...in the mind of a scheming woman. She doesn't start out as evil as the ruthless murderess in "The Wicked Lady", but Margaret Lockwood's Hester is formidable nonetheless. She is a pauper hired on as a junior teacher who creates scandal at a girl's school while befriending highbrow Phyllis Calvet, a student who marries a wealthy Lord (James mason) for convenience yet who remains strangely unfulfilled as a wealthy wife and neglectful mother. When she runs into Lockwood at a performance of "Othello" (which Lockwood is appearing in), she invites her to come to her country home as her companion, and Lockwood, getting over a miserable short-lived marriage, sets her sights on becoming Mason's mistress. Calvet falls in love with Lockwood's "Othello" co-star (Stewart Granger) while warnings from gypsy Beatice Varley curse the women's friendship, leading into much turmoil and a shocking finale.
This costume variation of "Old Acquaintance" doesn't apologize for its less than noble characters, giving us a look into the minds of the nobility of a supposed romantic age that here comes off as anything but. Lockwood gets to start off subtle, build up melodramatic emotion as she goes forward, and finally become so evil you may find herself hissing her. Calvet isn't some wimpy Gothic heroine here; She gives out as good as she gets, which unfortunately isn't strong enough to beat her supposed friend or rascal husband, played by Mason in a delightful moody performance. The only weak link in this strong chain is the presence of young Hary Scott, obviously in blackface, playing an Indian youth, based more on the audacity of his casting rather than his performance.
This costume variation of "Old Acquaintance" doesn't apologize for its less than noble characters, giving us a look into the minds of the nobility of a supposed romantic age that here comes off as anything but. Lockwood gets to start off subtle, build up melodramatic emotion as she goes forward, and finally become so evil you may find herself hissing her. Calvet isn't some wimpy Gothic heroine here; She gives out as good as she gets, which unfortunately isn't strong enough to beat her supposed friend or rascal husband, played by Mason in a delightful moody performance. The only weak link in this strong chain is the presence of young Hary Scott, obviously in blackface, playing an Indian youth, based more on the audacity of his casting rather than his performance.