Rent She Played with Fire (1957)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Insurance inspector Oliver Branwell (Jack Hawkins) arrives at Lowis Manor to investigate a fire that broke out there on Christmas Eve. He rings the bell and to his amazement he is face-to-face with Sarah (Arlene Dahl), the woman he once loved in Hong Kong and who one day disappeared from his life for no apparent reason. Love resurfaces and when Tracey (Dennis Price), the owner of the manor and Sarah's husband, dies in a second fire, the couple is reunited. Nevertheless, Oliver suspects Sarah of having tricked him and murdered Tracey with a view to attaining her ends. Fortunately his suspicions are allayed and he can marry Sarah and they are very happy - until a blackmailer starts to prey on them. - Actors:
- Jack Hawkins, Arlene Dahl, Dennis Price, Violet Farebrother, Ian Hunter, Malcolm Keen, Geoffrey Keen, Patrick Holt, John Robinson, Michael Goodliffe, Martin Lane, Bernard Miles, Christopher Lee, Greta Gynt, John Phillips, Patricia Marmont, John Adams, Chris Adcock, Joss Ambler, Jack Armstrong
- Directors:
- Sidney Gilliat
- Producers:
- Sidney Gilliat, Frank Launder
- Writers:
- Sidney Gilliat, Frank Launder, Val Valentine, Winston Graham
- Aka:
- Fortune Is a Woman
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 15/12/2025
- Run Time:
- 95 minutes
- Languages:
- English Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Two presentations of 'She Played with Fire': with the original UK title sequence; and with the US titles
- Audio commentary with film historians Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby on 'Fortune Is a Woman' (2025)
- The BEHP Interview with Anthony Mendleson (1993): archival audio recording, featuring the 'Fortune Is a Woman' costume designer in conversation with Linda Wood and Dave Robson
- The Guardian Lecture with Ivor Montagu (1977): archival audio recording of a lecture delivered by the 'Fortune Is a Woman' screenwriter at the National Film Theatre, London on the subject of Lenin and cinema
- This Little Ship (1953): 'Fortune Is a Woman' star Jack Hawkins narrates this documentary about the UK's first nuclear weapons test
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- World and UK premieres on Blu-ray
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Reviews (1) of She Played with Fire
Posh Noir. - She Played with Fire review by Steve
Dreamy psychological noir (adapted from a novel by Winston Graham) which is obviously inspired by Alfred Hitchcock. And that includes the casting of a cool, elegant blonde in Arlene Dahl as a mysterious femme fatale who may be sizing up a stolid insurance man and old flame (Jack Hawkins) for the role of fall guy.
This is a hooky melodrama which grips all the way, so it scarcely matters that the labyrinthine plot rests heavily on coincidence. Dahl is a Hollywood star cast for the export market, but brings ambiguity, and looks great. She might feel reminiscent of Kim Novak in Vertigo, except this was out a year earlier!
Perhaps Hawkins isn't ideal in a romantic role, and he fluffs the sexy banter. But he is at least a believable insurance man... In Hollywood, the film noir cycle was coming to an end, but this deep, hazy, convoluted conundrum shows just how resilient are its motifs...
Launder and Gilliat load the dialogue with fatalistic poetry and pessimistic wisecracks, augmented by an ominous narration by Hawkins. And there's expressionist photography, including some eye-popping point-of-view shots and dream sequences. This isn't as auspicious as a '50s Hitchcock film, but still an effective, exciting UK alternative.