She Played with Fire

Director Gilliat pulls off a great film despite some loose ends that are hard to tie, as much as insurance investigator, Oliver Branwell (Jack Hawkins) tries to do it. One of them is Tricksie, the poodle pooch that appears once, then is looked for, and is not mentioned or seen again... but that is minor stuff. The really good thing is that this noir doubles very effectively as a whodunnit, in the search for the murderer of Morton (Dennis Price) and the arsonist that sets fire to the mansion. The cast is fantastic: even Bernard Miles, Christopher Lee, and Malcolm and Geoffrey Keen surface in small but high quality roles. Hawkins is as dependable and well-spoken as ever, stunning Arlene Dahl simply steals the show. Excellent cinematography by Gerald Gibbs, including recurring nightmare sequence that does much to link the action together. Recommended viewing.

Through all the rest of the film after the big fire you expect Dennis Price to turn up again with his wheezing asthma, as you suspect that's what he is doing even after he first has been found dead. You simply can't believe he is dead, just as his widow does, since there are constantly recurring signs that he isn't, for instance the dog that always favoured him and all those left cigarette butts that constantly keep turning up still smoking. The first thing that must strike you about Dennis Price's character is that you shouldn't smoke when you have asthma. Well, he does in every scene in which he appears. There are many good reasons for small chuckles of laughter at various instances of jovial good humour, maybe especially after the very last scene. They are all ordinary insurance agents trying to do their job as honestly as possible, and Jack Hawkins is the most honest of them all, although he loses his temper at times and keeps delaying or postponing coming out with the truth. It's a splendidly brilliant thriller with many odds and turns, and you never quite know where anyone stands - who could ever have suspected that most innocent and honourable person of them all? The ladies are perfectly intriguing to say the least, Greta Gynt has a small part but an appallingly efficient one. Arlene Dahl as the leading lady is perfectly convincing in all her doubted innocence, and Christopher Lee makes another unforgettable impression in his only scene with a perfectly smashing black eye. Tracey Morton (Dennis Price) must have laughed himself all through the film, especially as his death is so doubtful. In brief, this is a British noir at its best and a most enjoyable titbit for any connoisseur.

Quite an enjoyable romp that feels inspired by all that is loveable in post-war Britain. A touch of modern, a pinch of the house party, a dash of Dame Agatha, a teaspoon of the pukka sahib returning to Blighty, and a dose of hidden passion. Always a fan of a great narration, this one has quite possibly the best narrator out there in Hawkins. Don't come looking for a deep thinker, but come ready to be entertained - nostalgia for an era that you never saw combined with a bit of mystery that we all enjoy!

Director Gilliat pulls off a great film depite some loose ends that are hard to tie, as much as insurance investigator. Oliver Branwell (Jack Hawkins) tries to do it. One of them is Tricksie, the poodle pooch that appears once, then is looked for, and is not mentioned or seen again... but that is minor stuff. The really good thing is that this noir doubles very effectively as a whodunnit, in the search for the murderer of Morton (Dennis Price) and the arsonist that sets fire to the mansion. The cast is fantastic: even Bernard Miles, Christopher Lee, and Malcolm and Geoffrey Keen surface in small but high quality roles. Hawkins is as dependable and well-spoken as ever, stunning Arlene Dahl simply steals the show. Excellent cinematography by Gerald Gibbs, including recurring nightmare sequence that does much to link the action together. Recommended viewing.

It's Christmas Eve London. Insurance adjuster Oliver Branwell is sent to investigate a fire claim at a large manor. Tracey Moreton lives there with his mother and wife Sarah. Oliver and Sarah exchange knowing looks. They have history. It's a British noir mystery thriller. The acting is a little old school melodramatic when they do the dramatic turns. I like the back and forth with the suspicion. There is some fine paranoid thriller material. It's pretty good.

I always love to see Greta Gynt - and her sarcastic nasal voice comes through at times here, though she is pretending to be "a lady", oddly named Mrs Litchen. We switch from cramped London offices and Branwell's inconvenient London flat to "Lowes Manor" - first seen as a Gothic painting with many too many chimneys. The interior is to match. It seems left over from the 30s and 40s - did people have a fantasy of owning such a manor, which surely had ghosts and priest's holes? Branwell, the loss adjuster (I like these plots) begins to suspect a fraud being worked by his ex-girlfriend's new husband Mr Moreton, played by Dennis Price. There's a prolonged scene as Branwell prowls around the darkened manor, finding copies of old masters which are due to go up in flames, and - apparently - Moreton's corpse. Branwell and Mrs Moreton (Dahl) rush off and get married, but they seem to be haunted by Moreton's misdeeds. Dahl must return the insurance payout but plot devices stand in her way. There are dark hints that Moreton is still alive, that another perished in the flames. Sadly, this is not so - I hate to lose Dennis Price. Of course it all ends happily. Another bonus is a view of the genuine Lloyds of London, following antiquated procedures.

Engaging, Entertaining Mystery from a Top-Notch British Film-Crew with some Outstanding Dark and Fluid Cinematography, Direction and Acting. Jack Dawkins and Arlene Dahl Headline this Plot-Twister that has Elements of a Late Film-Noir that Keeps Viewers Guessing while Unreeling some Dark Gothic Imagery. The Ending has been Criticized as a Letdown, but Getting there is an Intense Atmosphere of Romanticism and Crime. Doesn't quite Attain Hitchcock Level of Suspense but it's a Darn Good Try. Good Supporting Actors Help the Dialog Heavy and Talky Tale Keeps You On-Your-Toes. The Film is a Sleek Production that has the British Film Industry Firing on All Cylinders. "She Played With Fire" is the American Title and "Fortune is a Woman" was the Original. Nobody seemed to Like Either One. Definitely Worth a Watch for Fans of American Film-Noir and Sleek Studio Movie-Making at its Finest.

SHE PLAYED WITH FIRE is a fine British crime thriller with less emphasis on plot and more emphasis on atmosphere than usual for this genre. The dependable Jack Hawkins plays an insurance investigator looking into a mysterious fire, only to end up coming face to face with a woman from his past. He gradually gets drawn into a murkier and murkier plot involving blackmail, arson, and murder, and the story keeps you involved from that point. Hawkins is a fine presence in 1950s cinema and he's very effective here, his presence bolstered by some well-chosen supporting actors including Dennis Price, Geoffrey Keen, Bernard Miles, Patrick Holt and a briefly-spotted Christopher Lee.

A good thriller which features Jack Hawkins investigating a fire which involves a former love (the gorgeous Arlene Dahl ) who married the owner of a desirable mansion who deals with shady business (he would be broke ,and he would sell his paintings he replaces with fakes ). After a (criminal) fire, the investigator thinks he might have fallen for a femme fatale ( there's a brief shot of a smiling Dahl after the fire when Hawkins is still unconscious:short but impressive ) ; and there are shades of the French classic "les diaboliques" (1955) : is the husband who's supposed to have perished in the fire really dead? And an unexpected ending ,as far the whodunit is concerned.