Another Italian adventure film that looks and feels heavily influenced by the likes of THUNDERBALL. THE 1000 CARAT DIAMOND stars former peplum muscleman Brad Harris as a jewel thief who fakes his own death in order to retrieve the titular priceless diamond from his own boss. The problem is that the diamond is stored in a luxury yacht, so the heist that plays out is as unusual as they come, not remotely realistic, but nonetheless fun with it. The rest of the film is kind of average, but it's fun to see Dana Andrews as the antagonist.
4 Reviews
RIFIFI for the Beginners with Brad HARRIS
ZeddaZogenau22 October 2023
Cheap heist movie with Brad Harris
After Jules Dassin's successes with "Rififi" (1955) and "Topkapi" (1964), the heist movie genre was firmly established and still is today, as can be seen from the success of "Ocean's Eleven" and its successors. However, staging a spectacular break-in is not that easy. They tried anyway, and so there were numerous copycat films that were produced as cheaply as possible and wanted to ride the wave of success. While "Topkapi" boasted two Oscar winners, Peter Ustinov and Maximilian Schell, here it is action specialist Brad Harris (1933-2017) who dares to do the impossible with his friends.
Brad Harris plays the burglary specialist Robert Colman, who stages his own death in order to steal valuable diamonds from his former boss (Dana Andrews (1909-1992), the older brother of actor Steve Forrest), which he had previously stolen himself. The whole thing takes place spectacularly underwater with the help of a submarine and is also very attractively staged. During this sweaty affair, Brad Harris also has the welcome opportunity to swell his magnificent muscles. The plan remains in limbo for a long time, and in the end Brad Harris and the beautiful Elina DeWitt (who was also seen as a model in "Red Wedding Night") as his sweetheart Gaby provide a big surprise.
The film was directed by Bitto Albertini (1923-1999), who would also film the jungle adventure "They Called Him Zambo" (1972) with Brad Harris. The jack-of-all-trades Brad Harris had never been seen in a heist movie before. This gave him the opportunity to show his skills in this genre too. Filming took place in Italy and London.
After Jules Dassin's successes with "Rififi" (1955) and "Topkapi" (1964), the heist movie genre was firmly established and still is today, as can be seen from the success of "Ocean's Eleven" and its successors. However, staging a spectacular break-in is not that easy. They tried anyway, and so there were numerous copycat films that were produced as cheaply as possible and wanted to ride the wave of success. While "Topkapi" boasted two Oscar winners, Peter Ustinov and Maximilian Schell, here it is action specialist Brad Harris (1933-2017) who dares to do the impossible with his friends.
Brad Harris plays the burglary specialist Robert Colman, who stages his own death in order to steal valuable diamonds from his former boss (Dana Andrews (1909-1992), the older brother of actor Steve Forrest), which he had previously stolen himself. The whole thing takes place spectacularly underwater with the help of a submarine and is also very attractively staged. During this sweaty affair, Brad Harris also has the welcome opportunity to swell his magnificent muscles. The plan remains in limbo for a long time, and in the end Brad Harris and the beautiful Elina DeWitt (who was also seen as a model in "Red Wedding Night") as his sweetheart Gaby provide a big surprise.
The film was directed by Bitto Albertini (1923-1999), who would also film the jungle adventure "They Called Him Zambo" (1972) with Brad Harris. The jack-of-all-trades Brad Harris had never been seen in a heist movie before. This gave him the opportunity to show his skills in this genre too. Filming took place in Italy and London.
Brad Harris as a Diamond thief who encounters many obsticles.
larryanderson1 June 2018
Brad Harris fakes his death in order to be free to implement a complex plan to steal a 10 Million Dollar Diamond from his former employer, (Dana Andrews), who is himself a thief. With the use of a small submarine, Brad manages to cut a hole in the side of an ocean liner and remove the gem. This scene was well staged. After he has the gem, it is stolen. He gets it back and plans to have it Cut only to loose it again. In the end Brad has to settle for the reward from the Insurance Company. He does end up with Elaina da Witt who helped him throughout the adventure. In the image section I have posted a nice poster which Brad Harris sent to me year ago. Larry Anderson.
Or ten million dollars crap?
searchanddestroy-110 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I am perhaps a little hard with this sixties forgotten heist film gem. But I have seen better in this kind of movies from this period. For instance Marco Vicario's SEVEN GOLDEN MEN or "I don't remember" Giuliano Montaldo's film about a heist during the Rio De Janeiro carnival. This one is rather fast moving, a little intriguing but disappointing for my taste. The heist itself, aboard a liner with the help of a tiny submarine, reminds us, of course, Jack Donohue's ASSAULT ON A QUEEN. It sometimes becomes a sort of comedy, but not too much. Dana Andrews plays here the villain, certainly to pay his car or electricity bills...
Not a masterpiece, but you can watch it without problem.
Not a masterpiece, but you can watch it without problem.
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