Fire Down Below (1957)

Director:

Robert Parrish

Writers:

Irwin Shaw (screenplay)
Max Catto (novel)

Release Date:

May 1957 (UK)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

Torrid, tempestuous Irena...the spark that turned the tropics into a blazing cauldron of passions!

Plot:

Tony and Felix own a tramp boat, and sail around the Caribbean doing odd jobs and drinking a lot. They...

Plot Keywords:

Switchblade | Roadboatmovie | Based On Novel

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Rita Hayworth	...	Irena
Robert Mitchum	...	Felix Bowers
Jack Lemmon	...	Tony
Herbert Lom	...	Harbor Master
Bonar Colleano	...	Lt. Sellars
Bernard Lee	...	Dr. Sam Blake
Peter Illing	...	Captain of the 'Ulysses'
Edric Connor	...	Jimmy Jean
Anthony Newley	...	Miguel
Eric Pohlmann	...	Hotel Owner
Lionel Murton	...	American
Vivian Matalon	...	Sailor
Gordon Tanner	...	Sailor
Maurice Kaufmann	...	Sailor
Joan Miller	...	Mrs. Canaday

Runtime:

USA:116 min | UK:116 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | USA:Approved (certificate #17966) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Warwick Film Productions

Trivia:

Average Shot Length (ASL) = 7.6 seconds

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In an early scene, Felix and Tony are supposed to be transporting Irena on their boat when they get into a fist fight. Jimmy Jean continues to steer before eventually breaking up the fight. The camera pulls back and shows that the boat isn't moving.

Quotes:

Irena: Sometimes you wonder what God had in mind when He invented the male sex.

Soundtrack:

Fire Down Below

Film switches gears midway and turns story over to Jack Lemmon...

FIRE DOWN BELOW is watchable for the performances of ROBERT MITCHUM, RITA HAYWORTH and JACK LEMMON, as well as some good supporting actors, but there's a major disappointment.

The first half of the film deals with relationships and just starts to get added interest from the Mitchum-Hayworth chemistry when the story shifts gears and turns the rest of the plot over to Jack Lemmon for the film's climactic sub-plot. Ordinarily, this would have been fine, but not when viewers are expecting to see the Mitchum-Hayworth pairing develop into a deeper story of its own.

There's a lot of local color and some gorgeous scenery in Trinidad and Jamaica, but the story is an uninspired one that finally gets going once Hayworth enters the scene, then evaporates once she and Mitchum are given less to do.

Lemmon is fine as the happy go lucky, naive sort of bumbler he always played at this stage in his career. Hayworth is an even more jaded version of "Gilda" (maturing now and still quite attractive), and Mitchum is his usual laconic self.

Uneven as drama but watchable for its star appeal.