User reviews

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!

At the end of World War II the U.K. Gainsborough Studios had a very fine reputation based on the production of a long string of successful films, and backed by a list of very well known performers on whom they could call. November 1945 saw the release of "The Wicked Lady" - a film version of a historical novel by Magdalen King Hall which featured four of their major stars, with Margaret Lockwood in the title role supported by Jean Kent, James Mason and Patricia Roc. Initially this film was panned by many of the critics, but it was immensely successful at the U.K. box office and has now certainly achieved the status of a major black and white classic. I first saw it at quite a young age soon after it was released, and (perhaps largely because of my impressionable age) thought it must be one of the most sexy films ever released. However a few years later I saw it again and this confirmed my first impression. Margaret Lockwood was a great actress who participated in some 50 films during a career which spanned over more than 40 years. The Wicked Lady was a mid-career film made at a time when she was at the peak of her powers and she gave a memorable, if chilling, performance in the part of Lady Barbara Skelton The performances of her co-stars were perhaps not quite so memorable, but this was largely because the premise of both the book and the film was that the wicked lady had a very much stronger character than anyone else with whom she interacted, and it would be hard to seriously fault any of the acting.

For some reason this film never achieved comparable success in the U.S.A. Because the meticulously recreated seventeenth century costumes used for the original version displayed too much décolletage for the Hayes office, it was re-filmed a year after it was first released with modified costumes, specifically designed for the U.S. market. According to IMDb, Universal Pictures were the U.S. distributors; but the film does not seem to be widely known and may only have received a very limited distribution - IMDb do not even list a U.S. rating for this film. Thirty eight years later the film was remade under the same title in colour, with Faye Dunaway in the title role. As is so often the case in such circumstances I found the original version to be very much more memorable, but unfortunately it has now become very difficult to purchase in a form suitable for home viewing. A DVD in PAL format has been released in Europe, but I do not think it was ever produced in NTSC format - one hopes this was not because of continuing concern about the necklines.

This year is the sixtieth anniversary of the original film (which was never released in the United States) and I am now submitting these comments to IMDb to suggest that the anniversary provides an ideal opportunity to release a North American DVD version of it. Many classic black and white films have been released on DVD in this way during the past few years and "The Wicked Lady" would be a worthy addition to this list. Some of the listed prices for such releases tend to be rather high, suggesting that large sales of monochrome films are not expected today. If this is a concern the original version of the film could probably be paired with the 1983 colour remake in a double release which would provide viewers interested in the development of the modern cinema with an excellent opportunity to compare the film making techniques of two very different periods.

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.

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.

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

The mid 40s were definitely the richest years for Gainsborough films - Madonna Of The Seven Moons, Love Story, Caravan, The Magic Bow, Millions Like Us, 2000 Women, The Man In Grey, Fanny By Gaslight, and the enticingly thrilling Wicked Lady. Of the main six Gainsborough players, four grace the screen in this latest - Lockwood, Mason, Roc and Kent (Calvert and Granger sitting out). Let's talk about Miss Jean Kent for a moment. Not the main character in The Wicked Lady, but her small part as Jackson's "Doxy" was integral to the plot and to Barbara's actions. Since I've seen the movie, I've noticed a fair bit of dispute over Kent's billing. On the box for the video, she was billed 5th - not bad! At this site, she's last. At the beginning of the movie, she was 8th, and at the end of the movie in the "full" credits list, she didn't even get a mention. Perhaps she was so highly billed on the box just because she *was* Jean Kent, and if some unknown girl had played her part, they would have remained in obscurity forever. The part of Doxy is not dissimilar to her Vittoria from Madonna Of The Seven Moons - the "other woman", the lover of the male lead, who eventually drives the female lead to murder. Though Barbara (Wicked Lady) was obviously a lot more jealous of Kent's charms than Rosanna (Seven Moons) was, and Rosanna's murder was because she thought her Nino was with another woman that wasn't her or Vittoria.

But I digress. The Wicked Lady is a fantastic movie, and it's understandable how it was the highest grosser of the above mentioned. Margaret Lockwood is purely wicked, not even loveable, as Barbara, but she's thoroughly exciting and if you don't hate her you at least have to admire her spunk. 30 year old Patricia Roc is perfectly cast as 19 year old Caroline, all sweetness and innocence, trying to believe for as long as possible that her cousin Barbara is the nice, friendly playmate she had as a child. Barbara comes to visit at the time of Caroline's impending wedding, and it's not long before she's stolen the fiancee and married him herself. And that isn't the worst that the Lady Skelton does - not by a long shot!

