IMDb Trivia: One of the "75 Most Wanted" films listed by the British Film Institute as "Missing, believed lost".
I saw this film on Netflix, so apparently it is NOT lost--at least not any more.
Dennis O'Keefe plays a Treasury Department agent who has been sent to Britain. This is because there may be an organization that has learned to produce perfect diamonds--ones that are so perfect it could destroy the market. The trail leads to a scientist--a scientist who has disappeared. Although the chances are ridiculous, the wanted man's daughter just happens to be a lady that the Treasury man was dating! He's afraid to tell her about everyone's suspicions about her father and he and Scotland Yard are baffled.
This is a decent British version of film noir. While it's not quite as dark as many films in the genre, it is tough and violent and enjoyable. However, it does start off very slowly--so keep watching and don't give up on this one--it's worth it.
If you do watch a couple things you should note. First, at one point in the film they talk about a remarkable fake diamond being produced in 1924. While it was believed in 1954 that this was true, apparently this was a hoax and that part isn't mentioned in the film. Second, when O'Keefe is chased by a truck he's knocked onto the cobblestones. Watch closely--these cobblestones bounce--revealing they are clearly props.
The Diamond Wizard
1954
Crime / Drama / Sci-Fi
The Diamond Wizard
1954
Crime / Drama / Sci-Fi
5.7
Plot summary
U.S. Treasury Investigator Joe Dennison is sent to England on the trail of a gang of thieves responsible for stealing a million dollars from a U.S. Treasury vault. One of the crooks is on his way to England to spend the money on phony diamonds. Scotland Yard Inspector McClaren, assigned to work with Dennison on the case, is also working on the disappearance of Dr. Eric Miller, an atomic scientist. Dennison discovers while interviewing Miller's daughter Marlene that she is wearing a brooch containing a phony diamond, and the brooch had been made by her father.
December 18, 2022 at 09:50 AM
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Better than its current rating.
International Intrigue!
An American Treasury agent (Dennis O'Keefe) teams up with a Scotland Yard inspector (Philip Friend) to track down a group of thieves that are creating artificial diamonds out of sugar.
This film seems to be a bit of a mystery. The BFI considers it lost, despite prints being readily available -- even on YouTube and Netflix. And then the director is a bit of a debate. Whether the print is the American or English one, the director name is switched. The film itself does not seem to be different in different prints.
The plot is pretty good, and the idea of synthetic diamonds is interesting. One has to wonder... could synthetic diamonds be made so well that there would be no real chemical difference?
Some good moments plus Margaret Sheridan
One of those chatty Brit crime films with American guest stars that's the cinema version of a comfortable sweater, a good a way as any to spend 84 minutes watching TV. The two best reasons to watch it: the end with a fight by a giant, futuristic looking electrical furnace belching flames and Margaret Sheridan doing justice to a tight sweater, speaking of sweaters. There's also a British policewoman who's very arresting.