The Ice Flood (1926)

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Director:

George B. Seitz

Writers:

Johnston McCulley (story)
George B. Seitz (scenario)

Release Date:

2 October 1926 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Jack De Quincy, an American graduate of Oxford, is still considered a wastrel playboy by his father...

Plot Keywords:

Camp | Drinking | American Northwest | Sweetheart | Gambling

Cast

Kenneth Harlan	...	Jack De Quincy
Viola Dana	...	Marie O'Neill
Frank Hagney	...	Dum-Dum Pete
Fred Kohler	...	'Cougar' Kid
DeWitt Jennings	...	James O'Neill
Kitty Barlow	...	Cook
James Gordon	...	Thomas De Quincy

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

A Jewel Production. Universal utilized a 3-tiered brand system until 1929: Red Feather (low budget programmers), Bluebird (mainstream) and Jewel (big budget prestige pictures produced with roadshow ticket prices in mind).

A Lumbering Lumber Pictrure!

The basic story bears many similarities to "God's Country and the Woman" (1937), an elaborate Technicolor movie, with George Brent, Beverly Roberts, Barton MacLane and Robert Barrat in the roles here played by Kenneth Harlan, Viola Dana, Frank Hagney and James Gordon.

Unfortunately, that Technicolor production has it all over this film in every department, including acting, script, direction, photography and production values. This is just a little "B" movie by comparison and it has actually very little to recommend it unless you're a rabid fan of Kenneth Harlan (who made a great villain but he's too heavy-set in appearance and woodenly impersonal for a hero role). True, the lovely Viola Dana is also in the movie, but she is upstaged by a crippled boy (a hollow plot device) in most of her scenes. The only really charismatic figure in the cast is Frank Hagney who has an unusually meaty role as the chief villain (which he carries off in splendid fashion).

Alas, although Mr Seitz has a big reputation as a competent action director, he is badly let down here by his editor, who repeats over and over the same crummy miniature shot of the ice about to break up. And when it does finally flood forth, what we do get? You guessed it. More obvious miniatures that wouldn't fool a four-year-old. All in all, "The Ice Flood" is a wash-out.