New posts

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 369100" data-attributes="member: 23">Cast A Dark Shadow (1955) <img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F1a%2Ff2%2F07%2F1af2078a68c065a227c27347c6933584.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=e315dcf21f552cd91605aef10ffb636ca97682584fa17c19fd99749d14e64a4b&ipo=images" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 523px" /> Tagline: "No woman could resist his sinister charm!" A nice little obscure vintage British thriller. Well, it went completely under my radar anyway. I hadn't heard of it until a couple of days ago when it popped up as a suggestion. Perhaps not surprising considering it bombed at the time. It has a great deal going for it. A combination of play-like sets (belying its origins) and charming, terribly British locations (the quaint little village appears to be Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire). I also found the behind-the-scenes stuff fascinating. Margaret Lockwood had evidently made some stinkers just prior to this, negatively affecting the film's reputation to the point where her top billing was later rescinded in some publicity material, making her name far smaller and less prominent than Dirk Borgarde's, even though Dirk had hand-picked her and he and the director insisted (many years later) that she was great in it. I found it interesting to watch Dirk in a sinister role, particularly as it was filmed around the time of the earliest Doctor films. Some of his choices - seeming to enjoy the obstacles that come his way, and smiling at times when someone else gains the upper hand - reminded me of what Larry Hagman would do decades later in Dallas. In film terms, this frequently feels quite Hitchcockian, with echoes of Rope as well as Hitch's earlier British works, as well as having some similar themes to Psycho, still years away at this point. As things escalated, I found myself genuinely wondering how it would all end. Sadly, the actual outcome was telegraphed, though only by a couple of minutes, as it was a situation that had to be reached through escalating drama, which it did well. All in all, a nice little film, that would probably make ideal weekend matinee fare. Incidentally, I prefer this poster but, sadly, can't find a decent-sized image. <img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dvdbeaver.com%2F15%2Fcast_a_dark_shadow_wanted_for_murder_blu-ray_%2Fposter__poster_06_cast_a_dark_shadow_blu-ray__blu-ray_.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=175e8464abf176e2dba75743cb069f2dd5eb3b80c5de0fe423813ef0f59590e0&ipo=images" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></blockquote>

Verification: Who played JR Ewing?