Star of India

Cornel Wilde plays Pierre St Laurent ,a nobleman in seventeenth century France whose lands and estates are stripped from him by his enemies.The key to restoring his name and fortune lies in his recovering a priceless diamond ,The Star of India ,It was formerly in a Dutch collection but is now believed to be in France .Also on the track of the jewel is the beautiful Dutch agent Katrina ,played by Wilde's real life spouse Jean Wallace . The trail leads to the French court of King Louis (Basil Sydney) and his mistress Madame de Montespan(Yvonne Sansom).Opposing St Laurent is his nemesis the evil Count Narbonne(Herbert Lom) This is wholly without originality in its storyline but has enough swordplay and other action to keep its audience entertained and the French location photography is a delight to the eye.Wilde was a champion fencer and cuts an impressive dash as the hero .Jean Wallace and Yvonne Sansom were no great shakes as actresses but are pleasing to the eye while Herbert Lom is a splendidly hissable villain

Nice escapist fun on a cold and dingy day.