Floodtide *** (1949, Gordon Jackson, Rona Anderson, John Laurie, Jack Lambert) – Classic Movie Review 7952

Director Frederick Wilson’s 1949 British drama Floodtide stars Gordon Jackson as young Scots ships apprentice David Shields, who graduates to boat designing, while he is meantime romancing his boss Anstruther (Jack Lambert)’s daughter Mary (Rona Anderson).

The course to the destination of true love falls into choppy waters when David and Mary fall out, but she forgives him when he rescues a newly designed vessel from possible disaster.

This simple, well-meaning drama-cum-romance may not seem too inspiring now, but it has a few aces in its pack, with pleasant acting from a pleasing cast, some strong dialogue, outstanding dramatics, and atmospheric Glasgow shipyards backgrounds.

It is one of the four of British art director David Rawnsley’s films that used his ‘Independent Frame’ production system technique, a form of back projection. But the system he created for the Rank Organisation proved a costly flop ridiculed by Rank film crews. Nevertheless, his independent frame story-boarding and back projection were radical improvements in film-making that are still in use today.

Rona Anderson (3 August 1926 – 23 July 2013) married Gordon Jackson (1923–1990) on 2 June 1951 after appearing together in Floodtide (1949).

It is Howard Lang’s debut. Also in the cast are John Laurie, Jack Lambert, Jimmy Logan, Janet Brown, Gordon McLeod, Ian MacLean, Elizabeth Sellars, Ian Wallace, Molly Weir, Howard Lang, Archie Duncan, Kitty Kirwan, Alexander Archdale, Peter Illing, Grace Garvin, Norah Gordon, Molly Urquhart, Sam Kydd and Arthur Lowe.

Floodtide is directed by Frederick Wilson, runs 90 minutes, is made by Aquila Film, is released by General Film Distributors, is written by Frederick Wilson, Donald B Wilson and George Blake, is shot in black and white by George Stretton, is produced by Donald B Wilson, and scored by Robert Irving, with production design by Douglas Daniels. It was shot at D&P Studios, Denham Studios, Buckinghamshire, England.

Jackson and Anderson also appear in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969).

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7952

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