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THE HOPE DIAMOND MYSTERY
(1921) Kosmik (Kleine Films); 15 Episodes
Written by John B. Clymer, Charles W. Goddard and May Yohe
Directed by Stuart Paton
Starring Boris Karloff as the Priest of Kama-Sita / Dakar
Grace Darmond as Bibi / Mary Hilton
George Chesebro as John-Baptiste Tavanier / John Gregge
Harry Carter as Ghung / Sidney Atherton
May Yohe as Lady Frances Hope (herself)
THE STORY:
The story was written by May Yohe, the former "Lady Frances Hope," widow
of the last person bearing the name of Hope to possess the famous
jewel, which was once part of the crown jewels of France. and is
partially based on true incidents.
The plot of THE HOPE DIAMOND MYSTERY spans two eras: the 16th century when the legendary jewel was
discovered, and the “present-day” 1920s, where descendants or
reincarnations of the characters from the past appear again in the
present to continue the quest to own it, curse or no curse.
In 16th century India, a gem from the holy statue of the goddess Sita
has been stolen. The frantic High Priest swears vengeance on whoever has
stolen the diamond and puts a curse on the gem until it is returned to
its rightful place in the temple. Quickly we travel to 1920 and the home
of Lord Francis Hale, who is interested in buying the Hope Diamond from
jewel merchant James Marcon. Traveling with his trusted East Indian
servant Dakar, Marcon has hired two detectives, John Gregge and Mary
Hilton, to make sure the diamond is delivered safely to Lord Hale,
should he decide to purchase it for his wife.
Lord Hale decides the diamond is just the thing to get him back into his
wife's good graces. However, Dakar snatches the diamond before it is
sold. The police and two detectives pursue Dakar in a frantic chase to a
river. Captured in a small houseboat, Dakar explains why he snatched
the jewel. We discover he is descended from the Indian High Priest's
family, and his mission is to reurn the diamond to India, where it
belongs, safe in the temple. Dakar relates the story of how the diamond
was stolen by a French trader named Tavanier, who falls in love with one
of the temple "virgins," the beautiful Bibi. Dakar relates how a curse
has followed the diamond ever since, bringing heartbreak and tragedy to
all who have temporarily possessed it. John and Mary are sympathetic to
Dakar's mission and plan to help him. Unfortunately for them,
millionaire playboy Sydney Atherton has other plans. In disguise as
Asian thief and murderer Nang Fu, Atherton orders his gang to steal the
diamond. And many adventures ensue.
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WHAT FUNDS FROM THIS PLEDGE DRIVE WILL PAY FOR
If pledges reach $2150:
- Acquisition of a new digital transfer of the complete original 15-episode serial
- Restoration and color toning of the transfer
- New musical score
- Creation of DVD masters for a 2 or 3-disk DVD set
We are using this pledge drive to raise funds primarily to help pay for the expensive transfer of the serial, which is 30 reels long
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HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS SERIALIt's not only one of very few silent serials which survives in complete form, it's also Boris Karloff's first major film role, and that should be of interest to silent film fans, cliffhanger serial fans, and classic horror fans alike. Elements of the plot which involve a reincarnated princess and an Eastern mystic who wants to return the sacred jewel to its place of origin are remarkably similar to that of
The Mummy, and the "true story" aspect of the beginning of the serial, as defined by Lady Frances Hope herself (who appears
as herself in the serial) is unique.
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THE SERIAL SQUADRON (
www.serialsquadron.com)
has been restoring movie serials since 2002 when it released the first serial ever on DVD, ZORRO'S FIGHTING LEGION, also made possible by member contributions to a pledge drive. Since then we have brought to light other extreme rarities and long-thought-lost film serials such as THE VANISHING SHADOW, THE MASKED RIDER, BEATRICE FAIRFAX, THE TRAIL OF THE OCTOPUS, the original 1938 LONE RANGER serial and the "holy grail" of cliffhanger serials, DAREDEVILS OF THE WEST, all of which we have made available to the public in restored form on DVD.
To view the results of a similar Serial Squadron silent serial restoration project, please take a look at this reel of THE TRAIL OF THE OCTOPUS: http://www.serialsquadron.com/dvds/silent/trailoftheoctopus/ or other videos on the Serial Squadron YouTube channel.
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RELEASE NOTESThis pledge drive will close on March 31. Please note that we will not receive the transfer of this film after it's paid for for 6-8 weeks, which could mean the beginning of June, and we'll need some time to work on it and score it afterward. However, we will be presenting the serial online 1 chapter per week at the Serial Squadron website for those who cannot wait to view it, beginning as soon as Episode 1 is complete, which could be in the first week of June. Estimated delivery of DVDs will be August 1, which is 2 months after we receive the transfer. Updates on the release will be posted at www.serialsquadron.com regularly.
In coming months and years we will be embarking on serial restoration projects which will be more ambitious, and therefore more expensive, than ever before. Please help supoprt the restoration of amazing long-lost treasures of cinema history such as THE HOPE DIAMOND MYSTERY which have influenced so many of even the current Hollywood blockbusters and American culture in general for decades.
And please share information about this pledge drive to your film-fan friends!
Thanks!
Sincerely, your friends at The Serial Squadron
Eric Stedman, Restoration Director
Drew Caldwell, Archivist
Daniel Aufmann, Researcher
Morgan Tarrant, Assistant Producer
R. W. Stedman, Squadron Commander (Ret.)
