I saw an incomplete version of this film (476 feet) at the 1998 Cinema Muto festival in Pordenone; the footage was loaned by the Library of Congress.
IMDb's synopsis of the movie appears to be accurate. What intrigues me about this early DW Griffith film is that 'The Brahma Diamond' is one of the very few Griffith movies to contain fantasy elements. The temple guard uses some sort of Oriental magic to locate the stolen diamond and recover it, establishing the guilt of the true thief. In a well-paced sequence of intercutting, this sequence contrasts with shots of the heroine in prison, about to be unjustly executed for the theft. SPOILER COMING. The guard arrives with the missing diamond in time to save her life.
I was aware that Mack Sennett had served an apprenticeship under Griffith before starting his own Keystone company: Sennett always acknowledged his debt to Griffith. Still, when I glimpsed Sennett in this movie -- after seeing him play louts and bumpkins in dozens of Keystone films -- I instinctively laughed, even though he isn't giving a comedy performance here. Since I saw only an incomplete version of 'The Brahma Diamond', I shan't rate it.
IMDb's synopsis of the movie appears to be accurate. What intrigues me about this early DW Griffith film is that 'The Brahma Diamond' is one of the very few Griffith movies to contain fantasy elements. The temple guard uses some sort of Oriental magic to locate the stolen diamond and recover it, establishing the guilt of the true thief. In a well-paced sequence of intercutting, this sequence contrasts with shots of the heroine in prison, about to be unjustly executed for the theft. SPOILER COMING. The guard arrives with the missing diamond in time to save her life.
I was aware that Mack Sennett had served an apprenticeship under Griffith before starting his own Keystone company: Sennett always acknowledged his debt to Griffith. Still, when I glimpsed Sennett in this movie -- after seeing him play louts and bumpkins in dozens of Keystone films -- I instinctively laughed, even though he isn't giving a comedy performance here. Since I saw only an incomplete version of 'The Brahma Diamond', I shan't rate it.
