Blood Diamond Movie Preview

Leading up to its release in theaters, Warner Bros Pictures' Blood Diamond has set off a firestorm of controversy over the film's subject matter. In the action thriller, blood diamonds (also known as conflict diamonds) are mined by South African farmers and others who are forced into the backbreaking work by well-armed rebels. The gems are then sold to help finance more fighting in the region.

The reaction from the diamond industry prompted the director of the film, Edward Zwick, and the film's star, Leonardo DiCaprio, to discuss how their movie has stirred up talk over the collection and sell of diamonds. Commenting on the uproar Zwick said, "We knew that there were things that had happened in the past that people would have rather forgotten, but their job is the image of their product and the notion that they have devoted many, many millions of dollars to that image is not surprising."

DiCaprio said, "I didn't anticipate it no, but when you approach situations like this, these are things that are based on real events and we are depicting a time in recent history where diamonds resulted in a lot of civil unrest in these countries. I had never anticipated, no, that that it would be this intense - by any means."

Blood Diamond explodes into theaters on December 8, 2006.

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