''Secret of the Sphinx'' ( it, La sfinge sorride prima di morire - Stop Londra) is a

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

film, directed by

Duccio Tessari Duccio Tessari (11 October 1926 – 6 September 1994) was an Italian director, screenwriter and actor, considered one of the fathers of Spaghetti Westerns. Born in Genoa, Tessari started in the fifties as documentarist and as screenwriter of pe ...

, which stars

Tony Russel Tony Russel (born Antonio Pietro Russo, and sometimes credited as Tony Russo or Tony Russell; November 23, 1925 – March 18, 2017) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He was noted for having worked extensively in the Italian film ...

Salah Zulfikar Salah El Din Ahmed Mourad Zulfikar ( ar, صلاح ذو الفقار; ; 18 January 1926 – 22 December 1993) was an Egyptian actor and film producer. He started his career as a police officer in the Egyptian National Police, before becoming an ac ...

Maria Perschy Herta-Maria Perschy (23 September 1938 – 3 December 2004) was an Austrian actress whose career included performances on screen with actor Rock Hudson and on American television in both daytime and prime time. Early life Perschy was born in ...

, Ivan Desny, and Manuela Kent.

Plot

The story unfurls like an Italian

Giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, ...

as a group of people meet under strange circumstances, and one by one they are murdered. Thomas and Hélène meet in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

as a Lloyd's of London agent investigates an Egyptian bank robbery. The booty remained buried in the sand and comes back to light following archaeological excavations. The agent suspects that the band of robbers is hiding among the archaeologists who are carrying out the excavations and, in fact, when the expedition returns to Cairo, he discovers that the chests contain the gold stolen from the bank.

Production

The exteriors of the film were shot in Egypt, while Cinecittà was chosen for the interiors. The camera operator was the famous director

Joe D'Amato Aristide Massaccesi (15 December 1936 – 23 January 1999), known professionally as Joe D'Amato, was an Italian film director, producer, cinematographer, and screenwriter who worked in many genres ( westerns, decamerotici, peplum, war films, ...

, here credited with his real name, Aristide Massaccesi. The soundtrack was composed by

Mario Migliardi Mario Migliardi (31 May 1919 – 8 August 2000) was an Italian composer of music for movies and television. He was born in Alessandria, Italy. Works Migliardi composed music and soundtracks for the following movies and television shows: *' ...

. Tony Russel liked the script and especially the idea of going to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and he accepted the job by turning down the lead in

A Fistful of Dollars ''A Fistful of Dollars'' ( it, Per un pugno di dollari, lit=For a Fistful of Dollars titled on-screen as ''Fistful of Dollars'') is a 1964 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, ...

. He was the only one of his Italian films that he did not dub in English, despite being one of the main voice actors of Italian films. In addition, he had a love affair with

which he ended to stay with his wife.

was cast for the character of the Egyptian police officer in the film.

Reception

The film was released in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

on 4 September 1964 and foreign sales were entrusted to Galatea S-p.A. From Rome. It was released in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

in 1964 by "Gloria" under the title Heiße Spur - Kairo-London, in Spain by "Distribuidora Cinematograficas Rosa Films, S.A." with the title La esfinge sonrie ...antes de morir and was released in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

on 5 July 1967 with the title Du grisbi au Caire. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

it was released on DVD and VHS in 2004 by "Something Weird Video" (SWV) under the title Secret of the Sphinx.

Cast

: Thomas *

: Ahmed *

: Hélène Blomberg *

Maria Laura Rocca Maria Laura Rocca (5 October 1917 – 6 May 1999) was an Italian actress and writer. Life and career Born Maria Laura Gayno in Pasian di Prato, Udine, Rocca spent her adolescence in Genoa, her mother's birthplace. After acting in some amateu ...

: Martha * Ivan Desny: Professor Green *

Gigi Ballista Gigi Ballista (1 December 1918 – 2 August 1980) was an Italian film and television actor. He appeared in 60 films between 1961 and 1980. Life and career Born in Florence, Ballista graduated in Law, then he started working as a PR consulta ...

: Agent of

Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gove ...

Giuseppe Fortis Giuseppe Fortis (20 July 1935 – 27 May 2000) was an Italian film and television actor.Kinnard & Crnkovich p.184 He was also a voice actor, dubbing foreign films for release in Italian. Selected filmography * '' The Changing of the Guard'' (196 ...

: Alain Nol *Evar Maran: Tchurov *

Tullio Altamura Tullio Altamura (born 18 July 1924) is an Italian actor, best known for his roles in spaghetti westerns and action films in the 1960s. Life and career Born in Bologna, the son of a career officer in the Italian army, Altamura grew up in Rome, ...

Franco Ressel Franco Ressel (8 February 1925 – 30 April 1985) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1961 and 1985. He was born in Naples, Italy and died in Rome, Italy. Selected filmography * ''La cento chilometri'' (19 ...

*Joe Kamel

References

External links