Archaeologists desecrate the tomb of a High Priestess, stealing her prized
jewel. One of them (Andrew Keir) gives it to his daughter (the absolutely
stunning Valerie Leon), whom bears a striking resemblance to said High
Priestess.
James Villiers plays a dastardly fellow archaeologist, the
great Aubrey Morris (‘A Clockwork Orange’) is an eccentric doctor, with
George Coulouris playing a madman.
A much better adaptation of Bram
Stoker’s ‘Jewel of the Seven Stars’, later badly done as ‘The Awakening’,
this gets much mileage from Andrew Keir, a fine replacement for Peter
Cushing. His sturdy performance as a generally decent but foolish man is
one of Hammer filmdom’s best performances. And Leon has lovely bazookas,
too. Villiers’ role is a bit underwritten, but this is a fun little B
movie.
OVERALL SUMMARY
A forgotten Hammer film that was a troubled production, but barely shows
it. Highly entertaining, with good production values, score composition
and cinematography. Ripe for rediscovery.