''The Kingfisher Caper'' (released as ''Diamond Hunters'' in South Africa and as ''Diamond Lust'' on
video
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) sy ...
) is a 1975
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
n film directed by Dirk DeVilliers for Kavalier Films Ltd. It stars
Hayley Mills
Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising ...
(as Tracey van der Byl),
David McCallum
David Keith McCallum Jr. (born 19 September 1933) is a Scottish actor and musician. He first gained recognition in the 1960s for playing secret agent Illya Kuryakin in the television series '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E''. In recent years, McCall ...
(Benedict van der Byl), Jon Cypher (Johnny Lance), Volente Bertotti (Ruby Lance), Barry Trengove (Cappy) and Bill McNaught (Hendrich van der Byl).
Cast
Main cast
*
Hayley Mills
Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising ...
as Tracey Van Der Byl
*
David McCallum
David Keith McCallum Jr. (born 19 September 1933) is a Scottish actor and musician. He first gained recognition in the 1960s for playing secret agent Illya Kuryakin in the television series '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E''. In recent years, McCall ...
Ian Botha
Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...
as Sampson
Supporting cast
*
Dirk de Villiers
Dirk de Villiers (26 July 1924 – 28 December 2009), was a South African filmmaker. Considered as the most prolific filmmaker and 'Godfather' in South African film industry, de Villiers has made several critically acclaim films in a career sp ...
as Les (uncredited)
Production
Film rights were bought by Philip Vrasne, who wanted to make it in South Africa.
''Kingfisher Caper'' writer
Roy Boulting
John Edward Boulting (21 December 1913 – 17 June 1985) and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting (21 December 1913 – 5 November 2001), known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for thei ...
was married to star Hayley Mills at the time of the filming. This was his final writing credit.
''Filmink'' magazine called it "typical of several South African movies from the 1970s that attempted to crack the international market ('' The Shangani Patrol'', '' Funeral for an Assassin'', ''
Killer Force
''Killer Force'', also known as ''The Diamond Mercenaries'', is a 1976 thriller film directed by Val Guest and starring Telly Savalas, Peter Fonda and Christopher Lee. It was a co-production between the Republic of Ireland, Switzerland, United K ...
'', ''
Target of an Assassin
''Target of an Assassin'' is a 1977 South African thriller film directed by Peter Collinson and starring Anthony Quinn and John Phillip Law. It was completed in South Africa in 1976 as ''Tigers Don't Cry'', but was not put into general American ...
Game for Vultures
''Game for Vultures'' is a 1979 British thriller film starring Richard Harris, Joan Collins and Richard Roundtree. It was directed by James Fargo and based on a novel by Michael Hartmann set during the Rhodesian Bush War.
Plot
During the late ...
''): a half-baked action piece with B-list stars (Hayley Mills, David McCallum), iffy handling and one or two decent moments. Roy Boulting, married to Mills at the time, gets a script credit, his last; the film helped kill her career as a movie star."
Remake
It was remade as the 2001 miniseries ''
The Diamond Hunters
''The Diamond Hunters'' is a 1971 novel by Wilbur Smith.
Adaptation
Smith tried to get it made into a film for a number of years.Andrew Spicer, ''Rethinking Authorship in Film: The Struggle for Creative Control between Michael Klinger (Producer) ...
'' with
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Jayne Milano (born December 19, 1972) is an American actress. She has played Samantha Micelli in '' Who's the Boss?'', Jennifer Mancini in '' Melrose Place'', Phoebe Halliwell in ''Charmed'', Billie Cunningham in '' My Name Is Earl'', Sa ...
,
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider (; November 10, 1932 – February 10, 2008) was an American actor and amateur boxer. Described by AllMovie as "one of the most unique and distinguished of all Hollywood actors", he gained fame for his leading and supporting ...
,
Sean Patrick Flanery
Sean Patrick Flanery (born October 11, 1965) is an American actor, author, and martial artist. He is known for playing Connor MacManus in ''The Boondock Saints'' (1999) and its sequel ''The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day'' (2009), Greg Still ...
and Michael Easton in the Mills, McNaught, Cypher and McCallum roles respectively;
Jolene Blalock
Jolene Blalock (born March 5, 1975) is an American actress and model. She is best known for playing Vulcan first officer and science officer T'Pol on the UPN science-fiction series '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. Her other work includes guest-star ...
,
Armin Rohde
Armin Rohde (born 4 April 1955) is a German actor and voice actor.
He was born in Gladbeck.
Filmography
Audiobooks
* 1999: Roger Graf: Philip Maloney – ''Auf der Flucht'', ''Die Armbanduhr'' and ''Der Mörderhai'', publisher: Tandem Ve ...
and
Hannes Jaenicke
Hannes Jaenicke (born 26 February 1960 in Frankfurt am Main) is a German actor, voice actor, audiobook narrator, and author. He has played in various television-programs and movies, including '' Lost Treasure''.
After he was born, Jaenicke and hi ...
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...