Classic Horrors Club

Disaster Film Checklist

• All-Star Cast:
  • Robert Culp
  • Martin Milner
  • Barbara Hershey
  • Richard Basehart
  • Carol Lynley
  • Roddy McDowell
  • Cameron Mitchell
  • Teresa Wright
• Multiple Lives in Danger:
  • Citizens of Brownsville, Oregon
• Threat Beyond Control:
  • Heavy rains stressing dam
• Characters and Relationships:
  • Pregnant woman, Abbie Adams (Lynley)
  • Man who knows the danger, Abbie’s husband, Sam (Mitchell)
  • Man who ignores the danger, John Cutler (Basehart)
  • Believer, city council member, Paul Burke (Milner)
  • Wife who supports her husband (the mayor), but has doubts about his motives, Alice Cutler (Wright)
  • Child in danger, the mayor’s son, Andy (Eric Olson)
  • Romance for Mary Cutler (Hershey), the mayor’s daughter, and the believer, Paul Burke
  • Hero, Steve Brannigan (Culp) who may be Andy’s real father
• Daring rescue #1:
  • Abbie is trapped in her house as the water rises. Steve lands his helicopter on top to retrieve her, but her legs are stuck. Nevertheless, she’s rescued at the last minute.
• Brave sacrifice #1:
  • While all kinds of leaks have sprung at the dam, Sam gets stuck in the mud. He tries to grab Steve’s helicopter, but doesn’t make it.
• Brave sacrifice #2:
  • While desperately searching for Andy, Alice falls into the water and is swept away.
• Second disaster:
  • After the dam bursts, water doesn’t flow out of town like is should. Steve and Paul plan to blow the bridge.
• Survival of child:
  • Characters fret about Andy’s disappearance throughout the film, and during the climax he floats unconscious toward the bridge they’re about to explode; however, there’s another…
• Daring rescue #2

Thoughts

Wait, I didn’t list Roddy McDowall’s character, Mr. Franklin. That’s because he plays a fisherman that Steve delivers to the resort in the very first scene of the movie… and he’s neither seen nor heard of again.

Mayor John Cutler is a conflicted villain. He’s truly doing what he thinks is best for the town. He says, “All this town has is that lake. Behind that lake… nothing.” However, he hides an incriminating engineering report that proves the dam in in danger of collapsing. Does a wrong make a right? I say, “Not when lives are at stake!”

A lot of time in Flood is spent on Mayor Cutler and his family. His loving wife and daughter want to support him. Mary tells Paul, “You’re alarming the people for no reason.” Cracks being to show with Alice, though. She tells her husband, “You’ve never admitted when you’re wrong.” There are deeper troubles than that, though, when she continues, “I’ve never told you how I really feel about anything important.”

The situation that seems most contrived is Abbie’s pregnancy and her danger. Early in the movie, Sam calls to remind her to go to her checkup. At that moment, I knew something was going to happen to her. Sure enough, she soon has pains and collapses on the floor. When she wakes, she crawls to the phone, but it’s dead. When the dam breaks, she floats in the house. Then, of course, when she’s being rescued, her legs are stuck as the water rises. One reason I say that it’s contrived is that we know the outcome based on one of our disaster film tropes: the survival of babies and/or pets.

I enjoyed Flood. In a way, it’s a perfect example of the 70s disaster film. In this one, though, I like that the convoluted character relationships are not completely resolved. Andy is reunited with his father and sister, but his mother is gone. Therefore, they’re going to need Mary for the foreseeable future, which means maybe she and Paul should postpone their wedding plans. Finally, Flood is something a lot of other films are not: reasonably believable.

Quotes

Water’s pretty high on the dam, isn’t it?

Mr. Franklin

No lake, no fish, no income.

Mayor Cutler

Andy, how old are you?

Steve Brannigan

It’s not my time to go.

Paul Burke

I never thought it would really happen.

Mayor Cutler