The Diamond Queen | |
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Directed by | John Brahm |
Written by | Otto Englander |
Starring | Fernando Lamas Arlene Dahl |
Cinematography | Stanley Cortez |
Edited by | Francis D. Lyon |
Music by | Paul Sawtell |
Production company | Melson Productions |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 80 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Diamond Queen is a 1953 American adventure film directed by John Brahm. It stars Fernando Lamas and Arlene Dahl. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Adventurer and gem expert Jean Baptiste Tavernier promises a diamond to cap King Louis XIV's crown for the coronation, but the reckless haste of the king's emissary, Baron Paul de Cabannes, causes the jewel to be cut badly and ruined.
Jean volunteers to travel to India to bring back another worthy stone. Cabannes insists on coming along and complicates the journey more than once before saving Jean's life and earning his respect.
The men are caught leering at a lovely woman bathing in a waterfall and are taken prisoner by her men. She is Queen Maya of Nepal. In the temple, Jean and Cabannes learn of the Eye of the Goddess, a rare blue diamond. It is in the possession of the Mogul of Golconda, who promises to give it to Queen Maya as a wedding gift, but secretly plans to take rule of her country.
With the use of a new "secret weapon," a prototype of hand grenade, the Frenchmen are able to overcome the Mogul's men in battle. The queen offers to give them the diamond, so in return they invite her to Louis's coronation.
The Peacock Throne was a famous jewelled throne that was the seat of the emperors of the Mughal Empire in India. It was commissioned in the early 17th century by Emperor Shah Jahan and was located in the Diwan-i-Khas in the Red Fort of Delhi. It was named after a peacock as two peacocks are shown dancing at its rear.
Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr., known as Lex Barker, was an American actor. He was known for playing Tarzan for RKO Pictures between 1949 and 1953, and portraying leading characters from Karl May's novels, notably as Old Shatterhand in a film series by the West German studio Constantin Film. At the height of his fame, he was one of the most popular actors in German-speaking cinema, and received Bambi Award and Bravo Otto nominations for the honor.
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605–1689) was a 17th-century French gem merchant and traveler. Tavernier, a private individual and merchant traveling at his own expense, covered, by his own account, 60,000 leagues in making six voyages to Persia and India between the years 1630 and 1668. In 1675, Tavernier, at the behest of his patron Louis XIV, published Les Six Voyages de Jean-Baptiste Tavernier.
Fernando Álvaro Lamas y de Santos was an Argentine-American actor and director, and the father of actor Lorenzo Lamas.
Arlene Carol Dahl was an American actress active in films from the late 1940s.
Kollur Mine was a series of gravel-clay pits on the south bank of the Krishna River in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is thought to have produced many large diamonds, known as Golconda diamonds, several of which are or have been a part of crown jewels.
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Caribbean Gold is a 1952 American historical pirate adventure film directed by Edward Ludwig and starring John Payne, Arlene Dahl and Cedric Hardwicke. It was produced by Pine-Thomas Productions for distribution by Paramount Pictures and was based on the novel Carib Gold by Ellery Clark. The film's sets were designed by the art director Hal Pereira. It is also known by the alternative title Caribbean.
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Sangaree is a 1953 American 3-D color period costume drama film by director Edward Ludwig. It was adapted from the 1948 novel of the same name by Frank G. Slaughter.
Unwed Mother is a 1958 American drama film directed by Walter A. Doniger and starring Norma Moore, Robert Vaughn, Billie Bird, Diana Darrin and Jeanne Cooper.
Lita Baron was a Spanish-born American actress and singer who appeared in movies and television shows for over 30 years.