Fortune Is a Woman Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Fortune Is a Woman Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 25, 2026

Sidney Gilliat's "She Played with Fire" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby; archival audio program with dress designer Anthony Mendleson; shot film; and collection of vintage promotional materials. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Is it real?

She Played with Fire a.k.a. Woman Is a Fortune should have been a bigger and better film. Even though the material it works with is predictable, it produces two good relationships, both linking to situations that a proper film noir requires. Unfortunately, Sidney Gilliat, who penned and directed She Played with Fire, moves through these situations in the least exciting manner possible to reach a most conventional finale. Needless to say, just a couple of witty twists could have made a substantial difference.

In London, veteran insurance agent Oliver Branwell (Jack Hawkins) is asked to assist with a case involving several valuable classic paintings destroyed during a fire in a lavish Victorian mansion somewhere on the outskirts of the city. Shortly after, Branwell arrives at the mansion and meets Tracey Morton (Dennis Price), a young aristocrat battling persistent asthma, whose active insurance policy with his employer is worth a small fortune. Before he begins following protocol, however, Branwell makes a shocking discovery. He must question the man who has married his gorgeous old flame, Sarah (Arlene Dahl), who looks exactly as he recalls her.

While gathering information about the insured paintings, Branwell and his old flame pretend to be strangers. Satisfied with the information that is presented to him, Branwell then approves an insurance payment. However, in the days ahead, Branwell makes yet another shocking discovery. One of the supposedly destroyed paintings turns up with a wealthy American collector and popular bachelor, who confirms that it was sold to him by a beautiful woman like Branwell’s old flame. Naturally, Branwell begins to suspect that he is dealing with fraudsters, but after secretly reconnecting with his old flame, his theory falls apart. The Victorian mansion is set ablaze, and Morton dies in it.

The middle part, which is the largest, is where the limitations of She Played with Fire are most evident. Here, Gilliat’s screenplay unites Hawkins and Dahl and forces them to become participants in an ineffective whodunit. As their relationship evolves, the screenplay then slowly eliminates the probable scenarios that could have led to Morton’s death, producing plenty of chatter and not so much of the great atmosphere a big film noir would have created.

Ironically, it is also the middle part that reveals how much better She Played with Fire could have been. For example, Hawkins and Dahl are wonderful together and easily make their characters look legitimate. Also, the evolution of their relationship becomes quite a bit more interesting than the puzzle they are trying to solve.

Ultimately, it is awfully difficult not to think of She Played with Fire as another one of the many British B-films that attracted American stars to strengthen the reputation of postwar British cinema. It has an identity of its own, but it feels like a promotional piece, building confidence in an efficient yet underwhelmingly safe manner.

Gilliat was paired with director of photography Gerald Gibbs, who, less than a decade later, lensed Station Six-Sahara, one of Carroll Baker’s hottest films.

Fortune Is a Woman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.75:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, She Played with Fire arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from an older, somewhat uneven master, supplied by Sony Pictures. While some parts of the film produce visuals that could benefit from various small but meaningful cosmetic adjustments, I would describe its overall appearance as very good. All visuals, including the ones that reveal small age-related imperfections and inconsistencies, have good organic qualities. Also, I did not see any traces of filtering, sharpening, contrast boosting, etc. A brand new 2K or 4K master will undoubtedly introduce a more even grain field, but I do not think that delineation, clarity, and depth will be dramatically improved. The grayscale is very nicely manages as well. In a few places, shadow nuances and reflections could be more convincing, but even there I did not observe any distracting anomalies. Small stability enhancements can be introduced. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Fortune Is a Woman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release:English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is good. All exchanges are clear and easy to follow. However, in a few areas, extremely light background hiss occasionally sneaks in. It is never distracting, but it is impossible to ignore, so if in the future the audio is redone, it will be addressed. Dynamic contrasts are very modest. However, given the nature of the production, this should not be surprising.

Fortune Is a Woman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by critics Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby.

• Anthony Mendleson - presented here is an archival BEHP audio interview with dress designer Anthony Mendleson.

• Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for She Played with Fire.

• This Little Ship (1953) - this short films was produced by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, and is narrated by Jack Hawkins. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Remastered. (12 min).

• Book - a 120-page book with new essays by Jonathan Bygraves, Andrew Spicer, Pamela Hutchinson, Robert Murphy, Chloe Walker, and Bethan Roberts; an archival on-set report for A Prize of Gold; extracts from The Last Man to Hang's pressbook; collected archival interviews with Wicked as They Come director Ken Hughes; an American Cinematographer report on The Long Haul; a reprint of a Films and Filming article on Fortune Is a Woman filmmakers Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder; new writing on A Test for Love and This Little Ship; and film credits.

Fortune Is a Woman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Arlene Dahl and Jack Hawkins have both appeared in much bigger and better films. They look good together, but She Played with Fire is just another one of the many British B-films that attracted American stars to strengthen the reputation of postwar British cinema. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release is sourced from an older, somewhat uneven, but still pretty good master, supplied by Sony Pictures. It is included in Columbia Noir #7: Made in Britain, a six-disc box set. RECOMMENDED.