Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Diamond Wizard 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 22, 2022

Dennis O'Keefe and Montgomery Tully's "The Diamond Wizard" (1954) arrives on 2D/3D Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with author and film historian Mike Ballew; restoration program; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Cracking the Treasury vault

Had it emerged during the 1960s or early 1970s, The Diamond Wizard would have been funded by the prolific British producer Harry Alan Towers. In the early 1960s, Towers began funding exotic thrillers that looked and behaved a lot like The Diamond Wizard, and one of them, Coast of Skeletons, even works with extremely similar material. What is unclear is whether Towers would have been willing to invest in 3-D technology. He was notoriously frugal and often had trouble meeting his financial obligations, so the 3-D project that he could have considered would have been very, very cheap.

The Diamond Wizard does not look cheap, but it is impossible to describe as a lavish project. While viewing The Diamond Wizard for the first time a few nights ago, I was left with the impression that it was a very carefully put-together project, which as odd as it may sound might be its biggest weakness. In the United States, it was credited as actor/writer Dennis O’Keefe’s directorial debut, but on the other side of the Atlantic theatrical prints apparently promoted Montgomery Tully as its sole creator. So, it appears that even its promotional campaign was handled in a very particular way.

But why was The Diamond Wizard handled so carefully? It was the first and only Golden Age 3-D film to be shot in Great Britain, so it is obvious that its historical significance had a major impact on its production. This must be the reason why after The Diamond Wizards was completed its producers would have paid for different British and American theatrical prints as well.

Despite the presence of numerous twists, the story that is told in The Diamond Wizard is quite simple. American Treasury agent Joe Dennison (O’Keefe) arrives in London and teams up with Scotland Yard detective Hector McClaren to track down a gang of criminals who have killed his partner and stolen a million dollars. Shortly after, Dennison and McClaren realize that the criminals have established contact with a different group of shady characters and plan to purchase artificial diamonds that are being manufactured on demand by a kidnapped scientist (Paul Hardmuth). To track down the scientist, Dennison and McClaren engage his daughter, Marline (Margaret Sheridan), who has just arrived from America and has a brooch with an artificial diamond that might have been cut at the secret place where he is held against his wish.

The story is full of fluff where Dennison and McClaren discuss different strategies to get their targets as quickly as possible. Dennison and the scientist’s daughter also try to rebuild a romantic relationship that the former apparently abandoned in favor of his professional duties. So, realism and melodrama constantly overlap so that The Diamond Wizard looks like a big film about modern criminals and real professionals with real feelings and emotions.

A few small parts of the story reveal some noirish qualities, but The Diamond Wizard is not a conventional film noir. It is a crime thriller that was meant to be a cinematic statement about the potential of 3-D technology. It is why most of it looks very carefully crafted and regrettably quite artificial as well.

O’Keefe and Friend look good before the camera but their performances are easily forgettable. Sheridan is wonderful and could have played a very interesting character in a conventional film noir. However, her part here is small and simple.

*The Diamond Wizard has been fully restored by 3-D Archive, LLC. Kino Lorber's release offers 2D and 3D versions of the film. 3D glasses are included with the release. I viewed the entire film with the 3D glasses and was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the daylight outdoor and indoor footage.

The Diamond Wizard 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.64:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Diamond Wizard arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The Diamond Wizard has been fully restored by 3-D Archive, LLC. This release offers 2D and 3D versions of the film. You get two 3D viewing options: 3D polarized and 3D anaglyphic (red/cyan). 3D glasses are included with the release.

I viewed the entire film with the 3D glasses and was very pleasantly surprised to see how good the red/cyan visuals were on my system. I have a pretty big screen and the perception of three-dimensional depth was frequently rather impressive. The best looking visuals were during the daylight outdoor and indoor footage. The nighttime footage varied but this is primarily because wider ranges of shadows are not handled as convincingly as well-lit footage. Also, for very obvious reasons, you will not see the type of 3D pops that are present on Treasure of the Four Crowns. In 2D, the visuals look very good, too. Grain exposure could be slightly better, plus there are some small surface blemishes here and there, but the visuals have a very pleasing and stable organic appearance. The grayscale is convincing, though there is some room for meaningful improvements in terms of saturation. Image stability is very good. All in all, given the nature of the surviving elements, I think that this release offers a very solid technical presentation of The Diamond Wizard. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Diamond Wizard 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The dialog is always clear and easy to follow. However, there are areas of the film where light hiss emerges in the background and easily makes its presence felt. While never distracting, in some areas it does affect clarity and the roundness of the sound. (This means that the audio could become a bit too thin). Dynamic intensity if pretty modest, but this is a limitation of the original soundtrack for the film. There are no audio dropouts to report.

The Diamond Wizard 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Alternate Opening - this footage is available only in 2D. Music only. (2 min).

• Restoring The Diamond Wizard in 3-Dimensions - this new program highlights some of the major issues that had to be addressed during the restoration of The Diamond Wizard. The project was managed by: restoration supervisor Bob Furmanek, 3-D work and grading specialist Greg Kintz, and film dirt and damage cleanup specialist Thad Komorowski. The program was prepared by Cineaste Restoration/3-D Film Archive, LLC. With music. (3 min).

• Theatrical Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage theatrical trailer for The Diamond Wizard. In 2D only. (2 min).

• Commentary - in this exclusive new program, film historian Mike Ballew, author of the upcoming book Close Enough to Touch: 3-D Comes to Hollywood, discusses the conception and production history of The Diamond Wizard as well as its public reception and historical significance. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

The Diamond Wizard 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

My first viewing experience with The Diamond Wizard, the first and only Golden Age 3-D film to be shot in Great Britain, occurred a few nights ago and I have to admit that I was quite surprised by the quality of the 3-D material. Considering that The Diamond Wizard was a very early 3-D project and the technology was still evolving at the time, I think that its visuals are quite wonderful. I viewed The Diamond Wizard on a pretty big screen with the special glasses that are included with Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release and had a great time with it even though its story was quite predictable. So, if you are a 3-D enthusiast, you should plan to acquire The Diamond Wizard for your collection. If you do not reside in the United States, please keep in mind that this Blu-ray release is Region-A "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.