Scripted by John Cresswell, based on a play by Janet Green, "Cast a Dark Shadow" is a solid black & white thriller. Dirk Bogarde is excellent as Edward "Teddy" Bare, a greedy young fortune hunter who murders his elderly wife (Mona Washbourne) and makes it look like suicide. Then he finds out that he ISN'T going to benefit all that much from her will: he gets no money. So, desperate for cash, he sinks his hooks into a fiery, cynical widow, Freda Jeffries (Margaret Lockwood) and then marries HER. Time will tell if Freda finds out just how evil Edward is. Meanwhile, a new acquaintance named Charlotte Young (Kay Walsh) comes into their lives.
Bogarde is a real case study in charm, slickness, and coldly calculating evil; he's such a heel, yet he's compelling to watch. He always seems to be in control, always planning and mindful of the obstacles in his path. And yet, it's the enticing Lockwood who really dominates this little film. She's NOT the pushover that Washbourne was, and stubbornly insists on she and Edward drawing from their own separate accounts. Walsh is also very good, although most viewers likely won't be surprised by the big plot twist involving her character. Kathleen Harrison, who plays the maid Emmie, automatically calls to mind her similar character in the classic "Scrooge" (1951), except that she's a simple type and is all too easy to convince that Edward is a good man. Rounding out the main cast is a solid Robert Flemyng as attorney Phillip Mortimer, who is correct in treating Edward with frank suspicion.
You can tell this was based on a stage work; it's quite talky and isn't overly cinematic, but it's fundamentally a good story that is well told by director Lewis Gilbert, and it has an interesting central antagonist character with definite layers to his personality. (He's actually seen perusing a muscle-man magazine at one point.) The viewer watches and waits, wondering if this jerk is ever going to receive his comeuppance or at least be held accountable.
Overall, a worthy viewing that doesn't overstay its welcome, clocking in at a modest 84 minutes.
Seven out of 10.
Bogarde is a real case study in charm, slickness, and coldly calculating evil; he's such a heel, yet he's compelling to watch. He always seems to be in control, always planning and mindful of the obstacles in his path. And yet, it's the enticing Lockwood who really dominates this little film. She's NOT the pushover that Washbourne was, and stubbornly insists on she and Edward drawing from their own separate accounts. Walsh is also very good, although most viewers likely won't be surprised by the big plot twist involving her character. Kathleen Harrison, who plays the maid Emmie, automatically calls to mind her similar character in the classic "Scrooge" (1951), except that she's a simple type and is all too easy to convince that Edward is a good man. Rounding out the main cast is a solid Robert Flemyng as attorney Phillip Mortimer, who is correct in treating Edward with frank suspicion.
You can tell this was based on a stage work; it's quite talky and isn't overly cinematic, but it's fundamentally a good story that is well told by director Lewis Gilbert, and it has an interesting central antagonist character with definite layers to his personality. (He's actually seen perusing a muscle-man magazine at one point.) The viewer watches and waits, wondering if this jerk is ever going to receive his comeuppance or at least be held accountable.
Overall, a worthy viewing that doesn't overstay its welcome, clocking in at a modest 84 minutes.
Seven out of 10.