TASTE OF FEAR

UK, 1961, 82 minutes, Black and white.
Susan Strasberg, Ann Todd, Ronald Lewis, Christopher Lee, Leonard Sachs.
Directed by Seth Holt.

Taste of Fear (Scream of Fear) is an entertaining thriller. It goes over familiar material, betrayals, terror, expose. However, it is done with more class than usual. This is a Hammer production, written by Jimmy Sangster, author of so many films from the Hammer Studios. It is photographed by expert Douglas Glocombe and directed by Seth Holt, a director with a short-lived career whose films include Station Six Sahara, Blood From The Mummy's Tomb.

The film has a strong cast with Ann Todd as the concerned mother, Ronald Lewis as the suave and callow chauffeur, Christopher Lee as the seemingly sinister doctor and Susan Strasberg as the put-upon heroine. The film delineates its characters quite well for the purposes of their interaction, suspicions, blackmail and violence. However, there are some entertaining twists at the end. Very enjoyable of its kind.

1. The popularity of this kind of psychological thriller? Its echoing themes of love, friendship, greed and betrayal?

2. Black and white photography? The special effects for terror, violence?. Musical score?

3. The atmosphere of the south of France? Editing for shock value?

4. The title - to whom did it refer? The ironies of who was afraid?

5. The basic situation: Penny Appleby and ehr return to meet her father? His absence? The discovery of his:ideath? The friendship of Jane, the stepmother? The place of Bob in the household? Dr. Gerrard and his place in the household?

6. Susan Strasberg with her mixture of strength and fragility as Penny? Her being incapacitated? Her arrival, her being welcomed by Jane? The friendsh.ip with Bob? The relationship with Dr. Gerrard? Penny's seeking for her father? The implausibilities about his absence? The behaviour of Jane and Bob? Penny and her search for her father, the discovery of his body and then its being missing? Her seeming to be mad? The difficulties in her being able to move around? Wheeling herself into the summer house?' Her falling into the swimming pool? Her being rescued by Bob? Dr. Gerrard's views on her hallucinations? Penny asking for Bob's support? The theory about Jane and Gerrard and her father's death? Thinking that she was to be driven insane for the inheritance? The search for the body, the deep freeze, the swimming pool? The irony of Bob turning against her, the drive, putting her over the cliff with the corpse? The irony of Penny standing and confronting Jane? The revelation that she was not Penny, knew the truth and had leagued with Dr. Gerrard to discover the truth?

7. Jane as the charming stepmother. the plausibility of her behaviour, treatment of Penny? Penny's suspicions? The irony of their being true? But her relationship with Bob? Her participation in the plot? The irony of her death?

8. Bob as chauffeur, his help for Penny, saving her from the pool? His helping her with her theories? The irony of his relationship,with Jane? His being unmasked? The attempted killing of Penny? Her turning the tables on him and his arrest?

9. Dr Gerrard and Christopher Lee's suave style, audience suspicions of him, his theory of hallucinations, his presence in the house? His being revealed as Penny's ally?

10. The films reliance on psychological interactions, Penny's tensions and helplessness, Jane's over-concern, Bob's suave but callow manner, Dr. Gerrard's presence? The appearance and disappearance of the corpse? The summer house and the planting of evidence to make Penny mad? The audience response to Penny's reversing the roles at the end?

11. The perennial popularity of this kind of psychological thriller?