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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "The Diamond Wizard")

 

Directed by Dennis O'Keefe and Montgomery Tully
USA 1954

 

The only Golden Age 3-D feature photographed in Great Britain, The Diamond Wizard (also known as The Diamond) packs suspense and surprise into a supremely exciting film noir thriller. While in London trying to nab the crooks who stole a million dollars from a U.S. Treasury vault, American federal agent Joe Dennison (Dennis O’Keefe, Raw Deal, T-Men) joins Scotland Yard Inspector McClaren (Philip Friend, Buccaneer’s Girl, Spy Hunt) in his search for a missing atomic scientist. They discover that the key to solving both cases may rest with the scientist’s daughter (Margaret Sheridan, The Thing from Another World, I, the Jury) and her fascinating diamond. Co-Directed by star Dennis O’Keefe (Angela) and Montgomery Tully (The Terrornauts).

***

While in London trying to nab several fugitives who stole a million dollars from a U.S. Treasury vault, American federal agent Dennison (Dennis O'Keefe) assists Scotland Yard Insp. McClaren (Philip Friend) in his search for a missing atomic scientist (Paul Hardtmuth). The detective duo discovers that the key to solving both cases may rest with the scientist's daughter (Margaret Sheridan) and her fascinating diamond.

Posters

Theatrical Release: April 1954

Reviews                                                                                                       More Reviews                                                                                       DVD Reviews

 

Review: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

Bonus Captures:

Distribution Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:23:40.015        
Video

1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 47,521,362,202 bytes

Feature: 24,058,816,512 bytes

Video Bitrate: 22.49 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1823 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1823 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

Subtitles English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
Kino

 

1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 47,521,362,202 bytes

Feature: 24,058,816,512 bytes

Video Bitrate: 22.49 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• NEW "Audio Commentary" / Slideshow Section with Mike Ballew (11:42 / in 3-D & 2-D)
• Restoring THE DIAMOND WIZARD in 3-Dimensions (2:57 / In 3-D & 2-D)
• Includes Both BD3D Polarized AND Anaglyphic (Red/Cyan) 3-D Versions
• Alternate Opening Credits (1:51 / 2-D)
• Theatrical Trailer (1:38 / 2-D)

3-D glasses included


Blu-ray Release Date: November 15th,
2022
Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters 11

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (November 2022): Kino have transferred Dennis O'Keefe and Montgomery Tully's The Diamond Wizard to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "Newly Restored in 3-D by 3-D Film Archive".

Firstly, this Kino Lorber Blu-ray package offers both the 3D - Spacemaster 3-D (dual-strip 3-D) - and 2D (flat) versions of the film, "The Diamond Wizard". We will only review the 2D version here as I have only sampled the 3D on a friend's system and will briefly comment on it's effectiveness.
NOTE: The menu offers an option for both 3-D and 2-D playback, but when this disc is viewed on a regular 2-D monitor and 2-D
Blu-ray player, the 3-D version is prohibited.

You can access the 3D Anaglyph Version by anyone with a standard Blu-ray player.

As it has the two versions sharing one dual-layered disc, the bitrate is modest and the image quality middling but there are some appealing and heavy textures. The 2-D looked fine on my system and a couple of 3-D effects sampled of the 3-D version were reasonably impressive. Contrast is somewhat faded in spots, with a few blemishes, but overall the 1080P exported a decent HD presentation with impressive shadows and lighting later in the film. See our image samples below.

NOTE: We have added 54 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track (24-bit) in the original English language. The Diamond Wizard has a few aggressive moments - gunfire, cars etc. The, often intese, score was by Matyas Seiber (A Town Like Alice, conductor for Chase a Crooked Shadow etc.) sounding clean with consistent dialogue in the lossless transfer. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers 11-minutes - cited as a "commentary" by Mike Ballew with a few slides. He discusses the history of 3-D and part in it later stages the process. There is also a brief video on restoring The Diamond Wizard in 3-Dimensions. These two supplements are available in 2-D and 3-D - as is the menu. Lastly are the alternate opening credits (2-D) with the actual The Diamond Wizard title and a 2-D theatrical trailer. 3-D glasses are included.

Dennis O'Keefe and Montgomery Tully's The Diamond Wizard is cited as a British film noir. It has known as Britain's first 3-D film as stated by the BFI. It was shown in 3-D only once, on September 13th 2006 - in Hollywood. It has an interesting premise regarding a scientific process for producing synthetic diamonds. Dennis O'Keefe had over 280 acting credits in notable Noirs like Abandoned, Woman on the Run, Raw Deal, T-Men as well as Jacques Tourneur's The Leopard Man. The Diamond Wizard is only one of two of his directorial credits. It was shot by Gordon Lang who acted, in bit parts, in the TV series Doctor Who (1966) and The Avengers (1962.) The Diamond Wizard  is heavy in police procedurals around London. It's entertaining if more remarkable for its 3-D status. Completists - both Noir and 3-D - should consider it. The Kino Blu-ray would have benefited from a feature commentary, but there are worthy positives here.

Gary Tooze

 


Menus / Extras

 


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Subtitle Sample

 

1) Kino (2-D) - Region 'A'- Blu-ray TOP

2) Kino (3-D - Anaglyphic / Red/Cyan) - Region 'A'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

 


 

More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE

 

 

 
Box Cover

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Bonus Captures:

Distribution Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray


 


 

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