Floods of Fear *** (1958, Howard Keel, Anne Heywood, Harry H Corbett, Cyril Cusack, John Crawford, Eddie Byrne, John Phillips) – Classic Movie Review 7953

Charles Crichton, best known for his comedies, directs this robust, tough-toned British-made, but American-set 1958 black and white action adventure thriller Floods of Fear.

The story is about two convicts (Howard Keel, Cyril Cusack), a warder (Harry H Corbett) and a frightened young woman (Anne Heywood) who find themselves trapped in an isolated house during a severe flood after the inmates and guard are swept away while working to shore up a dike. Bitter, unjustly jailed Donavan (Keel) rescues Elizabeth (Heywood) from both rape and drowning, and she kindly reciprocates by helping him show that he is actually the innocent man he says he is.

An interesting cast keep their heads well above water given the wishy-washy situation they have to swim with, but if Floods of Fear is occasionally a bit of a damp squib, it dries out for fiery sequences and explosive moments. The screenplay by Charles Crichton and Vivienne Knight (additional dialogue) is based on a novel by John Hawkins and Ward Hawkins.

Also in the cast are John Crawford, Eddie Byrne (Sheriff), John Phillips, Guy Kingsley Poynter (Deputy Sheriff), James Dyrenforth (Mayor), Peter Maddern, Gordon Tanner (Lieutenant Colonel), Gaylord Cavallaro (National Guard), Ed Devereaux (National Guard), Barry Lowe (National Guard), Jerry Stovin (National Guard), Bill Edwards, Graydon Gould, Kevin Scott, Mark Baker, Gordon Sterne, Jack Lester, Marie Devereux, Robert MacKenzie and Vivian Matalon.

Floods of Fear is the first film Keel made after Kismet (1955) three years earlier, a waste of his prime.

Crichton is best known for Hue and Cry (1947), The Lavender Hill Mob, The Titfield Thunderbolt, The Battle of the Sexes, He Who Rides a Tiger (1965) and A Fish Called Wanda.

It was made by The Rank Organisation at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England. Howard Keel inherited the star role after Peter Finch passed on it.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7953

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com