Cast a Dark Shadow

Cast a Dark Shadow (1955)

No woman could resist his sinister charm!

Edward "Teddy" Bare is a ruthless schemer who thinks he's hit the big time when he kills his older wife, believing he will inherit a fortune. When things don't go according to plan, Teddy sets his sights on a new victim: wealthy widow Freda Jeffries. Unfortunately for the unscrupulous criminal, Freda is much more guarded and sassy than his last wife, making separating her from her money considerably more challenging.

Date of release
1955-09-20
TMDB
6.5 / 10 (63)
Runtime
1h 23m
Genres
Thriller
Director
Lewis Gilbert

Casting

Interesting facts

Cast a Dark Shadow is a 1955 British suspense film noir directed by Lewis Gilbert and written by John Cresswell, based on the 1952 play Murder Mistaken by Janet Green. It stars Dirk Bogarde, Margaret Lockwood, Kay Walsh, Kathleen Harrison, and Robert Flemyng. The film was released on 20 September 1955, distributed by Eros Films Ltd. in the United Kingdom and Distributors Corporation of America in the United States. The story concerns a husband who murders his wife.

Production

The film was based on the play Murder Mistaken by Janet Green. Green wanted Dirk Bogarde to be in the play, but he declined, and Derek Farr played the role. When Lewis Gilbert was making The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954), he saw the play and thought it would make a good film, and he persuaded Bogarde to play the lead.

Bogarde helped get Margaret Lockwood to co-star; "I was dubious about being able to play such a character, though I liked her honesty," said Lockwood.

Filming started at Elstree Studios on 12 April 1955 under the title Naked Flame. It was Gilbert's first production for his own company.

"I think it was an interesting plot, very claustrophobic," said Gilbert. "I think it was the best thing Margaret Lockwood did. She was great in the film."

Dirk Bogarde later said, "The unwholesomeness of the hero was what was fun about it."

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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