Tonight's Movie: Cast a Dark Shadow (1955)

A few years ago I bought CAST A DARK SHADOW (1955), available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber and Cohen Film Collection, when I spotted it in a sale. The impetus for my purchase was the chance to see another film starring the marvelous British actress Margaret Lockwood.

As so often happens, until now I still hadn't watched it...as the saying goes, "So many movies, so little time!" But this weekend a review by Karen at Shadows and Satin gave me the impetus to pull the disc off the shelf and give it a watch, and I'm glad I did.

In this 82-minute thriller Dirk Bogarde plays Edward "Teddy" Bare, who has been married to much older, well-off Monica, whom he calls "Moni" (Mona Washbourne), for a year.

Teddy treats Moni well, if one overlooks him hooking her on brandy, but he's just been biding his time to obtain full access to her wealth, and when he believes he's about to be cut out of her will, he kills her, staging it to look like an accident.

Alas, Teddy misunderstood what he overheard Moni tell her lawyer Phillip (Robert Flemyng) -- she actually intended to put him in the will to receive more than just her house. Due to Moni's death before executing the new will, her money will instead go to her sister Dora in Jamaica, whom Teddy has never met.

Once cleared by an inquest into Moni's death, Teddy needs to find a new "Sugar Mama" and meets Freda Jeffries (Lockwood) at a beach resort. Freda, though rather rough-mannered, is also recently widowed and wealthy. She quickly marries the man she calls "Ed" but is savvy enough to keep her money in her name only, to the frustration of her new husband.

The Bares meet Charlotte Young (Kay Walsh) when her car stalls outside their home and get to know her. She's shopping for property in the neighborhood but spends quite a bit of time with the Bares, eventually triggering jealous suspicions in Freda. Why is Charlotte spending so much time hanging around?

Charlotte, however, is not quite who she seems to be...

I really enjoyed this film, written by John Creswell based on the play MURDER MISTAKEN by Janet Green.

The first 20 minutes or so is admittedly a little uncomfortable to watch, as Teddy and Moni are so mismatched in terms of age; she's essentially a doddering old lady, and her obliviousness to his manipulations and faux affection is a bit pathetic. The viewer is on edge waiting for the proverbial "shoe to drop" where Teddy will reveal his true self and do away with her.

From the point of the inquest on, however, the movie fires on all cylinders, as Phillip is determined to find out the truth despite the inquest determining his client died accidentally; he warns Teddy that the inquest ruling will not stand if new information comes to light. The last 20 minutes or so of the film is quite a roller coaster ride, with a very satisfying ending.

Lockwood's rather crass yet smart widow is a fascinating performance, quite unlike the elegant young ladies she played in films such as THE LADY VANISHES (1938), NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH (1940), or LOVE STORY (1944). She was only 38 when this was made but a harsh makeup job and "dating" hairstyle causes her to look a few years older.

Freda is mostly aware of "Ed's" flaws -- though even she doesn't realize his bank account is completely empty -- yet she can't help loving him anyway. She's a sensible woman except for marrying him! Lockwood lights up every scene with the unpredictability of both her character and her performance and really "makes" the movie.

Kay Walsh is lovely as Charlotte, who spends a great deal of time touring area properties with Ed and curiously wants to spend time in his home, despite Freda making her increasingly unwelcome. It's a very good part, and Walsh makes the most of it.

Bogarde was born for this creepy role. I haven't seen him in many films, in part because he always strikes me exactly as he is here, as a rather slimy persona; that, of course, makes him perfect for this role. It's enjoyable watching him be outsmarted by not one but two ladies, not to mention himself!  His character proves more than once that he's not as smart as he thinks he is.

In additional to Flemyng as the lawyer, the cast is rounded out by Kathleen Harrison as a not-too-intelligent maid. I could have done with a bit less screen time for her, but I suppose her character serves a purpose in some ways, including unwitting providing Teddy's alibi the night of the murder and showing his ability to manipulate unintelligent ladies.

CAST A DARK SHADOW was directed by Lewis Gilbert, who made several 007 films, including my favorite, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977). It was filmed in black and white by Jack Asher.

This film is on a two-film Kino Lorber/Cohen Film Collection Blu-ray disc with WANTED FOR MURDER (1946). The print is excellent, a crisp, rich black and white filled with interesting shadows. There are no extras but it does have optional English-language captions.

As regular readers know, I've been watching a great deal of British and French film noir recently, and this thriller fits right in. I enjoyed it and believe fellow fans of British mysteries will like it as well.

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