Diamond City * (1949, David Farrar, Honor Blackman, Diana Dors, Niall MacGinnis, Andrew Crawford, Mervyn Johns) – Classic Movie Review 7552

Director David MacDonald’s 1949 adventure film Diamond City is a dull and predictable tale of the good guys versus the bad guys in a South African diamond mine. Diamond City gives the British an interesting chance for a British pseudo-Western but the results are fairly dreary.

In the star role, David Farrar is rather boring as self appointed peace-keeping lawman Stafford Parker, the nosey Parker looking into offenders against the law in the wild diamond fields of South Africa in the latter half of the 19th century. Niall MacGinnis has much more success in an admittedly better role as the unscrupulous rum-dealer and illicit diamond buyer Hans Muller.

Some of the acting is very stiff, the direction awkward, and the plotting by Roger Bray (story) and Roland Pertwee (writer) is pretty dull. And, despite the obvious hard work, this kind of movie is not really the British forte. However, Honor Blackman (as Mary Hart), Diana Dors, Niall MacGinnis, Andrew Crawford and Mervyn Johns are always good company.

On the plus side, the 18-year-old Diana Dors plays Dora Bracken, in her thirteenth film. But she was lucky to get the role as a last-minute replacement for Jean Kent. She had already acted for director David MacDonald as Lyla Lawrence in her fifth film, Good-Time Girl (1948).

Diamond City also features Phyllis Monkman, Hal Osmond, Bill Owen, Philo Hauser, John Blythe, Dennis Vance, Norris Smith, John Salew, Reginald Tate, Ronald Adam, Harry Quashie, Julian Somers and Ernest Butcher.

Unfortunately Gainsborough Pictures films in black and white when colour is called for. It was shot at D&P Studios, Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, but some of the filming took place on the land where the story’s events took place.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7552

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