BEDELIA

Margaret Lockwood

BEDELIA (1946). Director: Lance Comfort. 

Bedelia and Charlie Carrington (Margaret Lockwood of The Wicked Lady and Ian Hunter of The Girl from 10th Avenue) are on their honeymoon in Monte Carlo when they encounter the artist Ben Chaney (Barry K. Barnes) and they all become friends. Charlie hires Ben to do a portrait of Bedelia, which she objects to, complaining of headaches when she's forced to pose. Ben seems to have a too-intense interest in the pretty woman, and follows the couple to Charlie's home town where the artist is set up in a studio. Ben's mere presence makes Bedelia nervous, and suspicion of the man is also ignited in Ellen (Anne Crawford of They Were Sisters), Charlie's business partner. But is Bedelia keeping secrets herself? 

Ian Hunter with Lockwood

Bedelia is based on a novel by American writer Vera ("Laura") Casbury. The story originally took place in Connecticut but was moved to England for this British production, with the time period updated from shortly after the turn to the century to a contemporary period. Casbury felt that this compromised her theme of the changing gender roles of the time. Whatever the case, Bedelia is a well-acted and very suspenseful story with a darkly fascinating heroine and very interesting supporting characters. Others in the cast include Jill Esmond as Nurse Harris, called in when Charlie suffers food poisoning, Beatrice Varley of Hatter's Castle as the maid Mary, and Barbara Blair as the chatty party guest, Sylvia. Barnes and Lockwood also appeared together in The Girl in the News. 

Verdict: Intriguing British suspense flick. ***. 

HATTER'S CASTLE

James Mason

HATTER'S CASTLE (aka A, J. Cronin's Hatter's Castle/1942). Director: Lance Comfort.

James Brodie (Robert Newton of Obsession) owns a hat shop in a small British township and not only has pretensions but an alleged connection to the peerage. The huge house he has built and can hardly afford to keep is called "Hatter's Castle" by the townspeople. Brodie takes out his anger on his dying wife (Beatrice Varley) and pretty daughter, Mary (Deborah Kerr of The Night of the Iguana), but reserves his only affection for his young son, Angus (Tony Bateman), on whom he pins his hopes. The hypocritical Brodie turns his daughter out when she becomes pregnant by his slimy clerk, Dennis (Emlyn Williams), but keeps a mistress, Nancy (Enid Stamp-Taylor), in town, whom he later hires as his housekeeper! This is Newton's picture -- James Mason [Caught] has a relatively small role as a doctor who ministers to Mrs. Brodie and falls in love with Mary despite everything that happens. Mason is excellent, as is everyone else in the cast, with Newton giving an especially strong and flavorful performance (although one could argue that at times Newton threatens to turn into a caricature of a palm-rubbing silent movie villain  -- and the movie certainly has elements of silent melodrama). Based on a novel by A. J. Cronin, Hatter's Castle is an absorbing film full of dramatic and moving incident; it moves fast and plays very well.

Verdict: Superior British melodrama with a gripping Newton, lovely Kerr and stalwart Mason. ***.