Moonfleet

In Fritz Lang's cinemascope epic, set in 18th century England, a young boy named John Mohune is sent to the town of Moonfleet by his dying mother to find her ex-lover, Jeremy Fox, and bring him to her. John finds Fox, but also discovers that he is a villainous smuggler. Fox makes a serious effort to send John away, and through their bickering, the two form a bond. John gets swept up in Fox's illegal dealings, learning the legend of a lost diamond belonging to John's pirate ancestor, Redbeard Mohune. As Fox's smugglers scheme for a way to find the diamond, and the local township is frozen in a state of superstitious suspense, John explores the subterranean tombs of the town, searching for the diamond. Before too long, John and Fox become tangled in a web of danger and deceit, fleeing from the local military and watching their backs as they are pursued by greedy diamond hunters. Fritz Lang uses the lush and expansive language of cinemascope to evoke a dark world of swashbuckling buccaneers, underground tombs, skeletons bearing secrets, and a heart-wrenching test of loyalty between rakish Fox and innocent John. (official distributor synopsis)