"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.
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.