I read in Miss Lockwood's autobiography that they had to reshoot the entire film a year later with the only change being higher necklines because their low-cut dresses were deemed far too inappropriate for the censors to allow them an American release. After seeing the original version of the movie, I can see why a few old stuffies might have been a bit shocked - the entire movie absolutely sizzles, and the abundance of cleavage doesn't help cool it down. And that's another reason why I give this 10/10 - it's just too darn HOT! ;-)

Judging by the IMDb ratings breakdown for this film, sixty years after its production it remains very much "a women's movie" with female opinion rating it vastly higher than the male across every age group; fascinating to see how the divide still lingers! For my own part, I've always enjoyed the Gainsborough melodramas, and this is probably the best of them thanks to its wonderfully acerbic script.

This style of film is basically the screen equivalent of the classic paperback 'bodice-ripper', with heaving bosoms, witty ripostes and dastardly deeds a-plenty -- which probably accounts for the sex divide. On the other hand, I'd have thought it had a good deal to appeal to the average male viewer... Frankly, I'm not surprised that this picture fell foul of the American censors (a fate shared with various other dramas set in morally dubious eras) in the 1940s: it's not just a matter of the amount of cleavage on display or of the protagonist's flagrantly shocking morals (since these are rewarded in appropriate fashion), but of the racy tinge to a lot of the dialogue.

I think it's the dialogue that makes this film really shine. Where "The Man in Grey" has a tendency to moralise or lumber, "The Wicked Lady" has a sparkling streak of humour almost throughout; watching it in the cinema, you realise for the first time just how many laughs there are as they sweep across the audience. But it also benefits from a galaxy of strong female stars, from the minor parts to the two leading roles: Patricia Roc pulls off the difficult trick of making her gentle, idealistic character both sympathetic and believable when faced with the formidable opposition of Margaret Lockwood's beautiful, amoral Barbara. Barbara as anti-heroine almost takes over the film, and manages to attract our sympathies to the extent that we find ourselves willing her deception of old Hogarth to succeed -- but ultimately she goes too far. Too far for Jerry Jackson, and too far for this viewer at least to feel anything but vicarious satisfaction as her 'bittersweet' ending turns entirely bitter. The Wicked Lady is bad -- bad to the bone.

My main gripe with the film, ironically, is with the happy outcome as shown, after the high emotions and dark ironies that have led up to the finale. I don't hold any grudge against the lovers at all -- it's obvious that all is going to turn out well once the truth is out in the open, and I'm all in favour of their union -- but the way that it is heavy-handedly interjected into the final frames of the picture creates a virtually bathetic anti-climax. That particular outcome really might have been taken for granted, rather than pasted on thickly at precisely the wrong moment...

Wicked Lady is quite the racy little melodrama! For its time, I can imagine it was totally scandalous, but quite tame by today's standards. Margaret Lockwood is delicious as the "bad" Barbara Worth, and James Mason is totally sardonic and witty as her bad boy companion. The times when the two of them are together on screen are by far the most wicked fun (except, of course, when Barbara is contriving some plot to bend everyone around her to her silly will). Honestly, you can see the wheels turning in her head. Her performance and character was the prototype for that queen of all heroines, Scarlet O'Hara. At this time the film was made, English ladies were all atwitter about this genre of Rank Organisations films (of which The Wicked Lady might be the best). I suppose during the war, this type of escapism fantasy must have been just the ticket.

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.

I was looking forward to viewing this old British costume drama,after hearing a lot about it. I was a little disappointed.James Mason was my reason for seeking out this film,but he does not appear that much.His dashing highwayman is fun to watch,but he has too little screen time to make him memorable.Griffith Jones is a bore along with the other male actors except for Felix Aylmer.His turn as the bible-quoting servant is the best thing about this movie.Margaret Lockwood's wicked lady is way over the top.The whole movie is filled to the brim with melodrama and racy dialog.Some of the dialog must have been quite shocking 60 years ago.Today it is amusing,and makes a rainy afternoon pass enjoyably.

I grew up loving this film and its still amazing fun with drama, sex (1940s style)double crossing and corsets. Lockwood is at her best and looks stunning throughout the film. A great British cast with James Mason, Patricia Roc and Michael Rennie who looked incredibly sexy and when you consider his other work it hard to believe its the same man. Barbara Worth is in my opinion the most wicked lady ever put on film .

What I'll comment on is that I got a friend to watch it recently and said this is the most wicked woman on film, which left her unimpressed until she watched and then agreed whole heartedly that Lockwood is the most wicked lady ever put on the silver screen. Its campy, overly dramatic and glamorous, what more could you want from a 1940s classic!

A guilty pleasure and a silly storyline bolstered by full blooded performances from Margaret Lockwood and James Mason (not in it enough) some catty dialogue between Lockwood and Enid Stamp Taylor and the well directed crowd scenes.

"The Wicked Lady" is a fabulous old film and is well worth seeing. I especially appreciate the writing, as the characters of Barbara is consistent and thoroughly captivating from start to finish.

