Tonight's Movie: Beware, My Lovely (1952) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Today I've circled back to the Kino Lorber Dark Side of Cinema XIX collection to watch the final film in the set, BEWARE, MY LOVELY (1952).

I've previously reviewed the set's NO MAN OF HER OWN (1950) and DARK CITY (1950); NO MAN OF HER OWN in particular is a big favorite.

This was the first time I'd seen BEWARE, MY LOVELY since the 2011 Noir City Hollywood Festival, and I quite enjoyed revisiting it after so much time.

The movie reunited Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan from the previous year's outstanding ON DANGEROUS GROUND (1951). BEWARE, MY LOVELY is a smaller film, not of the same caliber as ON DANGEROUS GROUND, but it's still an interesting and worthwhile watch.

The film is set in 1918. Lupino plays Helen Gordon, a widow whose husband died in the war. She gets by renting a room to a kindly boarder (Taylor Holmes) who's heading out of town for the holidays. Helen seems to have a busy life, involved with her niece Ruth (Barbara Whiting), local children, and her community.

Helen hires Howard Wilton (Ryan) to do some handyman work around her home as she prepares for Christmas. But Helen doesn't know what's revealed to the viewer in the movie's opening sequence: Howard is a mentally disturbed killer.

Things start off fine as Howard polishes Helen's floors, but then Howard begins to act increasingly "off." Helen is initially sympathetic and kind, then tries to politely send him on his way...only to discover he's locked the doors and hidden the key, setting the stage for a terrifying afternoon.

BEWARE, MY LOVELY is a compact 77-minute suspense drama which rather reminds me of another short thriller from the previous year, CAUSE FOR ALARM! (1951) with Loretta Young. In each film an ordinary middle-class housewife suddenly finds her day has gone terribly wrong, spiraling into a panic situation.

Although there are a handful of supporting characters, this is essentially a two-person show. Ryan is effective as the troubled man whose behavior is all over the map, veering from kindly and concerned to confused to psychotic.

For my money, though, the main reason to watch BEWARE, MY LOVELY is Lupino, who does superb work taking Helen through a progression of emotions: The busy woman trying to knock her home into order, followed by her thinking she understands Howard's loneliness and then realizing she needs to send him on his way...only to find he won't go.

The movie, written by Mel Dinelli based on his short story and play, also has the plus of not wearing out its welcome. Just when it's becoming a little too exhausting, things wrap up in a satisfying way.

The screenplay and actors also do a good job making the situations believable, including Helen's difficulty getting away.

BEWARE, MY LOVELY was directed by Harry Horner and filmed in black and white by George Diskant.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray print, a new HD master from a 4K scan, is excellent, on a par with the company's usual fine releases.

Disc extras consist of the movie's trailer plus two additional trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber, plus a commentary track by Jason A. Ney.

I've enjoyed all of the Dark Side of Cinema sets to date, and this collection of early '50s titles is one I particularly recommend.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray collection.

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