Enquête spéciale

Using the non-de-plume of Jonathan Rix, his grandfather's name, Dennis O'Keefe hied himself over to England and sold this story (with screenplay by John C. Higgins) and ended up as the star and (credited) director of this film that was merely a slight---primarily geography and accents---remake of at least a half-dozen American B-westerns with the plot gimmick revolving around a heroine's scientist father being kidnapped and forced to counterfeit something---diamonds, in this instance---for a gang of crooks. One of the readily available horses-and-sagebrush versions is 1941's "Dude Cowboy" from RKO with Tim Holt, Marjorie Reynolds and Byron Foulger essaying the roles taken here by O'Keefe, Margaret Sheridan and Paul Harmuth. Give "Dude" the edge over "Diamond" on the strength of Ray Whitley's songs.

The Diamond Wizard (1954)

A goofy, lighthearted, sprawling smuggling and international crime film. Yes, a contradiction. But boy are there zany aspects, like the low-tech high stakes attempts to make diamonds artificially. And the main characters are a British and an American agent both after the same charming American woman who is suddenly in town.

You might enjoy this as a spoof (which it is not), or as pure camp (which it almost is). There are false foreign accents, talking and reading from criminal files, and constant back and forths (with literal winking) between the two men, who seem to work well together by doing the same thing at the same time.

The odd thing is it's all kind of fun. It helps to have something else to do while watching--you won't miss any details, I think, since it putters along with easy to follow twists. The one scene to watch is the opening one, which gives away not only the very low budget limitations but also the basic characters involved. At other points there are little delights--like when the ship's whistle blows and we see the top of a ship, until the camera pulls back and you find we are looking at a model.

So, if you don't mind a little silly romp with lots of scenes and a fairly ambitious scope, but with a frivolous and frankly low quality aspect, you might just like this. It's not awful, which is something. Parts of it look like they were shot in Frankenstein's castle. And there is a really terrific escalator scene that is almost worth it right there, toward the end, better than the movie deserves. And what are "pure galvanized iron filings" you might ask?

Because of cheaper production costs, many Hollywood projects were moving abroad during this time period. This movie appears one of them. Add the 3-D effects from that short-lived craze, and the movie dates itself. Though working through a rather complex storyline, the 83-minutes amounts to a pretty good crime drama. American O'Keefe and Britisher Friend are cops collaborating in good allied fashion to run down a gang of crooks traveling from the US to Britain. Their aim is to buy a million dollars of fake diamonds. Seems the classy Sheridan's elderly father has a formula for creating the fakes that could upset whole economies if spread. So our two cops have their work cut out.

Some good touches like action on the escalator and 3-D sparks flying-at-you lend visual interest. Then too, byplay between the two male leads is cleverly scripted and well acted. Production also makes good use of London locations that lend color. And how about that whiz-bang ending that had me thinking world's end. And, boy, I sure could have used more scenes with the delectable Ms Sheridan. On other hand, the plot development tends to get turgid and over-crowded at times. Nonetheless, the sum total is a pretty good thriller deserving of 6 and1/2 stars.

This has something of the "Rumpelstiltskin" to it, only it's not straw into gold, it's sugar into diamonds! "Dennison" (Dennis O'Keefe) is on the trail of some thieves who stole a fortune in US treasury bonds and are heading to London to do a deal with the gem fakers. His arrival sees him allied with "Insp. McClaren" (Philip Friend). This policeman is also working on a more sensitive case involving a nuclear scientist - and it just so happens that his daughter "Marline" (Margaret Sheridan) is wearing a brooch with one of the Wonka-jewels in it. As we discover who made it, the threads of the story start to come together - but who is pulling whose strings? It's a bit long and takes a while to get started, but once the wheels are in motion it's not a bad little thriller with some magical science (courtesy of Paul Hardtmuth) and a bit of menace from the usually reliable Francis de Wolff. It's all production line stuff with themes based on already well used, adequate acting and predictable plot-lines , but it is watchable enough.

The Golden Age has given us such a varied roster of genres so far on blu-ray, and each film brings something unique to the vintage funhouse. For The Diamond Wizard, I was intrigued by the prospect of period location shots of 1950s England. Nothing brings a setting and an era to life like 3-D photography, and the filmmakers didn't disappoint. It's a poised, polished and very enjoyable police procedural with noir elements.

The two male stars (Dennis O'Keefe and Philip Friend) play well off each other and contrast nicely as characters, the brash American (O'Keefe) drawing his Scotland Yard counterpart out of his staid shell, always with a friendly nudge. Margaret Sheridan shines as both romantic interest and a potential lead in the case. She's spirited and playful without being a full-blown femme fatale. The supporting cast is very good, and I especially like how each character, down to the smallest part, is given a little quirk to make them memorable, reminiscent of I, The Jury.

Story-wise, it's solid and well-paced. It's also easy to follow. The quaint forensic and investigative techniques are entertaining and informative. There are a couple of twists, but they didn't surprise me all that much. I liked that the action finale didn't outstay its welcome.

The 3-D is better than I hoped it would be. The exterior street shots are incredibly atmospheric, while the interiors are always set up to maximize the sense of space just in front of and behind the frame. It has an elastic effect on the visual field, making us forget where the actual screen is. That's the opposite of a gimmick; it's immersive because it draws us in intuitively. I was always aware of the 3-D but never distracted by it (apart from a few fun pop-outs), and loved every second.

The English setting makes it a personal favourite, but it would be a top-tier Golden Age 3-D title even without that. The impeccable 3-D is complemented by a fun detective yarn, a polished screenplay, and rock-solid performances. Not to mention another outstanding restoration by the 3DFA, one of their best yet. I couldn't ask for more than that.