The Southern Star (film)
| The Southern Star | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Directed by | Sidney Hayers |
| Produced by |
Roger Duchet Nat Wachsberger |
| Screenplay by | David Pursall Jack Seddon |
| Based on |
The Vanished Diamond 1884 novel by Jules Verne |
| Starring |
George Segal Ursula Andress Orson Welles Ian Hendry Johnny Sekka |
| Music by | Georges Garvarentz |
| Cinematography | Raoul Coutard |
| Edited by | Tristam Cones |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
|
Release date
|
1969 |
|
Running time
|
104 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom France |
| Language | English |
The Southern Star (French title: L'Étoile du sud) is a Technicolor 1969 British-French comedy crime film directed by Sidney Hayers and starring George Segal, Ursula Andress and Orson Welles. In French West Africa in 1912, an extremely valuable diamond is stolen. It was based on the novel The Vanished Diamond (French title L'Étoile du sud) by Jules Verne. The film's opening scenes were anonymously directed by Orson Welles - the last time he would direct scenes in another director's film.
Fortune hunter Dan Rockland (George Segal) comes to West Africa pretending to be a geologist. He is actually employed by Kramer (Harry Andrews), whose business is diamonds, and when Kramer's workers discover a huge uncut gem, Rockland is sent to retrieve it.
He and his African guide Matakit (Johnny Sekka) have opposition to contend with, first from Capt. Karl Ludwig (Ian Hendry), who is Kramer's security chief, and another is the diabolical Plankett (Orson Welles), who resents Rockland's interest in a woman named Erica (Ursula Andress).
The jewel is brought to Kramer and named The Southern Star, but at a party to celebrate the find, a power blackout leads to chaos. The diamond is gone. Matakit flees on a pet ostrich. Rockland sets out after him, with Erica coming along. Ludwig and his thugs are also in hot pursuit.
Plankett gets to Matakit first and takes him prisoner, setting a trap that leads to a shootout. In the end, just when it appears the diamond is safe, more ostriches show up and one of them just might have it.
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