Charlton Heston leads this epic tale set against the beautiful landscape of Hawaii, featuring an original music score composed by John Williams.
An outspoken, hardheaded man, “King” Howland sets out to halt the marriage of his beautiful young sister, to Hawaiian boy Paul Kahana. Even though Howland is having a secret love affair with the lovely Hawaiian Mei Chen, he loathes the idea of a “native boy” joining his family.
Based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Peter Gilman, Diamond Head also stars Golden Globe nominated actor Yvette Mimieux (The Time Machine), and Academy Award winner George Chakiris (West Side Story).
For thoughts on Diamond Head, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Diamond Head makes its worldwide Blu-Ray debut thanks to Imprint Films with a brand new 1080p master derived from an older source that needs a refresh. This label is based out of Australia, but this disc will play on all Blu-Ray players including those in the United States. This master was supplied by Sony, who does not allow outside companies to do work on their titles, so Imprint undoubtedly had to release whatever they were provided as is. The transfer fares the worst when observing the pretty consistent sheen of nicks and scratches and some of the occasional soft shots. On a positive note, the original film grain remains intact and does not showcase any issues with resolving naturally. The film looks especially inconsistent during the optical transitions, but these moments are fleeting.
The transfer makes the best impression when it comes to the color photography captured by Sam Leavitt. Hues have an exceptional level of saturation, especially in certain articles of clothing and within the lush natural environment. The black level could be a bit stronger as it does not retain distinct object shapes at all times and grain shifts to digital noise in a handful of shots. There is a notable amount of detail present with nice textures on the outfits and within the various settings. This release from Imprint Films is fine, but we wouldn’t mind seeing it treated better in the future.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a pretty decent LPCM 2.0 mono track which holds up well in comparison to the video side of things. Dialogue and background noises are balanced well with all competing elements so that all exchanges maintain their prominence. The presentation does showcase its limitations on occasion when it comes to the score from John Williams as sections can sound a bit weak. This can likely be traced back to the condition of the source elements. The track only presents with a minor bit of age-related wear and tear outside of this. Imprint Films has done a pretty solid job here to present this with welcome stability. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.
Special Features
There are no special features provided on this disc.
Final Thoughts
Diamond Head is a sweeping melodrama that tackles prejudice in an occasionally blunt yet effective manner. It is interesting to watch Charlton Heston navigate this character who seemingly wants to fancy himself a good man who has a visceral reaction when confronted with certain realities. This island setting provides a gorgeous palette which director Guy Green works within quite capably. The performances are big, but they work well within the genre and tone of the story. Imprint Films has delivered a Blu-Ray release that delivers a passable A/V presentation and no special features. The movie is worth a watch, but we wish Sony would treat it slightly better. Recommended
Diamond Head is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Note #2: This release is an Australian import that can be played on Blu-Ray players worldwide.
Disclaimer: Imprint Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.