Bedelia

A fine thriller based on a Vera "Laura" Caspary's book ,Lance Comfort ,like in "daughter of darkness " draws the portrait of a disturbing woman ,masterfully played by Margaret Lockwood.Butter would not melt in her mouth ,but little by little clues are given to the viewer who understands she might be a female Blue Beard .

Like Du Maurier's "Rebecca ", the story begins in the south of France: and it's to the screenwriter's credit to have used many lines in perfect French at a time when they did not care for the languages ;funny how the receptionist in the hotel tells a guest that there's no vacancy in French with an English accent!

A well-crafted thriller , with good performances ,and good scenes (the Christmas fete ,notably) ,some of which verge on comedy (those with the nurse).

Above-average post-War British noir melodrama, based on a novel by Vera (LAURA) Caspay, directed by the prolific Lance Comfort (see also the post-War British 'Spiv' movie SILENT DUST) and starring Margaret (THE WICKED LADY) Lockwood as the titular femme fatale who, as per her Stateside counterparts Gene Tierney (LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN), Lana Turner (THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE) and Barbara Stanwyck (DOUBLE INDEMNITY) offs those men who stand in her way; in this case to collect on their life insurance. Trailed by an apparent artist, the enigmatic and not altogether likeable Ben Chaney (Barry K. Barnes - see also DANCING WITH CRIME), Bedelia finds her path to greater riches (the policy held by her latest wealthy husband, Charlie) thwarted at every turn, before events come to a head in a wintry Gothic country estate in the north of England. The British settings add an air of gentility, but it's the somewhat surprisingly sympathetic take on Lockwood's character that softens the often misogynistic genre set-up as Bedelia, often clad in a variety of striking shimmery creations, actually registers more strongly as a protagonist than the often unemphatic or similarly deceitful supporting characters. Directed at a brisk pace by Comfort, this is an engaging work, that more than hints at simmering tensions beneath a deceptively straightforward drawing-room mise en scene and in which, given the well-upholstered backdrops (as well as Lockwood!), it's not difficult to read the subtext on class (a common enough feature in British genre cinema). This film, whilst not in itself being an upper class work, is a decent enough diversion. Middle-class stuff, then, and none the worse for that.

A brilliant story with a fast and pregnant dialogue all along, presents the fascinating case of a double-faced woman, the other face of which is well hidden behind a mask of superb charm and beauty - it's impossible to believe anything else but the best of her; but a nosy insurance investigator, not at all sympathetic but rather callous and rude in his constant meddling into the business of a happily and recently married couple, finds out more and more unpleasant things no one really wants to know, not even himself. Alas, it all leads to more unpleasantness.

Margaret Lockwood is as usual quite reliable and convincing in not a too glamorous part, Ian Hunter makes the perfect husband and reacts as anyone would in such an awkward situation, intrepidly handling the crisis with an admirable effort at controlling himself, while Barry K. Barnes carries through the difficult task of making a graceless character acceptable for his uneasy plight. Anne Crawford is a delightful surprise as another beauty, who after all remains when all the lights are gone. This is not clearly expressed in the film, but it should not be forgotten.

To this comes the interesting detail of the black pearl, which somehow symbolizes the whole story. She wants to get rid of it but refuses to sell it for a fortune, when asked for it she denies she still has it, and then it returns to bring about her doom. It should be noted that the author also was guilty of "Laura".

It's not a great or ambitious film but well above the average of so many other similar secondary melodramas.

The author of "Laura," Vera Caspary, wrote this post-war drama, Bedelia, starring Margaret Lockwood, Ian Hunter, and Barry K. Barnes. Barnes plays an artist named Cheney who meets newlyweds Charles and Bedelia and asks to paint Bedelia. Bedelia is a little funny about having her photo taken and she doesn't really like the idea of a portrait, but she goes along with it.

When a guest at the hotel where she's staying thinks she's someone else, we begin to see why she doesn't want her picture taken.

Finally glad to leave for home and get away from the very nosy Cheney, Bedelia and Charles go Charles' mansion in north England. Oh, guess who is going to be visiting. Cheney.

Good drama, somewhat predictable with nice performances. Lockwood is lovely in a variety of gowns. Worth seeing for the atmosphere and performances.

'Bedelia' is directed confidently by Lance Comfort whose unsubtle and brisk style of direction kept him busy on the B-movie circuit and inevitably into TV work during the 1950s.

Interestingly; the story was written by Vera Caspary who specialized in stories about women getting into trouble, including 'Laura', later made famous, of course, by Hitchcock.

Not every film made in the 1940s was a 'Noir'. I see this term being used to describe films that were made in black and white rather than what they actually are... and Bedelia is NOT in my view in any shape or form a 'noir' as I understand one to be. There are certainly no hard-boiled cynical characters, bleak sleazy settings or overly-emphasized shadowy lit scenes here.

Bedelia is a well-crafted suspense movie with memorable characters and performances. Margaret Lockwood is a treat to watch as her pathological insanity slowly reveals itself. The plot is simple yet captivating and (despite everything being laid out rather too obviously) the uptempo direction works well to keep the spectator focused.

Thankfully the drama comes across naturally and doesn't descend into melodrama... which is just as well as there is no comic relief at all in this yarn. Ian Hunter is especially convincing as the poor husband who has the job of dealing with all the women in his life.

There's a good copy of this on YouTube so what are you waiting for? Get that mug of Horlicks, draw the curtains kick off your shoes!