Floods of Fear
| Floods of Fear | |
|---|---|
.jpg) British quad poster | |
| Directed by | Charles Crichton |
| Produced by | Sydney Box |
| Written by |
Charles Crichton (screenplay) Vivienne Knight (additional dialogue) |
| Based on | novel by John Hawkins and Ward Hawkins |
| Starring |
Howard Keel Anne Heywood Cyril Cusack |
| Music by | Alan Rawsthorne |
| Cinematography | Christopher Challis |
| Edited by | Peter Bezencenet |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (UK) Universal Pictures (USA) |
Release dates | 18 November 1958 (London) (UK) |
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £300,000[1] |
Floods of Fear is a 1959 British thriller film directed by Charles Crichton and starring Howard Keel, Anne Heywood and Harry H. Corbett.[2] [3] Its plot is about a convict framed for murder who escapes during a flood and aids a woman in distress.
Howard Keel recalled the filming in his autobiography Only Make Believe: My Life in Show Business: "All the flood scenes were filmed on one of the large stages at Pinewood Studios. The water had to be both dirty and cold, and it was. They couldn't heat it for fear it might get rancid. That was another tough picture. Anne Heywood never once protested about the water. [Charles] Crichton, who had a great sense of humor, had directed some very funny pictures. Cyril Cusack and I were good friends. We had a little contest over Anne. He was a real cutie, as well as a hell of an actor, but I won out." [4]
Cast
- Howard Keel as Donovan
- Anne Heywood as Elizabeth Matthews
- Cyril Cusack as Peebles
- Harry H. Corbett as Sharkey
- John Crawford as Jack Murphy
- Eddie Byrne as Sheriff
- John Phillips as Dr. Matthews
- Mark Baker as Watchman
- James Dyrenforth as Mayor
- Jack Lester as Businessman
- Peter Madden as Banker
- Guy Kingsley Poynter as Deputy Sheriff
- Gordon Tanner as Lt-Colonel
- Robert Mackenzie as Police Captain
- Vivian Matalon as Farmer
- Gordon Sterne as Farmer
- Bill Edwards as 1st Deputy
- Graydon Gould as 2nd Deputy
- Kevin Scott as 3rd Deputy
- Ed Devereaux as Sergeant
Critical reception
TV Guide wrote, "Heywood is a joy to watch as she stands up to the impending aquatic doom" ;[5] while the Radio Times wrote, "well performed by an able cast Dallas star Howard Keel, Steptoe and Son's Harry H Corbett, Cyril Cusack and, in particular, damsel in distress Anne Heywood this is typical, and unremarkable, British 1950s B-movie fare." [6]
References
- ↑ Andrew Spicer, Sydney Box Manchester Uni Press 2006 p 159
- ↑ folsominc2 (12 February 1959). "Floods of Fear (1958)". IMDb.
- ↑ "Floods of Fear". BFI.
- ↑ "Floods of Fear". Turner Classic Movies.
- ↑ "Floods Of Fear". TVGuide.com.
- ↑ Alan Jones. "Floods of Fear". RadioTimes.