A Fortuna é Mulher

I saw this film when a child and it has haunted me ever since, mainly because of the very dark and disturbing dream sequences experienced by the insurance investigator played by Jack Hawkins.

These are typically Sidney Gilliat with glimpses of vignettes - a technique he has used elsewhere as in his later underrated thriller Endless Night. Brilliantly conceived.

As a previous reviewer has commented, the film captures London from the 50's very well - a London I remember as a kid so seeing it again by accident on afternoon TV recently was a nostalgic experience. A great old movie which should be on DVD.

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.

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.

Oliver Branwell (Jack Hawkins) is an insurance investigator. One of the cases he's assigned to brings Oliver a HUGE surprise...the claimant's wife is Sarah (Arlene Dahl)...a woman who disappeared out of his life some time ago. Later, Oliver has reason to suspect that Sarah and her husbands are crooks and they've sold cheap copies of paintings in their collection...keeping the originals. But before he can do anything, the evidence goes up in smoke when the manor home where Sarah and her husband had lived burns down...and Oliver nearly burns with it. While escaping from the fire, he discovers the body of Sarah's husband...and Oliver assumes he's been used. But because he is worried about exposing Sarah's possible crimes, he removes himself from the case. What's next? Well, a lot, as this only takes you to the middle of the story.

This is a VERY confusing film, so when you watch...watch carefully. Otherwise you'll find yourself going back to various portions to see them again so you can understand what has happened. The writing could have been better in this regard and the confusion is due to the writing...as the finale really didn't make a ton of sense. Otherwise, the acting is very good and the film is worth your time.

Jack Hawkins is Oliver, an insurance adjuster who runs into a past love (Arlene Dahl) while on a case in "She Played with Fire."

While checking on a claim of fire in a mansion owned by Tracey Moredon (Dennis Price), he learns that Moredon has married his girlfriend, Sarah, from five years ago.

Later he discovers that a valuable painting ruined in the fire was actually sold to someone else. He later finds Moredon dead and suspects Sarah.

Decent noir with some gothic horror touches, with a nice performance from flirtatious Greta Gynt.

A neat twist at the end. A final note: my friend, Jack Larson, who knew everyone, said that of s the gorgeous women in Hollywood, Dahl was the most stunning.

3 likesJack Hawkins is Oliver, an insurance adjuster who runs into a past love (Arlene Dahl) while on a case in "She Played with Fire."

While checking on a claim of fire in a mansion owned by Tracey Moredon (Dennis Price), he learns that Moredon has married his girlfriend, Sarah, from five years ago.

Later he discovers that a valuable painting ruined in the fire was actually sold to someone else. He later finds Moredon dead and suspects Sarah.

Decent noir with some gothic horror touches, with a nice performance from flirtatious Greta Gynt.

A neat twist at the end. A final note: my friend, Jack Larson, who knew everyone, said that of s the gorgeous women in Hollywood, Dahl was the most stunning.

3 likesJack Hawkins is Oliver, an insurance adjuster who runs into a past love (Arlene Dahl) while on a case in "She Played with Fire."

While checking on a claim of fire in a mansion owned by Tracey Moredon (Dennis Price), he learns that Moredon has married his girlfriend, Sarah, from five years ago.

Later he discovers that a valuable painting ruined in the fire was actually sold to someone else. He later finds Moredon dead and suspects Sarah.

Decent noir with some gothic horror touches, with a nice performance from flirtatious Greta Gynt.

A neat twist at the end. A final note: my friend, Jack Larson, who knew everyone, said that of s the gorgeous women in Hollywood, Dahl was the most stunning.