She Played With Fire

Director: Sidney Gilliat

Overview

In this complicated drama, an insurance detective uncovers a shifty art dealer's ingenious scheme but is unable to do anything about it because the crook has married the investigator's ex-girlfriend and he fears that she may be involved. The detective's dilemma continues until the dealer gets careless one day.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/01/2012
UPC:	0043396400870
Original Release:	1957
Rating:	NR
Source:	Sony Pictures Home
Language:	English
Sales rank:	61,320

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jack Hawkins	Oliver Branwell
Arlene Dahl	Sarah Moreton Branwell
Dennis Price	Tracey Moreton
Violet Farebrother	Mrs. Moreton
Malcolm Keen	Old Abercrombie,Michael Abercrombie
Patrick Holt	Fred Connor
John Robinson	Berkeley Reckitt
Michael Goodliffe	Sgt. Barnes
Martin Lane	Watson
Bernard Miles	Mr. Jerome
Christopher Lee	Charles Highbury
Greta Gynt	Vere Litchen
John Phillips	Willis Croft
Patricia Marmont	Ambrosine
Rosalind Knight	Typist
Chris Adcock	Greengrocer in Market
Joss Ambler	Barber & Curry Employee
Ian Hunter	Clive Fisher
Robert Gregory	Man Assisting Fred
Pat Hagan	Lloyd's of London Patron
Patrick Halpin	Man on Restaurant Dancefloor
William Alwyn	Composer

Technical Credits

Val Valentine

Sidney Gilliat	Producer
Frank Launder	Producer
Val Valentine	Screenwriter
John Harvel	Executive Producer
John Aldred	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

She Played With Fire is a low-key little film noir that manages to be filled with all manner of little surprises. It is, to be sure, a little light-hearted as a film noir -- it sometimes can't seem to make up its mind if it wants to be a successor to Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity or to Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes (which producer/screenwriter Frank Launder and director/producer/screenwriter Sidney Gilliat co-authored). But there are enough ominous and suspenseful moments, especially in the middle of the movie, as Jack Hawkins' character starts moving around a manor house that he doesn't realize has been set ablaze, to keep fans of the genre satisfied. And Arlene Dahl is surprisingly good in a role that keeps us guessing until two thirds of the way through. Bernard Miles makes a suitable (and sometimes comically) creepy presence as the blackmailer's agent, and Ian Hunter's smarmy presence adds a few unexpected comical touches at just the right moments, toward the end. And Jack Hawkins is completely in his element as a man whose main "flaws" are his excessive romanticism and a desire not to hurt people. Additionally, the denouement is a genuine surprise, mostly by virtue of the layer-upon-layer of plot developments thrust upon us beginning at about a third of the way into the movie. She Played With Fire is not quite a masterpiece, but it is an entertaining and enjoyable diversion from a pair of filmmakers whose output was equally steeped in comedies, thrillers, and dramas.