Classic Horrors Club

Penny Gold (1973) opens like a poor man’s giallo. As a woman takes a shower, a man dressed in black and wearing black leather gloves breaks into her apartment and throws the breaker. When she investigates, he attacks her. It’s not gory at all, but when the crime scene is later investigated, there’s blood everywhere. And that’s the end of any evocation of Italy or Dario Argento.

From that point forward it’s a straight mystery, and a tedious one at that. I shouldn’t say it’s dull just because it revolves around stamp collecting; I mean, they’ve made unbearably exciting films about chess. However, this ain’t no Searching for Bobby Fischer! I’ll blame my failure to understand the finer plot points on my lack of interest in the subject matter.

Penny Gold was directed by four-time Academy Award nominee Jack Cardiff, who won the Oscar for Best Cinematography for Black Narcissus (1947.)  He directed only 13 full length motion pictures. This was his next-to-last, followed by a real, yet average, horror film, The Mutations (1974) aka Freakmaker. For the rest of his career, which lasted into the mid 2000s, he returned to his roots as a cinematographer and director of photography.

The movie suffers from lack of a charismatic star, although James Booth’s character, Matthews, is kind of a schlub of a detective. I never understood his relationship with the younger detective, Roger (Nicky Henson), but he goes to watch him play rugby and has dinner with him and (I think) his wife. If only these characters had last names, I’d know for sure!

Francesca Annie is very good, though, as twin sisters Delphi and Diane. It’s the latter who’s murdered in the first scene and it’s the former who deals in *yawn* rare stamps. Overshadowing the original crime is the discovery of a counterfeit stamp ring and the endless suffering that it’s caused to stamp collectors all over the world.

When I saw a particular character the first time, I knew he/she/it was the killer. To the movie’s credit, though, there was a twist that sort of took the wind out of my sails because I didn’t see it coming. I was both right and wrong about the killer and am curious about the experience of other people watching it and what they suspected or thought.

That’s going to be tough to get, though, at least among readers of this discussion, because I can’t recommend you actually watch it. I don’t even know how to form an “if you liked that, you’ll like this” statement for Penny Gold. Then again, I don’t know any stamp collectors, but if the hobby adds zest to your life, I suppose you owe yourself the opportunity.