User reviews

'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!

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.

What a treat to buy this old movie from a rare US dealer to add to my Margaret Lockwood (ML) collection.I was in doubt if I would ever find a copy after many days of fruitless research as it is not sold by mainstream video/DVD dealers, never appears on eBay nor is it shown on UK TV networks.In fact the film only seemed to be shown by exclusive cinema clubs.I have a fascination for film noirs made in the year of my birth, i.e. 1946.Barry K Barnes was on her side to defend her as a barrister in "The Girl in the News"(1940) when ML played nurse Graham wrongly accused of murdering her employer.Here in "Bedelia" he plays an insurance investigator who adopts the persona of an artist when under cover, investigating deaths by poison of Bedelia's previous husbands.In "Bedelia" he is out to get her.

Ian Hunter as Charlie Carrington had the good fortune to play opposite Hedy Lamarr in "Come Live With Me" (1941) and here co-stars with ML, another sultry, raven haired beauty.If film fans can visualise Lady Skelton (ML's most famous role) from "The Wicked Lady" (1945) transported from the late 17th century to 1946; this is how she would behave!!It was good to see Anne Crawford again.I have her in my collection in "They Were Sisters" and "Millions Like Us" both from 1943.She tragically died quite young per IMDb's biography.I thought the Vera Caspary story, originally set in Connecticut in 1913, was easily transplanted to Europe in a contemporary setting.It gave ML the chance to wear some attractive costumes.I thought the user rating low at 5.7 and have rated it 7/10 to give it a bit of an uplift.

If any of you can find a copy of this rare film, it will be well worth the effort.

I first saw this film late at night in 1965. Very well done and both Lockwood and Anne Crawford (a sadly overlooked actress) are in their prime. After viewing this film, I came across the book written by Vera Caspary and was surprised to find that in the book the story was set in Connecticut during the Christmas tide of 1913; rather than England in 1946. At that time, many films had a late Victorian/early Edwardian setting and it was of interest to me that the period was updated to modern (1946) days. One key point of the period setting was the fact that after a snowstorm the characters were isolated and news was slower to reach people in 1913. One wonders what this film would have been like had the period setting been left intact.

On a trivia note, this film was one of the few independent productions made at Ealing Studios without the "Ealing Team" being involved.

Ian Hunter is honeymooning on the Riviera with Margaret Lockwood. She doesn't like having her picture taken, and thinks no artist can draw her, but Hunter strikes up a friendship with artist Barry K. Barnes and persuades Miss Lockwood to sit for him. She begins to act odd, and they Return to Britain with the picture unfinished. Barnes shows up with a painting by her first husband; Hunter wants one for his wife, who has none. The reason is that Barnes is not an artist, but a private detective and Miss Lockwood is.... an, well that's the point of this weird and sad little picture.

It's from a story by Vera Caspary, so you know it's going to be about people behaving weirdly, and their motivation slowly being revealed. Director Lance Comfort directs it with a shadowy air. He had been a sound technician and special effects cameraman before he began to direct the prestigious but dull THE COURAGEOUS MR. PENN. His work after that was erratic: an Old Mother Riley picture here, a crime picture there. Clearly he was a director with ambition, but he rarely got the chance to work with a top cast and crew. When he did, as here, he got a good movie, but it's hard to say if he added anything to it. He worked through his death in 1966, aged 58

This is quite a well-written, pacy little film noir about a glamorous widow (Margaret Lockwood) who meets and marries a rather naive English businessman (Ian Hunter) and honeymoons in Monte Carlo. There, they befriend a painter (Barry K. Barnes) who is asked to paint her portrait. After they return home, we gradually discover that she has plenty of dark secrets which all start to unravel as we find the painter is not exactly whom he claims to be, and it all culminates in a tense and suspenseful twenty minutes at their remote country home during a snowstorm. It's a little melodramatic at times, but the story flows well and the lead performances are engaging.

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.

When the story begins, Bedelia (Margaret Lockwood) is on her honeymoon with Charlie (Ian Hunter). They seem tremendously happy and there's only one odd thing you notice about her...she refuses to have her picture taken. This is weird and you'd think the husband would wonder if she's a wanted woman or something. But, he's in love and a bit hard-headed...and simply won't consider her to be anything other than the perfect wife. On this honeymoon, they meet an artist and he's much more than just an artist...it turns out he's investigating a case where a woman has murdered her husband for the insurance money....and he thinks Bedelia might be this lady. He also begins to suspect that there might have been more than just her one deceased husband!

This is a very good story and Lockwood is frightfully good. When things are going well for her, she's cool and manipulative. And, when things appear to be going badly, she's irrational, histrionic and like a caged beast. An interesting character study, to say the least. The rest of the cast is also quite good but perhaps the biggest star of all this are the writers...as the story is engaging, exciting and kept my interest throughout. Well worth your time.

Although based on a novel by the author of 'Laura' it actually more closely resembles 'Shadow of a Doubt' with Margaret Lockwood rather that Joseph Cotten as a secretive charmer whose partners have an unfortunate habit of ending up dead. There's a lot of talk without much actually being said.

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.

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).