High Tide at Noon

High Tide at Noon
High Tide at Noon
	Film poster
Directed by	Philip Leacock
Written by	Elisabeth Ogilvie; Neil Paterson
Produced by	David Deutsch; Earl St. John; Julian Wintle
Starring	Betta St. John
Cinematography	Eric Cross
Edited by	Sidney Hayers
Music by	John Veale
Release date	30 April 1957;
Running time	109 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

High Tide at Noon is a 1957 British drama film directed by Philip Leacock.^[1] It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival.^[2] High Tide at Noon was based on the first of a series of novels by Elisabeth Ogilvie, set in Maine. Location work was done in Devon.^[3]

Plot[]

A woman named Joanna returns to an island off the coast of Nova Scotia where she was raised, and where memories immediately stir from her past. The entire film is thereafter in flashback.

She recalls being 17 and having the attentions of three young men. She has had a previous kiss with the handsome but arrogant and aggressive Simon Breck and she agrees to meet him. When he makes a move on her she runs off. Nils Sorensen loves her, but is seen by Joanna only as a friend, not a suitor. She ultimately marries Alec Douglas, a gentle soul who reads poetry to her. All the men and all the local fisherman use small boats to fish for Maine lobster.

Economic hardship overwhelms nearly everyone on the island, particularly Joanna's parents, the MacKenzies, as the fishing community's lobster traps start to come up empty. Worse for her, Alec amasses a large debt to Simon as a result of his gambling. It seems that Alec is stealing lobster from rival pots in order to pay his debts. One night, he is drowned: it is unclear if this is accidental but Nils takes part of the blame.

Simon threatens Joanna and Nils drives him off the island, threatening to kill him. Nils offers to marry Joanna but she declines. He leaves the island soon after without saying goodbye. All three men ultimately disappear from her life. However, as the flashback ends, upon her return many years later, Joanna is pleased to once again encounter Nils.

Cast[]

Betta St. John as Joanna
William Sylvester as Alec Douglas
Michael Craig as Nils Sorenson
Flora Robson as Donna MacKenzie
Alexander Knox as Stephen MacKenzie
Peter Arne as Owen MacKenzie
Patrick McGoohan as Simon Breck
Patrick Allen as Charles MacKenzie
Jill Dixon as Matille Trudeau
Susan Beaumont as Kristy
John Hayward as Philip MacKenzie
Errol MacKinnon as Peter Grant

References[]

^ "BFI: High Tide at Noon". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
^ "Festival de Cannes: High Tide at Noon". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
^ Craig, Michael (2005). The Smallest Giant: An Actor's Life. Allen and Unwin. p. 76.

External links[]

High Tide at Noon at IMDb

[BFI-1] "BFI: High Tide at Noon". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2010.

[festival-cannes.com-2] "Festival de Cannes: High Tide at Noon". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2009.

[3] Craig, Michael (2005). The Smallest Giant: An Actor's Life. Allen and Unwin. p. 76.

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