The Wicked Lady

The Wicked Lady is a sumptuous tale of excitement, passion, danger and deceit. Margaret Lockwood plays Barbara Skelton, who engages in treachery almost from the outset by stealing her best friend's man. It becomes clear that she is a ruthless character who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, even engaging in highway robbery to enliven her dull existence. Soon she meets a notorious highwayman, Jerry Jackson, and sparks soon begin to fly between the two outlaws! In order to preserve her secret lifestyle, all manner of wickedness ensues. Margaret Lockwood is fantastic as the selfish, devious protagonist and James Mason smolders as the dashing highwayman. This is a wicked treat not to be missed!

Not popular with the critics,and I agree the critical chorus had a certain amount of truth behind it. True, the plot is full-blown melodrama and the characters are pasteboard figures. But what does it matter? Is not extravagant plotting with all its coincidences, unlikely twists and larger than life surprises the stuff that escapist entertainment is made of? Are not players of the calibre of Mason, Lockwood, Rennie, Jones, Aylmer, Roc and Stamp Taylor sufficiently personable and charismatic to breathe life into one-dimensionally written figures? Certainly, I think so (even if Mason himself did not, although undoubtedly one of the causes of his dissatisfaction was the role's brevity).

Leslie Arliss has written and directed with verve, pace and style, his script helped by a great deal of witty additional dialogue and catty repartee, his direction aided by Jack Cox's typically moody, gray-toned photography, John Bryan's magnificent sets, Elizabeth Haffenden's eye-catching Restoration costumes. (Perhaps some of the film's enormous success at the box office can be traced to its low-cut, period gowns. It would be hard to deny that Misses Lockwood and Roc fill their costumes most attractively).

The Wicked Lady has an undeniable sweep and a vigorous dash that carries the audience right along. It may be too excitingly plotted for some, but it always looks so terribly authentic, it is hard not to be drawn into the machinations of villainess Lockwood or sympathize with the careless, carefree vigor of James Mason's full-blooded Captain Jackson. A welcome cast of deservedly popular support artists help round out the movie's terrific production values. Aside from some obvious process screen effects, no expense has been spared. In fact, this Wicked Lady is lavish to a fault.

The British cinema in the 1940s was often characterised by excessive emotional restraint, "Brief Encounter" being a good example. Although it deals with an adulterous love affair, it does so in such a stiff- upper-lip way as to dissipate the emotional impact which it might otherwise have had. Gainsborough Pictures, however, were a studio which seemed to go to the opposite extreme; their films are frequently notable not for restraint but for full-blooded melodrama. "The Madonna of the Seven Moons" from 1944 is one such film, and "The Wicked Lady" from the following year is another.

The film is based on a novel by Magdalen King-Hall, which in turn was based upon the life of a real historical individual, Lady Katherine Ferrers. Or perhaps I should say upon the legends which have grown up around Lady Katherine, as there is no evidence that she was actually guilty of the crimes which the popular imagination has attributed to her. The "Wicked Lady" of the title is here renamed Barbara Skelton. It has been suggested that the name was borrowed from the socialite and writer of the same name, but this seems doubtful as the real-life Barbara Skelton was not a particularly well-known figure when King- Hall's novel was published.

Lady Katherine died in 1660, but the story of this film is set in the 1680s. In the opening scenes Barbara seduces and subsequently marries Sir Ralph Skelton, the fiancé of her friend Caroline. Although Sir Ralph is a wealthy landowner, however, Barbara quickly becomes bored with life as the wife of a country gentleman. Her solution to the problem of boredom, however, is a rather extreme one. A notorious highwayman named Captain Jerry Jackson is operating in the area, and this gives Barbara the idea of taking up highway robbery herself, at first to recover her gambling losses but later on simply for the sake of excitement. Eventually, Barbara meets the real Jackson when both try to hold up the same coach. Intrigued by the fact that his rival is a beautiful woman, Jackson takes Barbara as his partner, and the two become lovers.

