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Cast a Dark Shadow (1955)
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Overview
User Rating:
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Director:
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Release Date:
28 January 1957 (Denmark)
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Plot:
A clever fortune-hunter with a penchant for murder does in his elderly, supposedly rich, wife and manages to get away with it...
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| Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
Murder
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Singer
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Psychopath
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Waitress
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Based On Play
Awards:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.
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User Reviews:
Unusually Cynical
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Cast
(in credits order) (verified as complete) | Dirk Bogarde | ... | Edward Bare |
 | Margaret Lockwood | ... | Freda Jeffries |
| Kay Walsh | ... | Charlotte Young |
| Kathleen Harrison | ... | Emmie |
| Robert Flemyng | ... | Phillip Mortimer |
| Mona Washbourne | ... | Monica Bare |
| Philip Stainton | ... | Charlie Mann |
| Walter Hudd | ... | The Coroner |
| Lita Roza | ... | Singer |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Myrtle Reed | ... | Waitress (uncredited) |
Directed by | |||
| Lewis Gilbert | |||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| John Cresswell | ||
| Janet Green | play "Murder Mistaken" | |
Produced by | |||
| Daniel M. Angel | .... | executive producer | |
| Herbert Mason | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Antony Hopkins | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Jack Asher | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Gordon Pilkington | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| John Stoll | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Julie Harris | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Gerry Fairbank | .... | makeup artist | |
| Doris Pollard | .... | hair stylist | |
Production Management | |||
| Victor Lyndon | .... | production manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Denis Johnson | .... | assistant director | |
Sound Department | |||
| Dave Howells | .... | sound recordist | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Harry Gillam | .... | camera operator | |
Music Department | |||
| Antony Hopkins | .... | orchestra director | |
Other crew | |||
| Daniel M. Angel | .... | presenter | |
| Shirley Barnes | .... | continuity | |
Production CompaniesDistributors
- Eros Films (1955) (UK) (theatrical)
- Distributors Corporation of America (DCA) (1957) (USA) (theatrical)
- International Film Distributors (1956) (Canada) (theatrical)
- Madacy Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
Additional Details
Also Known As:
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
82 min
Country:
Language:
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Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
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Filming Locations:
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Soundtrack:
Merry And BrightSee more »
FAQ
Is 'Cast a Dark Shadow' based on a book?What is 'Cast a Dark Shadow' about?
How does the movie end?
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Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Cast a Dark Shadow (1955)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Inspiration for Sybil Fawlty? | awaywithwords |
| Anyone notice... | LCShackley |
| eros film | danielj_old999 |
| Scrooge's housekeeper | LCShackley |
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| IMDb Thriller section | IMDb UK section |
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Margaret Lockwood is so good as the hardened widow Mrs. Jeffries, it's almost scary. Those initial encounters between her and Bare (Bogarde) are like two sharks searching for a soft spot. Seldom has a courtship been more cynically reduced to a conjugation of bank balances than in this bleak little exercise. I love that tacky seaside club where they first meet with its empty tables and off-key musicians that reeks of faded gentility. Bogarde is all oily charm and greed, while Lockwood has seen it all, yet somewhere still wants to believe. Their prickly coupling is to marriage what he Hitler-Stalin pact was to peace treaties. Certainly, no one can accuse the writers of loading up with sympathetic characters. In fact, only the pathetic housekeeper Emmie invites empathy—Kathleen Harrison in a slyly bravura performance.
In my book, the movie's an excellent little thriller up to the point where the screenplay has Bogarde go bonkers. To that point, he's been all cold calculation and self-possession, an impressive study in ruthless boyish charm. However, by suddenly collapsing that cold confidence into a blubbering psychotic, the screenplay undercuts both the character menace and the dramatic tension. I'm just wondering whether some watchdog group insisted that the character be exposed as a weakling in order to undercut Bogarde's appeal as a villain. However that may be, the movie remains an atmospheric, well-mounted little thriller, unusually well acted.