Charles Cohen, the founder of the Cohen Film Collection, not only finances and distributes acclaimed independent films, but he also controls the rights to an impressive number of largely forgotten British films. Instead of letting them languish, Cohen has invested in bringing some of these titles to Blu-ray with stunning new transfers. The latest release is a Blu-ray double feature consisting of two modestly-budgeted murder-themed sagas. First- and most impressive- is "Cast a Dark Shadow", a 1955 noirish production with up-and-comer Dirk Bogarde in the lead role. He plays Edward Bare, a handsome and charismatic young man who, when we first meet him, is improbably newly wed to Monica (Mona Washbourne), an elderly woman with a sizable fortune who Edward dotes over and manipulates. Monica's lawyer Phillip Mortimer (Robert Flemyng) smells a rat but Monica is too delusional to believe Edward is manipulating her. When she turns up dead by "accidentally" inhaling gas fumes, Edward thinks her fortune will automatically go to him, but a legal snafu prevents it. He then sets his sights on a new victim: Freda Jefferies (Margaret Lockwood), a younger woman of means who is far more savvy in the ways of the world. Edward wines and dines her and they quickly wed but she makes it clear that her trust for her new husband doesn't extend to making him her beneficiary. When the couple has a chance encounter with Charlotte Young (Kay Walsh), a new resident in the region, Edward puts a new scheme in place- one that will involve deceiving both women in a deadly plot to enrich himself.
Under Lewis Gilbert's assured direction, Bogarde gives a terrific performance but he is more than matched by the two leading ladies, with Lockwood sensational in a BAFTA-nomiated performance as the tough-as-nails, streetwise new bride who has been marked for murder. Kathleen Harrison adds immeasurably to the merits of the film as Edward's timid, elderly maid. As with many low-budget British productions from this era, "Cast a Dark Shadow" demonstrates how the director and crew had to use necessity as the mother of invention. Gilbert manages to do a lot with very little, despite the minimum of exterior shots. John Cresswell's screenplay, based on Janet Green's modestly-successful West End production of "Murder Mistaken", presents a wealth of suspenseful moments and a good plot twist at the end. Bogarde, who was gay in real life, plays a character whose homosexuality is barely hidden. He peruses a "muscle man" magazine and suggests to newly wed Freda, for no apparent reason, that he should have a separate bedroom. Incredulous, she snaps, "I didn't get married for companionship!" Somewhat bemused, Edward resigns himself with having to rise to the occasion, even if his heart isn't in it. The film bristles with witty banter and great performances and the film is a "must see" for lovers of British cinema from this era.
The second feature, also based in London, "Wanted for Murder", is a bit more pedantic. As with "Cast a Dark Shadow", it isn't a mystery, as we know from the start who the villain is. In this case, he's Victor James Colebrook (Eric Portman), a snooty chap with a superiority complex that masks the fact that he still lives at home with his doting mother. His young girlfriend Dulcie (Anne Fielding) is enamored of him until she is swept off her feet by a younger, more dynamic man. Victor, who has been moonlighting a serial killer of young women, intends to make Dulcie his next victim as punishment for breaking off their relationship, though the script never tells us why the vibrant Dulcie would have been attracted to a ill-tempered sourpuss to begin with. There is a race against time as Scotland Yard inspector (the always-reliable Roland Culver) attempts to prove that Victor is the killer and save Dulcie in the process. Directed by Lawrence Huntington, the film moves at a brisk pace and is highly enjoyable despite some Poverty Row-type rear screen projection scenes. Performances are good and there is an impressive score by Mischa Spoliansky. As with the "Cast a Dark Shadow", the transfer is first-rate.
Bonus extras are limited to newly-created trailers for both films done in conjunction with the British Film Institute.