Margaret Lockwood has been described as the only sex symbol to have been created by the British cinema alone, without any help from Hollywood. (Most other British sex symbols, such as Jean Simmonds, Audrey Hepburn, Joan Collins and even Diana Dors, eventually moved to America). "The Wicked Lady" is probably the film by which she is best remembered today, and she gives a splendid performance here, both seductive and at the same time detestable. By modern standards her acting is a long way over the top, but period melodrama like this does not really call for naturalistic acting. Lovely though Margaret was, however, she has a rival for the title of "most beautiful girl in the film" in the shape of Patricia Roc who plays the naïve young Caroline. (Roc was actually 30 when the film was made, but had the sweetly innocent looks to enable her to play a 19-year-old).

James Mason is not normally thought of as a "swashbuckling" actor so might not have seemed the most natural choice to play a dashing highwayman. And yet he is very good in the role, bringing to it not only great charm but also some of the world-weariness which characterised a number of his performances. Jackson knows that his career is likely to end in his death, yet fatalistically accepts this probability. He also retains a certain sense of honour- he is, for example, very unwilling to kill those whom he robs- unlike Barbara who is completely amoral and ruthless. There is also a good contribution from Griffith Jones as Ralph, a total fool where Barbara is concerned but otherwise decent and honourable.

This was the most popular film in Britain in 1946. (It was released in 1945, but these were the days when only a limited number of prints were made, so it could take months for a film to be shown in all parts of the country). In America, however, it fell foul of the censors. What upset the Hays Office was not the fact that Barbara is guilty of adultery, robbery and murder. They were far more upset by the low-cut dresses worn by Barbara, Caroline and some of the other female characters, even though these would have been appropriate to the period. Eventually, a bowdlerised version, with several scenes re-shot, was released in America.

Today, Gainsborough melodramas like this one can come across as very dated and more than a little camp, with their exaggerated emotion and exaggeratedly black-and-white view of the world, represented here by the contrast between the evil Barbara and the saintly Caroline. Yet, for all its faults, Lockwood is spellbinding enough to make "The Wicked Lady" compulsive viewing. 7/10

That's the best British film I have ever seen, at least concerning those from the forties, which is a period that I am not particularly fond of. Margaret Lockwood is here absolutely outstanding, terrific as an evil woman who has nothing to envy from Gene Tierney's similar performance in LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN. A most possessive woman for sure. I saw it thirty years ago and I have it in my collection. That's a pure jewel, folks. British cinema industry is quite different from the US one. And many movies from this country remain to be discovered, even today.

A real must see.

This Gainsborough Picture costume drama stars Margaret Lockwood and James Mason with Lockwood playing the title role of The Wicked Lady. If you think this film bear resemblance to Forever Amber you'd be right. But Amber St.Clair is a Girl Scout next to the beautiful and treacherous Lockwood as Barbara Worth.

It all starts with Lockwood coming to live with Roc who is about to be married to the propertied and nice, but rather dull Griffith Jones. Lockwood sees security there and when she sets her cap for Jones he and Roc don't have a prayer.

But after that this minx craves excitement that Jones who is not just a landed squire, but concerned with social issues and ahead of his time that way. Lockwood after losing a precious ruby at cards then impersonates notorious highwayman James Mason and steals it back. Mason catches her and he should have obeyed his first impulse to kill her. But Lockwood uses her charms on him and the dashing Dick Turpin like highwayman is also hooked.

This film really belongs to Lockwood. I've not seen too many people as amoral as Lockwood on the screen. Beautiful and deadly this woman is the equal of other amoral females such as Jane Greer in Out Of The Past and Anne Baxter in All About Eve. Four men who trusted her meet death at her hands.

James Mason also deserves a mention. He's got quite the swagger in him as highwayman Jerry Jackson. Sad in terms of acting is competing with Lockwood who gets the woman's role of a lifetime, but he more than holds his own.

If you like Gainsborough's English costume dramas you'll love The Wicked Woman.