettore Garrano
    Pilar Velázquez
    Pilar Velázquez
    • Lena
    Paola Senatore
    Paola Senatore
    • Daniela
    Umberto Raho
    Umberto Raho
    • Psychiatrist
    Eleonora Morana
    Eleonora Morana
    • Female surgeon
    Angelo Bassi
    Giuseppe Mattei
    Alessandro Perrella
    • First young surgeon
    Alba Maiolini
    Alba Maiolini
    • Female porter
    • Director
      • Gianfranco Piccioli
    • Writers
      • Gianni Martucci
      • Gianfranco Piccioli
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    User reviews11

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Very well-made giallo with a strong cast
    Gianni Garko plays an amoral, social-climbing surgeon who has had his wealthy wife committed to a mental institution. After he accidentally kills his mistress(Paola Senatore) in a bizarre accident involving the titular "flower with petals of steel" (actually a sculpture),he manages to dispose of the body, but finds himself being pursued by the woman's sister, who is also his vengeful former (Carrol Baker), and a dogged police inspector. Then he begins to be blackmailed by a strange voice on the phone. He also has ANOTHER lover, a nurse (Pilar Velasquez) who may not be what she appears.

    This obscure, long unavailable(at least in English) Italian giallo has a central twist that even by the standards of the genre is pretty far-fetched. It generally works though. It is very well-filmed. Piccolo is not one of the acknowledged masters of the genre like Argento or Bava (or Martino, Fulci, or Lenzi), but he definitely does a good job. The movie begins with a beautifully shot, seemingly gratuitous underwater diving scene that doesn't make sense until the end where it turns out to be a (definitely gratuitous) underwater lesbian scene (which gives new meaning to the term "muff diving"), but I would think also the first such scene in cinema history. The rest of the cinematography and editing is impressive too (if sometimes a little dark in the print I saw), but with one rather awkward murder scene.

    The acting is very good, the Italian cast much more so than Carroll Baker (who I imagine was getting tired of the genre by this time). Garko manages to make his character a sympathetic Hitchcockian innocent, who only towards the end is revealed to be real cad getting his comeuppance. Paola Senatore doesn't have much screen time, but is very effective (it helps that she's naked in almost every scene). The beautiful Velasquez also provides some sumptuous nudity, but also some good acting as she goes from a seemingly throw-away character to a very important one by the end. The print I saw was a Spanish language fan-sub, but I imagine this would only get better with a more legitimate, re-mastered release.
    helpful•9
    5
    • lazarillo
    • Aug 21, 2010

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 13, 1973 (Italy)
    • Countries of origin
      • Italy
      • Spain
    • Language
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • La flor de petalos de acero
    • Filming locations
      • Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Parva Cinematografica
      • Producciones Cinematográficas D.I.A.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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