The Southern Star (1969)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Sidney Hayers

Writers:

David Pursall (screenplay)
Jack Seddon (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 May 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Africa Seethes! Adventure Flames! In The Story Of "The Southern Star"-- The World's Most Prized Diamond!

Plot:

Comedy adventure based on a Jules Verne novel about the ups and downs of jewel thieves in the wilds of Africa circa 1900...

Plot Keywords:

Africa | Senegal | Treasure | Foreign Language Adaptation | Pursuit

Cast

George Segal	...	Dan
Ursula Andress	...	Erica Kramer
Orson Welles	...	Plankett
Ian Hendry	...	Karl
Johnny Sekka	...	Matakit
Michel Constantin	...	Jose
Georges Géret	...	Andre
Sylvain Lévignac	...	Louis (as Sylvain)
Charles Lamb	...	Todd
Guy Delorme	...	Michael
Harry Andrews	...	Kramer

Also Known As:

L'étoile du sud (France)

Runtime:

Netherlands:102 min | USA:104 min

Country:

France | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Capitole Films

Trivia:

The rope bridge over the river is still intact in the Niokolo Koba National Park in Senegal and supports up to four people.

Soundtrack:

THE SOUTHERN STAR

African adventure

The Southern Star is based on a novel by Jules Verne ,one published under a number of different titles .It is most widely known by the title used in the movie but has also been published as "The Southern Star Mystery" and "The Vanished Diamond".

The setting is French West Africa(changed from South Africa in the novel) and the period is immediately before the outbreak of World War One. The star is a large diamond which goes missing and is found by banjo playing American geologist Dan (George Segal).It is actually the property of business tycoon Kramer (Harry Andrews) whose daughter Erica (Ursula Andress)Dan is in love with .Complicating matters is the fact that Kramer's head of security Karl(Ian Hendry)is also after both the diamond and Erica and has a large force of men to ensure he gets both .In particular he has a sidekick Plankett (Orson Welles) a ,man fond of drilling his troops to records of bugle music .

The greatest asset of the movie is its striking location photography of Senegal which ensures the movie is always good to look at .It is also pretty well acted -although I did wonder how Ursula Andress managed to get her hands on full make up ,including mascara ,in the jungle .Welles in particular seems to be enjoying himself hugely .

the action when it comes is fine and the movie has a lot of humour -which is my big problem with it .I prefer my period adventure straight and details like the banjo playing and bugle records grate on me a tad Its a minor grouse ,nothing more and the movie is an enjoyable romp that may have relatively little to do with Verne but is a pleasant diversion on a wet and windy afternoon