Rating summary
| Movie |  | 3.0 |
| Video |  | 3.5 |
| Audio | | 3.5 |
| Extras |  | 0.0 |
| Overall | | 3.0 |
She Played with Fire Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 22, 2019
Note: This film is available as part of
Noir Archive Volume 3: 1956-1960.
Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment continue their deep dive into what might be thought of as the substratum of film noir with
this
third collection culled from the Columbia catalog. The fact that this latest offering supposedly spans the years of 1956 through 1960 may give
some indication of
just how deep this particular dive is, since many film fans will probably (rightly or wrongly) feel like the late fifties and first year of the
sixties are decidedly past the heyday of film noir. (That "supposedly" is in the previous sentence because the earliest actual release date
for the films in this set seems to actually be 1957, not 1956, which perhaps makes my point even better.) Still, as with the first two collections,
there are some really interesting films in this set,
and genre aficionados will most likely find at least a few titles in this set, including some more British productions, that may well spark interest.
For an overview of the previous two releases in this series, please click on the following review links (which, like this one, will contain links of their
own pointing to reviews of the individual films in the set):
Noir Archive Volume 1: 1944-1954 Blu-
ray
review
Noir Archive Volume 2: 1954-1956 Blu-
ray
review
She Played With Fire is a kind of cheeky
double entendre of a title (as will be discussed shortly below), but this is another British
film in the third
Noir Archive set that actually had at least one alternate title, in this case
Fortune is a Woman. Both titles perhaps
hint at the
femme fatale qualities of a woman named Sarah (Arlene Dahl), but only the first title suggests that one of the plot elements of
what might be thought of as more of a traditional mystery film than an outright
film noir is that an insurance settlement involving a valuable
painting damaged in a house fire is the so-called “McGuffin”. Jack Hawkins portrays an insurance investigator named Oliver Branwell, but lest anyone
think
insurance can’t provide an intriguing basis for a film (let alone a
film noir), one of course need look no further than
Double Indemnity (though I doubt few would argue this film rises to the heights of
the Billy Wilder classic). In this instance, though, there’s a pre-existing connection
between Sarah and Oliver, one which develops even more as the film progresses and Oliver finds himself ensnared in a web at least partially of his
own making.
She Played With Fire is a nice exercise in paranoia and presumed duplicity, but its denouement is almost willfully out of left
field, and may in fact not completely hold up to logic.
She Played with Fire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
She Played With Fire is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in
1.85:1. While this presentation offers some "baked in" anomalies like inartful edits with misaligned frames, and some curious warping that shows up
during what are pretty frequent optical dissolves, for the most part this is a very pleasing looking transfer. Fine detail is especially good delivering
precise looks at some rather intricate patterns on both men's suit jackets and some of the costumes Arlene Dahl wears. Contrast is also generally solid
throughout the presentation. There are some special effects sequences, including some with optical dissolves, that are noticeably softer than the bulk
of the presentation. Flicker is occasionally evident, but never overly problematic in my estimation. My score is 3.75.
She Played with Fire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
She Played With Fire features a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track which capably supports both dialogue and the occasional voiceover and/or
narration by Jack Hawkins. William Alwyn's symphonic score which at times emphasizes some high string work also sounds clear and never overly
brash or brittle. Fidelity is fine, and there are no issues with distortion or damage.
She Played with Fire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
None of the three discs in this set feature any supplements.
She Played with Fire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
She Played With Fire has some fun mystery elements, but it might have benefited from a more convincing conclusion. Hawkins is typically
stolid as an insurance investigator perhaps discovering he's in over his head, and the film's subtext of art and arson gives the story a certain amount of
distinction. Technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.
