My First Dirk Bogarde Experience

Thanks to my new friend over at Silents and Talkies, Kate Gabrielle has introduced me to the wonderful world of actor Dirk Bogarde. She actually sent out free DVD copies of her Bogarde collection to anyone who requested one. I chose The Woman In Question and I eagerly await it's arrival. As I told Kate the other day, I actually came across a Dirk movie that I had recorded on my DVR a while back called Cast A Dark Shadow (1950). I forgot I even had it on my machine. I sat down to watch it and was thoroughly enthralled by it.

In this terrific thriller Dirk is cast as Edward Bare, a clever fortune hunter who, kills his elderly wife, and actually gets away with the crime. But he is shocked to learn that his wife did not change her will to provide him with all her wealth, much to the delight of her lawyer. Edward gets the estate home but all the money goes to his wife's sister who lives in Jamaica. So now desperate for money, Edward meets up with a new woman, the tell like it is Freda Jeffries (played by the wonderful Margaret Lockwood of Hitchcock's 1938 classic The Lady Vanishes (my favorite Hitch film by the way). Freda is a recent widower herself and before you know it, she and Edward are married. But Freda quickly lays down the law that her money is her money and Edward has his. Of course Edward is broke and is now desperate. He eventually meets another woman named Charlotte Young (played by Kay Walsh) who is not all she seems to be. Edward takes a fancy to her much to the dismay of Freda.

In the meantime laywer Philip Mortimer is keeping close tabs of Edward, hoping to catch him in a mistake. All things will converge in a splendid climax involving Edward bragging about how he did kill his first wife and got away with it. I won't spoil the ending for anyone who hasn't seen it yet but it packs a punch. Dirk Bogarde is phenomenal in this movie. He is suave, calculating, smart, and a real ladies man. He radiates as much charm as he does disgust. As I had mentioned to Kate, I had only seen Dirk in only one other film, the ensemble military epic A Bridge To Far. This is the first time I've seen a film where Dirk is front and center and I was very impressed with his performance. I can't wait to watch more of his films now. That's the cool thing about blogging and networking, you get to meet new people who show you new things or ideas. Thanks Kate. And to my followers, check out Kate's site Silents and Talkies. It's one of the best out there. Click on this post title and it will take you directly to Kate's blog.