Bedelia *** (1946, Margaret Lockwood, Ian Hunter, Barry K Barnes, Anne Crawford, Jill Esmond) – Classic Movie Review 7077

Director Lance Comfort’s 1946 British thriller Bedelia stars Margaret Lockwood, who leads a novelettish, splendidly trashy murder mystery that was a big success of the day, perhaps surprising so given its lack of real quality.

It is 1938, and Bedelia Carrington (Lockwood) has an obsession with money that knows no bounds. She has killed three husbands for their money already and is living in Monte Carlo with her new husband Charlie Carrington (Ian Hunter). Bedelia now has her killer eyes set on husband number four, getting the poison and the insurance policy ready. But detective Ben Chaney (Barry K Barnes) is sniffing around, pretending to be a cultivated young artist while probing into her past, even when the couple go back to England, so Bedelia finds she has someone else to deal with.

Bedelia is campy fun but its box office success is really a testament to the huge popularity of the star who had just played another infamous wicked lady in The Wicked Lady (1945), and very good at it she was. Hunter is ideal playing the simple new husband who doesn’t know how poisonous his wife can be.

The screenplay by Vera Caspary, Herbert Victor and Isadore Goldsmith is based on the novel by Vera Caspary, the author of Laura (1944), but, entertaining though it is, Bedelia is not nearly in that film’s league. Bedelia was advertised as: ‘The author of Laura now brings to the screen THE WICKEDEST WOMAN WHO EVER LOVED!’

Also in the cast are Anne Crawford, Jill Esmond, Ellen Pollock, Barbara Blair, Louise Hampton, Julien Mitchell, Kynaston Reeves, Beatrice Varley, Olga Lindo, John Salew, Claude Bailey, Paul Bonifas, Marcel Poncin, Michael Martin Harvey, Sonia Sergyl, Aubrey Mallalieu, David Keir, Charles Paton, John Serret, Michelle de Lys, Paul Hardtmuth, George Pelling and Dermot Walsh.

Bedelia is directed by Lance Comfort, runs 92 minutes, is produced by British National Films and John Corfield Productions, is released by General Film Distributors, is written by Vera Caspary, Herbert Victor, and Isadore Goldsmith (screenplay) and Moie Charles and M Roy Ridley (additional dialogue), based on the novel by Vera Caspary, is shot in black and white by Freddie Young, is produced by Isadore Goldsmith and scored by Hans May, with Art Direction by Duncan Sutherland.

Bedelia is available on Region 2 DVD.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7077

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