The Peking Medallion

Written byProduced byArtur BraunerStarringCinematographyHeinz PehlkeEdited byAlfred SrpMusic byGeorges GarvarentzDistributed byConstantin Film (West Germany)
Warner Brothers (UK & US)93 minutes (Germany)CountriesLanguageEnglish

The Peking Medallion, also called The Corrupt Ones, is a 1967 crime film directed by James Hill, starring Elke Sommer, Robert Stack, Nancy Kwan and Werner Peters.^[1] The film was a co-production between France, Italy and West Germany although it was shot in English. The films German-language title is Die Hölle von Macao .^[2] It was made at the Spandau Studios in Berlin with location shooting in Hong Kong. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Hans Jürgen Kiebach and Ernst Schomer.

Stack called it "a derring-do, hidden treasure stinker" which he did for the money and because he admired Hill's Born Free. "He was obviously more at home with lions," said Stack.^[3]

Synopsis

A freelance photographer discovers an ancient treasure, the Peking Medallion - which also attracts the attention of a number of criminal gangs.

Cast

• Elke Sommer as Lilly Mancini
• Robert Stack as Cliff Wilder
• Nancy Kwan as Tina
• Werner Peters as Pinto
• Christian Marquand as Jay Brandon
• Maurizio Arena as Mancini
• Richard Haller as Kua-Song
• Hans Heyde as Hugo
• Marisa Merlini as Madame Vulcano

Reception

In 1967 Tony Mastroianni's review Cleveland Press stated the film was "handsomely photographed" and merited recognition for its pace but he also criticized "unnecessarily sadistic torture sequences".^[4]

Music

The title song, also entitled "The Corrupt Ones", was performed by Dusty Springfield. It appeared as the B-side of her US Top 40 single "I'll Try Anything" in early 1967.

References

External links

• The Peking Medallion at IMDb
• The Peking Medallion at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Peking Medallion at the TCM Movie Database