JohnHowardReid Another excellent VCI DVD features the 1954 "House Across the Lake" (or "Heat Wave"), in which Sidney James gives one of his best dramatic performances, thanks no doubt to the astute direction of Ken Hughes.Ken Hughes has adapted his own 1952 novel, "High Wray" (sic - the name of the Forrest mansion or "house"), and skilfully used his real locations and studio sets to convey enough noir atmosphere to overcome the somewhat acute shortage of actual action. Of course, the rest of the players led by Hillary Brooke and super-attractive Susan Stephen (with effective cameos by Paul Carpenter - of all people! - and Peter Illing) also help no end. The central character, "Mark Kendrick:", is played by Alex Nicol as a bit of a no-hoper, but that's exactly what his persona is supposed to be, so I guess we can't complain on that score!

LeonLouisRicci This is one of those Hammer B-Movie Noirs. The Studio made a Handful before it Hit Pay-Dirt and became the House of Horror. The Film-Noir Ingredients in this Darkly Lit and Narrated Story are Pure Pulp and Noir Gold. As Alec Nicol (Mark Kendricks) Pounds away at His Typewriter and Laments about Unpaid Bills and Writer's Bloc, it is the Stuff of Penny-A-Word Prose on Cheap Paper.The Audience is Drawn into the World of High Class Blondes (Hillary Brooke) Married to Elderly Men whose "Two step has got a little slow.", and a Down on His Luck Sap, who Will Play One Every Time (except maybe Sam Spade).The Tone of this Thing Rings the Noir Bell and it is Low-Budget, but that doesn't really Matter. This one has the Look and Feel of Reel Noir and it is one of the Better in the Series from the British Studio. It's got a Verbal Style, Nicol's Voice is Velvety and Desperate, and that is sure to Please Fans of the Genre.Although Film-Noir was beginning to Lose its Edge by 1954, this is Virtually a Copy of the Style from the Forties and it's a welcome Trip Back from the Police Procedural to a more Up Close and Personal Downward Spiral with Fem-Fatales and Guys with Smoky Bourbon Breath.

blanche-2 "Heat Wave," or "The House Across the Lake" from 1954 is another Hammer Film with its typical set-up - told in flashback - and with a familiar plot - help me kill my husband and we'll be rich.Instead of one American, here we have two starring here, Alex Nicol and Hillary Brooke. Hillary Brooke actually sounds English - she took the accent on in order to differentiate herself from other blonds competing for roles. It worked, too - she had supporting roles in many top films in the '40s and later worked in television.Nicol plays Mark Kendrick, a writer trying to finish a book and get away from "slow gin and cheap blonds"; when he loans his launch to the people across the lake, he meets the wealthy Beverly Forrest (Sid James) and his promiscuous wife Carol (Brooke). He genuinely likes Beverly, but finds himself falling for Carol. I notice that several people on this site found Brooke irresistible. It's possible men saw something in her that I don't - just an opinion. She reminded me of Joan Fontaine in the '50s, the wealthy, attractive, older socialite. Anyway, he falls for her, and then it looks like her husband fell -- off a boat while the three of them were out for a ride.The script is well-written -- as Mark tells his story, he uses a lot of those hard-bitten detective terms such as the one above, giving an old story a little spice.One small thing -- when Carol meets him, she says, "oh, you're an American." Anyone who has been to Europe knows that unless you've got your passport in your hand, people normally ask if you're from Canada or the U.S. They can't tell, and Brooke is not playing an American in this film.Anyway, this is an entertaining film. The acting was good, though I can't say I was blown away by some of Brooke's acting.

FilmFlaneur In 1950, American producer Robert Lippert formed a business alliance with Hammer studios. Under the agreement, Lippert would provide American acting talent - frequently shop-worn stars or just supporting actors who fancied a profitable trip out of the country - while Hammer would supply the rest of the cast and the production facilities. Together they would split the profits. Famous for his concern with the bottom line, Lippert produced over 140 films between 1946 and 1955, characteristically genre pieces such as I Shot Jesse James or Rocketship XM. For the British deal, most of the films were noir-ish thrillers - and include this title.Sidney James, a regular in this run of productions, appears in House Across The Lake. He plays successfully against type for once, as a millionaire in possession of a straying wife. Directed by Ken Hughes from his own novel, and who a year later also directed another highlight of James' career in Joe Macbeth (1955), as well as later Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) this taut, entirely successful noir thriller is one of the highlights of the Lippert-Hammer noir series (another is The Glass Cage - both available on DVD). A down-and-out writer (Alex Nichol) is invited across the lake to a rich household where he is naturally soon ensnared by a cunning fatale, leading to a waterborne death and inevitable double cross. Although the lure of sex is not quite as explicit as in The Flanagan Boy, which also appears as part of the Hammer series now reissued, House Across The Lake still manages to suggest perfectly satisfactorily the moral quagmire into which the urges of men lead them as well as an effective noir universe, which includes an extended flashback and, that archetypal device, the rueful voice-over. Recommended.