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Only the Wind Knows the Answer

Only the Wind Knows the Answer (Die Antwort kennt nur der Wind)

Movie · 1974 · 15 people

Alfred Vohrer directed the 1974 West German-French thriller Die Antwort kennt nur der Wind (Only the Wind Knows the Answer). Sources also list it under drama, romance and action. It adapts Johannes Mario Simmel's international bestseller of the same name, with a screenplay by Manfred Purzer. Shot in German, it runs about 107 minutes and was produced by Roxy Film and Paris-Cannes Productions.

The story opens when billionaire Hellmann's yacht blows up in the Mediterranean, killing him and his crew of eight. Because suicide cannot be ruled out, the insurance company's representative Lucas starts investigating on the Côte d'Azur. Before long he notices that Hellmann's villa had been watched by cameras, and the recordings hold information about the explosion. Instead of handing it over, Lucas uses it for blackmail. Maurice Ronet, Marthe Keller and Karin Dor are the leading names; Dor plays Nicole Monnier, Keller Angela Delpierre, Anton Diffring John Keelwood and Robert Dalban the chief inspector. Raymond Pellegrin, André Falcon and Charlotte Kerr are also in the cast.

Location shooting took place on the French Riviera, in Zurich, Frankfurt and Munich. The film was entered into the 9th Moscow International Film Festival.

DirectorAlfred Vohrer
Production companyRoxy Film

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Cast

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Marthe Keller Marthe Keller Actor · 81 years old Robert Dalban Robert Dalban Actor · died at 83 Maurice Ronet Karin Dor Raymond Pellegrin André Falcon Anton Diffring Charlotte Kerr Eva Pflug Walter Kohut Günter Mack Klaus Schwarzkopf Konrad Georg Heinz Baumann Philippe Baronnet

Titles sharing this cast

Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Adapting Simmel's bestseller, Alfred Vohrer keeps the easy flow of popular fiction. The yacht explosion at the start is a strong hook, and a plot driven by the insurance investigator's inquiry and by surveillance footage puts the idea of watching at the heart of the story. The problem lies in the film being thriller, drama, romance and action all at once: that mix, in my view, scatters the narrative focus and at times blunts the edge of the suspense. Shooting on the Riviera and in Zurich, Frankfurt and Munich gives it an airy international look. Having the hero turn what he finds into blackmail is an interesting choice that muddies the classic investigator figure morally.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

A film that opens with a billionaire's yacht blowing up grabs you from the first minute. What follows is an investigation: Lucas the insurance man, hidden camera footage and blackmail. The suspense idea is solid, but the pace is not that of an action film; talk and investigation dominate. Fun for fans of seventies European thrillers, possibly slow for anyone who needs constant movement.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The film builds a moral tale out of wealth, insurance and blackmail on the Côte d'Azur of its day. The gulf between the billionaire Hellmann's world and the ordinary insurance employee investigating it makes Lucas's decision to use what he learns for his own gain rather than for justice understandable, though not excusable. The villa being watched by camera is a telling detail, showing surveillance creeping into the lives of the rich even back then. A good window for anyone wondering why Simmel's novels reached such a wide readership.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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