One of the better made-for-TV movies directed by the visionary and prolific András Rajnai, a pioneer in the Hungarian TV field. DIAMOND PYRAMID (GYÉMÁNTPIRAMIS) hails from 1985, but its look is virtually identical to those of Rajnai’s films from the previous decade, which include the 1977 anti-classics A HALHATALTLANSÁG HALÁLA (based on Isaac Asimov’s END OF ETERNITY) and A NAGY KÉPMÁS (from Dino Buzzati’s LARGER THAN LIFE). Like them, DIAMOND PYRAMID displays Rajnai’s interest in science fiction, although unlike them it was not based on a famous novel. That Rajnai expended an unusual amount of dedication on it is evident in the fact that he only turned out one other film in 1985 (an unusual lag for Rajnai, who in ‘82 alone put out five films).
It begins with a spaceship landing on an inhospitable pollution-choked planet. There an unseen force ambushes and largely kills off the spaceship’s inhabitants, but not before one of them manages to send out a distress signal.
In response, a military expedition is dispatched. Setting down without incident, this new expedition’s denizens discover three survivors: an old man, an old woman and a much younger woman. When brought aboard the spaceship these three people are curiously tight-lipped, refusing to answer any questions about the nature of their mission or even precisely what happened to them. One thing the older man and woman are clear on, though, is that the younger woman, who identifies herself as Jane, was not part of their expedition.
Exploring a nearby crashed spacecraft brings further puzzlement, as it appears to have landed before either of the others. It’s opined that the inhabitants of this ship attacked those of the second spaceship, and also disgorged Jane and the armored tank-like vehicles that are currently patrolling the surrounding area.
The reason for all this, it seems, is a nearby crystal pyramid housing a diamond that can apparently grant its holder incalculable powers. Pursuing the diamond are the elderly man and woman who were discovered early on, and whose true motives and origins are suddenly called into question.
This film could have been good. Conceptually it had promise, and the filmmaking evinces a powerfully brooding aura worthy of Tarkovsky, along with a visual style that juxtaposes tight and loose—i.e. nailed-down and handheld—camerawork with great flair. The acting isn’t even bad, although the characterizations (in keeping with most science fiction) aren’t particularly varied or complex.
If only the electronic score weren’t so outrageously dated and the visuals so ludicrously tacky. The pic was filmed in high definition video (upon which most TV sitcoms are taped) and is packed with once state-of-the-art computer effects and image compositing that appears straight out of LAND OF THE LOST. Those things may have seemed quite cool back in the day, but now look like…well, a 1980s Hungarian TV movie.
Vital Statistics
DIAMOND PYRAMID (GYÉMÁNTPIRAMIS)
Hungarian National Television/Sefel Pictures International
Director: András Rajnai
Producer: Joseph Sefel
Screenplay: Alexander Berta
Cinematography: Gyula Bónis
Cast: Erika Balogh, Gyula Benedek, József Képessy, Zsolt Körtvélyessy, Csaba Pethes, György Pogány, János Pákozdi, Sándor Szoboszlai, Gábor Sárosi, Teri Tordai, Péter Trokán, Zsuzsa Turóczy, István Velenczei