A very interesting thriller set amidst the back drop of a swimming challenge across the English Channel. John Ireland proved that unlike a lot of his American compatriots he fitted in quite well with the understated British acting style - he plays Griff, an experienced swimmer attempting to keep his more laid back brother Danny (Sheldon Lawrence) on track to compete his Channel crossing. Also coming to the quiet Dover inn with plenty of fan fare is Kitty (Joy Webster) a model and amateur swimmer who, when she gets friendly with Danny, expresses her doubts and fears about her swim.
The movie establishes the plot with some interesting information - Ireland's character sounds as though he really knows what he's talking about, giving Danny tips to help him with his concentration and psychological feelings to get him through his swim. Agree with the other reviewer, the seaside setting with the mournful birds and the fog give a gloomy atmosphere to the mystery to come.
Danny is confidant that he will add Kitty to his list of conquests and convinces her to make the swim with him as her swimming partner but Kitty is already involved with her boss and yes, it's Derek Bond, so you know how it's all going to end!! And Kitty has just had a blazing row with him along the lines of "if you don't tell your wife - I will"!!! So when the swim is underway and a motor boat appears just ahead of her, you are in no doubt that foul play is on the cards and who the perpetrator is!! The big mystery (with his airtight alibi) is how was it done!! And hanging around the inn is not a smart move, for Danny is telling everyone that it was murder!!!
A big plus for the movie is Maureen Connell, she plays attractive hotel manager Shelley Baxter who becomes convinced (unlike local police) that Danny is on to something. In a key and pretty exciting scene Shelley goes searching for a missing bracelet charm - even though just a cheap trinket, Kitty indicated it meant a lot to her and Shelley is convinced she knows who has the missing piece.
Tempean Films were noted for their quality and for making their brisk thrillers very fast paced and looking a lot more expensively produced than they actually were. Starting in the early 1950s with "Black Out" and "No Trace", by the time "Black Tide" came along, Baker and Berman could see the writing on the wall and the future in television and went on to produce "Gideon's Way" and "The Saint".
The movie establishes the plot with some interesting information - Ireland's character sounds as though he really knows what he's talking about, giving Danny tips to help him with his concentration and psychological feelings to get him through his swim. Agree with the other reviewer, the seaside setting with the mournful birds and the fog give a gloomy atmosphere to the mystery to come.
Danny is confidant that he will add Kitty to his list of conquests and convinces her to make the swim with him as her swimming partner but Kitty is already involved with her boss and yes, it's Derek Bond, so you know how it's all going to end!! And Kitty has just had a blazing row with him along the lines of "if you don't tell your wife - I will"!!! So when the swim is underway and a motor boat appears just ahead of her, you are in no doubt that foul play is on the cards and who the perpetrator is!! The big mystery (with his airtight alibi) is how was it done!! And hanging around the inn is not a smart move, for Danny is telling everyone that it was murder!!!
A big plus for the movie is Maureen Connell, she plays attractive hotel manager Shelley Baxter who becomes convinced (unlike local police) that Danny is on to something. In a key and pretty exciting scene Shelley goes searching for a missing bracelet charm - even though just a cheap trinket, Kitty indicated it meant a lot to her and Shelley is convinced she knows who has the missing piece.
Tempean Films were noted for their quality and for making their brisk thrillers very fast paced and looking a lot more expensively produced than they actually were. Starting in the early 1950s with "Black Out" and "No Trace", by the time "Black Tide" came along, Baker and Berman could see the writing on the wall and the future in television and went on to produce "Gideon's Way" and "The Saint".