Diamond City (film)
| Diamond City | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | David MacDonald |
| Produced by | A. Frank Bundy |
| Screenplay by |
Roland Pertwee (screenplay) Roger Bray (story) |
| Starring |
David Farrar Honor Blackman Diana Dors Niall MacGinnis |
| Music by | Clifton Parker |
| Cinematography | Reginald H. Wyer |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors |
Release dates | 1949 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | £97,000 (by 1953)[1] |
Diamond City is a 1949 British drama film directed by David MacDonald and starring David Farrar, Honor Blackman, Diana Dors and Niall MacGinnis.[2]
Plot
After the discovery and exploitation of a new diamond mine in South Africa, lawman Stafford Parker tries to maintain order in the ramshackle mining town that springs up around it.,[3]
Cast
- David Farrar – Stafford Parker
- Honor Blackman – Mary Hart
- Diana Dors – Dora
- Niall MacGinnis – Muller
- Andrew Crawford – David Raymond
- Mervyn Johns – Hart
- Phyllis Monkman – Ma Bracken
- Hal Osmond – Brandy Bill
- Bill Owen – Pinto
- Philo Hauser – Piet Quieman
- John Blythe – Izzy Cohen
- Dennis Vance – John Albert Rogers
- Norris Smith – Jan Bloem
- John Salew – Dr. Woods
- Tony Quinn – Vanderbyl
- Ronald Adam – Robert Southey
- Arthur Lane – Timothy Maxie
Production
The movie was based on the true story of Stafford Parker[4] who was elected president of the Diamond Diggers Republic in 1871.[5][6]
It was announced in 1945 as Digger's Rest and was to star Stewart Granger from director Leslie Arliss. "This Parker was a born fighter, a great, husky guy", said Arliss. "He'd knocked around in the States as a young man and was tremendously impressed by the sheriff system, as he'd seen it practiced in the West."[7]
The film was seen as an attempt by producer Sydney Box to compete with Eureka Stockade (1949), another British film set and shot in a former colony.[8]
It combined location filming in South Africa with studio work in England.[9] MacDonald arrived in South Africa in November 1948 for location filming. Studio work began at Denham in January 1949.[10]
Filming was held up when David Farrar fell ill.[11]
Bombardier Billy Wells taught Farrar how to box for the film.[12]
Reception
The film's box office performance was poor.[1]
References
- 1 2 Andrew Spicer, Sydney Box Manchester Uni Press 2006 p 211
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041294/
- ↑ http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/31282
- ↑ "Healesville Talkies.". Healesville Guardian. Lilydale, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 12 July 1952. p. 3. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "Stafford Parker – KAAPSCHE HOOP CHARACTERS OF THE EARLY DAYS", Mapumalanga Happenings accessed 27 Jan 2014
- ↑ Jade Davenport, "A question of sovereignty over South Africa's earliest diamond diggings" Mining Weekly 28 May 2010 accessed 27 Jan 2014
- ↑ "NOTES FROM LONDON'S FILM STUDIOS: Thriller What, No Love Affair?" by C.A. LEJEUNE. New York Times 23 Dec 1945: X5.
- ↑ "Film Gossip From London And Hollywood CHALLENGE TO EUREKA BY OLD RIVAL.". The Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 2 October 1949. p. 2 Supplement: Sunday Times Comics. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ↑ "400 Horsemen.". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 11 January 1949. p. 3 Supplement: The Argus Woman's Magazine. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "SCREEN AND ITS STARS". Warwick Daily News (9177). Queensland, Australia. 3 January 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 30 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "FILM CLOSE-UPS.". The Mail. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 26 February 1949. p. 2 Supplement: SUNDAY MAGAZINE. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "NOVELLO HIT TO BE SCREENED.". The Mail. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 23 April 1949. p. 3 Supplement: SUNDAY MAGAZINE. Retrieved 27 January 2014.