Cast a Dark Shadow

1955

1 hr. 24 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

List

86%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

63%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

Edward "Teddy" Bare (Dirk Bogarde) is a ruthless schemer who thinks he's hit the big time when he kills his older wife (Mona Washbourne), believing he will inherit a fortune. When things don't go according to plan, Teddy sets his sights on a new victim: wealthy widow Freda Jeffries (Margaret Lockwood). Unfortunately for the unscrupulous criminal, Freda is much more guarded and sassy than his last wife, making separating her from her money considerably more challenging.

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Tamara K

I love movies where the evil murderer dies.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/06/24

Full Review

Nathan A

The acting is spotless with resonating strength but the ending in the story does not make sense since the car the manipulative murderer dies and goes over the quarry with is the same car that he not only fixed some time earlier but also the car in which he cut the brake lines or the sister to the murder victim. It would have made much more sense to keep in line with the twists in the plot that he should have taken off in the car from the lawyer and turn the car around as with the plot twist by accident the brake lines would not work as well and then go over into the quarry instead of thinking this person in the heat of the moment forgot it all and had gone completely mad. This will not get full marks since it is based on a play.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Bogarde is not the charmer he is supposed to be in this film, as his sinister glances dominate most of the scenes. That said, the story doesn't work very well. Nice production, though.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

martin a

Dirk Bogarde is fantastic in this as a deranged man who kills his older wife for her money but the fortune gets left to her sister. He then remarries but this wife is wiser and his first wife's sister comes back to find out the truth and convict the killer. Great stuff!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

joe m

Decent suspense film set in contemporary 1950s England where a ne'er do well cad is too smart for his own good after killing his older, refined first wife and then looking to rectify his mistake with similar plans with his not as old and not as refined second wife. Bogarde is good as the lead, yet Lockwood is really something else as the sassy, no nonsense Freda who becomes the second Mrs Bare. Rest of the cast makes the film come together.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It was unbelievable that the women in this movie did not know immediately what Mr. Bare was... a creep of the first order! Figuring him out as a murderer may well have taken a bit longer. Need theatrical trick with Ms. "Young". Cliche ending was irritating.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

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Lewis Gilbert

Director

Dirk Bogarde

Edward "Teddy" Bare

Margaret Lockwood

Freda Jeffries

Kathleen Harrison

Emmie

Kay Walsh

Charlotte Young

Robert Flemyng

Phillip Mortimer

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Roger Moore

Movie Nation

Wastes no character, no scene and no screen time in its dash from the earliest plotting to the dastardly undoings, a thriller worthy of (lesser) Hitchcock but directed with plenty of panache by the filmmaker who gave us "You Only Live Twice" and "Alfie."

Rated: 3/4

Feb 2, 2024

Full Review

James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

The narrative drags a bit in the middle, but Bogarde is always on hand to inject some nasty energy

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 19, 2021

Full Review

Christopher Lloyd

The Film Yap

This moody British film noir with Dirk Bogarde as a cunning killer of wives is now out in a terrific new Blu-ray edition.

Rated: 4/5

May 3, 2021

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The ending could be stronger, but Margaret Lockwood is a standout.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 30, 2021

Full Review

Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

A solid little murder thriller from Britain.

Nov 7, 2019

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jul 14, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

Edward "Teddy" Bare (Dirk Bogarde) is a ruthless schemer who thinks he's hit the big time when he kills his older wife (Mona Washbourne), believing he will inherit a fortune. When things don't go according to plan, Teddy sets his sights on a new victim: wealthy widow Freda Jeffries (Margaret Lockwood). Unfortunately for the unscrupulous criminal, Freda is much more guarded and sassy than his last wife, making separating her from her money considerably more challenging.

Director: Lewis Gilbert
Executive Producer: Daniel M Angel
Screenwriter: John Cresswell
Production Co: Angel Productions
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (DVD): Apr 1, 2011

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