So Evil My Love is a well made, and very well acted, crime-drama-romance headed by Ray Milland, playing a scummy charmer, and Ann Todd going from innocent to criminal in no time, yet still works.
So Evil My Love
(1948)
Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller, Drama, Crime
Kino Lorber | NR – 109 min. – $24.95 | February 9, 2021
Date Published: 01/25/2021 | Author: The Movieman
|
|
|||||||||||
Kino Lorber provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3¾/5 |
|
Plot Synopsis: In the late 19th century, English widow Olivia Harwood (ANN TODD) meets Mark Bellis (RAY MILLAND), a charming-but-dangerous criminal who’s renting a room in her boarding house. Hopelessly in love with a man who is playing her for a fool, Olivia soon descends into a life of crime as Mark persuades her to steal from her friend Susan Courtney (GERALDINE FITZGERALD), the wife of a wealthy peer. Discovering a pocket of scandalous letters that could ruin the Courtneys socially, Olivia blindly follows the scoundrel’s biddings, leading down a path of blackmail and murder. Quick Hit Review: So Evil My Love is a well made crime-drama-romance that does a great job, in large part to the performances by both Ray Milland and Ann Todd, showing the quick descent of a once proud, innocent woman down the path to criminality, starting with simply swindling a small amount from a friend to downright murder(s) at the end. This is actually my second film starring Ray Milland following The Lost Weekend and he does a fine job playing a charismatically sleazy charmer, and almost has a Jimmy Stewart vibe, and here, opposite Todd, work so well with one another. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2/5 |
|
Features include an Audio Commentary with Imogen Sara Smith and the Theatrical Trailer (2:08). Smith’s commentary track, like most from film historians, is akin to a class lesson on the era at large and then specifics on the actors, directors and their respective careers, plus the themes of the film. Although I prefer at least two commentators to keep the conversation flowing, Smith holds her own and does offer good insights into the project. |
VIDEO – 4½/5 |
| Kino Lorber releases So Evil My Love, marking its Blu-ray debut, where its presented in its original full frame 1.37 aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer, taken from a new 2K scan of the negative. For the most part it is a good looking picture, detail is sharp and the black and white is fairly well balanced, though some scenes did look a tad soft. There was also a good amount of scratches and general film damage that permeates throughout, so not an entirely pristine picture. That being said, I assume this is a superior transfer compared with its original DVD release and as 70+ year old films go, it’s still impressive enough. |
AUDIO – 4¼/5 |
| The movie comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track and, save for some minor pops and hisses, which was especially noticeable in only one scene, this is a solid lossless track. Dialogue comes across with good clarity and even with the limited channels, some okay depth for the kind of film this is. |
OVERALL – 3½/5 |
|
So Evil My Love is a well made, and very well acted, crime-drama-romance headed by Ray Milland, playing a scummy charmer, and Ann Todd going from innocent to criminal in no time, yet still works. This Blu-ray released by Kino Lorber has good video and audio transfers with limited bonus material, though the commentary is worth a listen. |