Taste of Fear (1961)

Touches You

A different way of telling a story

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Christopher Lee fans may be a little disappointed by the use of their idol in this Hammer movie; he only has about three short scenes in total. But if they can get beyond the lack of Lee, they will probably find the rest of the movie to be pretty entertaining. Now, I will admit that the script has some notable flaws, which are especially apparent when you watch the movie for a second time. For example, why one character dives into a swimming pool to look for a body eventually doesn't make sense, nor how the found body soon after finds its way into the car without the heroine noticing. Such flaws as those do diminish the impact of the movie, along with the somewhat slow pace and somewhat "soft" feel of the entire enterprise. But patient viewers who look behind those flaws will be rewarded by some decent twists toward the end of the movie. And while the movie may be a little slow and soft, it never gets to be boring. It's not the kind of Hammer movie most people associate with the film company, but it is an interesting and decent change of pace.

Back in the early '60s, everyone was talking PSYCHO. Hitchcock's masterpiece had revived the genre of the psychological thriller and the imitators were being rushed out to take advantage of all the goodwill. Britain's Hammer Studios were no exception; in the '60s they released about half a dozen low budget, black and white, taut little thrillers that focused on small casts and psychological disturbance. TASTE OF FEAR is one of the first of these films and also one of the best.Although it's a PSYCHO imitator, this film has more in line with the French movie LES DIABOLIQUES. The heroine is a crippled young beauty – played well by Susan Strasberg – who keeps seeing her father's corpse popping up in the most bizarre locations. Despite supernatural undertones there's a logical explanation – someone is trying to drive Strasberg mad. But who, and perhaps more importantly, why? The film answers these questions in an intriguing way and with plenty of twists. Some of the final reveals might be a little implausible but I loved the explanations all the same – and they're pretty hard to guess beforehand. This is a film where people aren't who they seem to be, where red herrings abound, and where good people are bad and bad people just might be good. Jimmy Sangster's script is strong, well paced and expertly focused.The small cast all put in grand performances. There are a couple of dodgy accents – Christopher Lee's French accent is weak, as is Strasberg's British – but these can be ignored as the subtle acting is well portrayed. Ronald Lewis excels as the helpful chauffeur and Ann Todd is also fine as the sinister stepmother. Christopher Lee is also on hand as a somewhat dubious character and he has a ball with it. TASTE OF FEAR is only a little film but it's a little film done well. If you like good mysteries and plenty of suspense then you could do a lot worse than this movie.

I have watched the movie in French..and in German,where the title is "Ein Toter spielt Klavier",meaning :A Death plays the piano. Ufortunately, or- fortunately my father allowed me to watch this movie in 1983,when I was 11 years old...maybe too young for a movie like that..but this film has rested marked in my mind forever..and maybe is the reason today, why I'm so interested in old black and white movies..today,I own more than 20 copies of the movie.Ever since,I haven't found any other movie so suspenseful..This movie will always stay in my mind, impressing me so much until the day I die!Whoever has written the storyboard of this movie,was more than smart!!Every camera setting is made extremely smart!

Anyone who loves Hitchcock and is looking for another good story should check out Taste of Fear, a Hammer production released in 1961 about a girl in a wheelchair who keeps seeing the body of her missing father around his house. People, including a doctor played by Christopher Lee, suggest the girl is losing her mind, but the girl and a friend soon become convinced the father was killed and the girl is being deceived so her stepmother inherits everything.With its murder plot mystery, pushing victims to madness and especially the disappearance and reappearance of dead bodies, the film Taste of Fear most closely resembles is Diabolique (1955) and there is some similarity as well to Vertigo (1958). Even if Taste of Fear isn't totally original, it is nevertheless a worthy effort with solid production values and enough differences to be worthwhile. The acting, writing and direction are smooth and the story resolution is satisfying, although there are still questions. The twists may be unlikely, but the quality of the film makes them easier to swallow.