Margaret Lockwood stars as Barbara, a woman who is truly evil. When her best friend is about to marry a rich and handsome man, Barbara maneuvers to steal him away from her. While this is very nasty, the vileness of Barbara soon becomes apparent. She cannot take being bored and country life can be dull. On a lark after losing a bet, she decides to pose as a highway man and steals back her jewels. And, in the process, she finds that it's exciting and fits the bill, for now, for adventure. She also discovers a new lover, a famous thief named Captain Jack (James Mason)...but even an affair with him isn't enough and he need for evil and excitement is only just begun! By the end of the film, she's murdered several and committed countless crimes...and hasn't learned a single thing from her experiences!

I have a different perspective about this film than the average person because I am a trained psychotherapist. When I saw "The Wicked Lady" I quickly realized that the writers created a fabulous portrait of what would today be labeled a Borderline Personality with strong Antisocial features. And, unlike many films of the era that try to write in a ridiculous conversion experience (where the evil person will inexplicably see the light!), they did NOT do this and remained consistent with her character. Overall, a magnificent film with a lot to commend it....excellent writing, acting and direction.

I was actually shocked by the "heroine's" horrible deeds! She makes Scarlett O'Hara look like a saint. The story is melodramatic as others have noted. The costumes are ridiculously over the top and only partly authentic. But you easily get caught up in the story and just ride along to see what the heck she will get up to next. The biggest surprise for me was James Mason. I always thought he was a somewhat boring and wooden actor. But here as the dashing highway man I was swept away. I could not believe that was him in the role. Best acting from him that I had ever seen. All and all just what I want in a film. Lack of reality and the ability to make me forget the real world and get transported to the fun world of make believe.

Wonderfully entertaining rogue adventures set in the British countryside in the 17th Century. Scheming, cunning woman steals away the sweetheart of her insipid cousin, only to find marriage and her life of leisure a bore. Longing for excitement--and determined to get back a brooch she lost in a bet--this very wicked lady impersonates the legendary Highwayman, horse-riding robber of coaches at nightfall. Margaret Lockwood initially appears to go over the top in her breathless histrionics...until it becomes clear she's been deliberately directed towards broad villainy (a smart decision since the whole enterprise has an infectious sense of naughty fun). Adaptation of Magdalen King-Hall's novel "The Life and Death of the Wicked Lady Skelton" nearly borders on camp, yet is held in check by a great narrative, fabulous locations, and a first-rate cast. Lively, funny, engaging, with an ironic ending and lots of eye-popping décolletage! Remade in 1983 by Michael Winner, but this version would be hard to top. ***1/2 from ****

Ntriguing adventure film mixed with a good dose of drama, set in 18th century Victorian England.

The story focuses on Barbara, an evil woman whose narcissistic character soon becomes clear. She goes out of her way to satisfy her desire for sensation, she steals her friend's fiancé , and just out of boredom she later secretly turns to crime. . those who get in her way usually don't survive.

Usually Hollywood and cinema in general avoids female evil, but in this film that is certainly not the case, Barabara's character is never given any excuse for her evil character The naivete of her friend (Caroline) is a bit unbelievable, but the film can be forgiven for that.

This romantic adventure must have seemed shockingly subversive in its day. A wealthy upper class English woman schemes, plots and manipulates everyone around her for her own satisfaction. She uses her privileged position to embark on secret activities of a decidedly anti-social kind. There's a clever sex-role reversal as her activities prove her more daring and dashing than most of the male characters. But naturally there's a tall, dark and handsome stranger to keep up the love interest, and this wicked lady is not backward in coming forward when she meets the right man.

The wishy-washy weakness and gullibility of every other character make the plot unconvincing in the extreme, but those who thirst for Romance will overlook that.

In the Seventeenth Century, in England, the naive and pure Caroline (Patricia Roc) invites her cousin and best friend Barbara Worth (Margaret Lockwood) to come from London and stay with her a couple of days before her wedding with her beloved bridegroom, the wealthy magistrate Sir Ralph Skelton (Griffith Jones). The selfish, evil and wicked Barbara uses her beauty and seduces the weak Ralph, who falls in love for her. Caroline calls off the wedding and Barbara marries Ralph. When Barbara loses a jewel inherited from her mother gambling with Lady Henrietta Kingsolver (Enid Stamp-Taylor), she pretends to be the famous highway thief Captain Jerry Jackson (James Mason), recovers her jewels and begins a career of crime, looking for excitement stealing travelers in stagecoaches. When she meets the real Jerry Jackson on the road, she becomes her passionate lover and also a killer. Meanwhile Ralph realizes that he loves Caroline, but it seems to be too late for their life together.

"Wicked Lady" maybe naive, dated and moralist in the present standards of the society, but actually it is a delightful romantic adventure. Margaret Lockwood is an amazing villain, unable to adapt to the dull and boring life of a housewife in the country; James Mason is perfect as a witty and bon-vivant thief; and Patricia Roc is great as a sweet and innocent young woman, capable of sacrificing her love to please her beloved fiancé. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Mulher Diabólica" ("Evil Woman")