A Swiss Bank president hires an American investigator to ferret out a group of blackmailers who have been terrorizing his clients. Meanwhile, American gangsters hit the streets of Zurich with the intention of killing a Chicago mob figure, who happens to be one of the blackmail victims. Other blackmail victims include a beautiful Zurich resident, a Texas businessman, and a wealthy Dutchman. The investigator (David Janssen) identifies four potential suspects, including the bank vice-president’s mistress (Elke Sommer). Adding to the intrigue is that the Swiss Federal Police are suspicious of the American and are soon making his job more difficult. Ultimately, the investigation leads to the bank paying the chief blackmailer in uncut diamonds, which results in a dramatic showdown in the snow-covered Alps and a surprise revelation. The cast also includes John Saxon, John Ireland, Senta Berger, and Ray Milland.

For thoughts on The Swiss Conspiracy, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/T7jBM3kHH9s?si=PeWJfACD_yhf7vII&t=1330]

Video Quality

The Swiss Conspiracy arrives on Blu-Ray thanks to Film Masters with a brand new 1080p master derived from a 4K scan from 35mm archival elements. While there appear to be some limitations to the source, this is a strong preservation effort for the feature. There is a rich amount of detail present with some texture on the clothing and within the sumptuous Zurich locations that serve as the setting. The contrast is mostly firm across the board, but you do experience fleeting moments of density fluctuation and clarity in the print. Black levels are decent with no insurmountable occurrences of black crush or compression artifacts.

The photography shines in high definition with natural grain intact. The grain field seems refined with very few moments where anything appears clumpy or unnatural. The hues are saturated favorably with not much fluctuation in the temperature. Print damage lingers but has been cleaned up considerably with these presentations, with only intermittent nicks and scratches making their way through the restoration process. Film Masters continues to do an admirable job of reducing lower-profile features.

Audio Quality

The film comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track that brings this journey to life without major issues. Dialogue and background noises are faithfully balanced with competing elements. These tracks do exhibit a minor amount of age-related wear and tear including some light crackles that likely date back to the source elements. The score holds up without any major swings in fidelity, but the peaks sound a bit unstable. Film Masters has provided a consistently fine sonic experience for this one. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for all feature films and commentary tracks.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historians Robert Kelly and Daniel Budnik provide a very lively informative commentary track in which they discuss the history of the film, the direction of Jack Arnold, the location shooting, the action sequences of the picture, the background of the creative figures involved, how this film fits into the period in which it was released, and more.

Jack Arnold – The Lost Years Documentary: A nearly 15-minute documentary is provided that explores the career of director Jack Arnold, his struggle to break free from sci-fi pictures, how he brought out great performances from his actors, his work on various productions, and more.

A Three-Dimensional Filmmaker Visual Essay: A terrific 29-minute visual essay is provided here that gives background to Jack Arnold’s filmmaking prowess through the lens of his filmography.

Trailers: This disc provides the Restored 35mm Trailer (1:47) and the Original 1976 35mm Trailer (1:46) for The Swiss Conspiracy.

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is provided featuring writing from Lee Pfeiffer that delves into the overlooked nature of the feature, its production history, and more.

Final Thoughts

The Swiss Conspiracy is a twisty and entertaining drama that has elements of spy intrigue and corporate duplicity that make that one an engaging viewing experience. Jack Arnold uses his filmmaking prowess to sell breathless moments with the utmost confidence, and the ensemble gathered elevates their characters. The film has been out of the spotlight for most of its existence, but if it sounds even the slightest bit interesting to you, it is worth taking the plunge. Film Masters has released a Blu-Ray featuring a really good A/V presentation and a selection of valuable special features. You have to appreciate the sense of discovery that accompanies this label. Recommended

The Swiss Conspiracy is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Film Masters has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.