Hungry Hill

Lockwood isn't her usual Wicked Lady self in this overcooked piece of blarney about 19th century Irish copper-mining folk. She plays a high-spirited colleen who toys with the affections of two brothers, Denison and Price. The storyline, adapted by Daphne du Maurier (and Terence Young) from her own novel, ladles on fire, flood and disease in its grim moments, and throws in Irish jigs, horse riding and waltzing whenever a little levity is needed. There's the usual bad feeling between the villagers and the big businessman (Parker) who's taken over their land to open his mine. Lockwood is the one who suffers, losing her husband and ending up (somewhat improbably) as a sad old woman with a drug and gambling problem. The dialogue's often laughable, the attempts at Irish accents grate, but this is still enjoyable, full-blooded entertainment.