High Tide at Noon

A woman named Joanna returns to an island off the coast of Nova Scotia where she was raised, and where memories immediately stir from her past. The entire film is thereafter in flashback. She recalls being 17 and having the attentions of three young men. She has had a previous kiss with the handsome but arrogant and aggressive Simon Breck and she agrees to meet him. When he makes a move on her she runs off. Nils Sorensen loves her, but is seen by Joanna only as a friend, not a suitor. She ultimately marries Alec Douglas, a gentle soul who reads poetry to her. All the men and all the local fisherman use small boats to fish for Maine lobster. Economic hardship overwhelms nearly everyone on the island, particularly Joanna's parents, the MacKenzies, as the fishing community's lobster traps start to come up empty. Worse for her, Alec amasses a large debt to Simon as a result of his gambling. It seems that Alec is stealing lobster from rival pots in order to pay his debts. One night, he is drowned: it is unclear if this is accidental but Nils takes part of the blame. Simon threatens Joanna and Nils drives him off the island, threatening to kill him. Nils offers to marry Joanna but she declines. He leaves the island soon after without saying goodbye. All three men ultimately disappear from her life. However, as the flashback ends, upon her return many years later, Joanna is pleased to once again encounter Nils. ==Cast==

• Betta St. John as Joanna • William Sylvester as Alec Douglas • Michael Craig as Nils Sorenson • Flora Robson as Donna MacKenzie • Alexander Knox as Stephen MacKenzie • Peter Arne as Owen MacKenzie • Patrick McGoohan as Simon Breck • Patrick Allen as Charles MacKenzie • Jill Dixon as Matille Trudeau • Susan Beaumont as Kristy • John Hayward as Philip MacKenzie • Errol MacKinnon as Peter Grant ==Production==

The film was based on a novel by Elisabeth Ogilvie which was published in 1945. The novel was set in Maine. She wrote a sequel, Storm Tide, which was published in 1947. Film rights were purchased by the Rank Organisation. The original director was Pat Jackson, who was a freelance director who had done work for Rank. Jackson called the story "very interesting, quite good". Virginia McKenna was meant to star. Jackson saw Patrick McGoohan on stage in Moby Dick and cast him in the film. Jackson said, "He was going to be the hero! And he would have been wonderful." The lead role went to American actor Betta St John, who had appeared in Britain on stage in South Pacific, fell in love with an Englishman and decided to stay. According to Michael Craig, St John did not tell them she was four months pregnant and "by the time we finished shooting the picture we couldn't shoot below the shoulders. There were a lot of problems with that." Filmink argued the movie had "a splendid lead part for a female, and it’s ironic that a few years previously, when Rank had a staggering line-up of female stars that it put in lousy roles (Kay Kendall, Diane Cilento, Diana Dors), they’d all since moved on to greener pastures; the studio offered it to Virginia McKenna who turned it down, so they went to Betta St John, who is nice and pretty but simply doesn’t have “It”." There was also location filming in Cornwall. According to Jackson, the film "cost a lot of money." ==Reception==

Box office Pat Jackson later said the film "did not do very well, how could it? A sea picture shot inside! In fact it did disastrously." Filmink argued "it’s the sort of movie that should have been made fifteen years before at Gainsborough under Maurice Ostrer and Ted Black (not Sydney Box), or a few years later with additional sex content." ==References==