So Evil My Love: Missionary Turns Murderer

I managed to see a sleeper a few days ago, “So Evil My Love,” (1948); it was one of those rare times I was actually able to sit down and watch a movie without interruptions. So glad I got to see this one, it’s available on DVD, but Amazon just has two available as of this writing. It’s a story of a missionary widow (Ann Todd) who falls for a con-man (Ray Milland) who turns the pious woman into a cold blooded murderer.  The story opens with the missionary, Olivia Harwood on a ship one stormy night headed to England. Olivia had been serving in the West Indies along with her husband who passed away while serving.  Aboard the ship are a few suffering from Malaria and Olivia is recruited to help with the infirmed in the lower deck. It is there she meets the suave and handsome Mark Ellis (Milland). Mark isn’t very open about his past, vague in fact, but that does not stop Olivia from becoming friendly with him. He manages to persuade her to let him live in a lodging home she inherited from her husband.  Mark is a worldly man, he’s been around, and done some things.

His criminal past has taught him many things. He sees Olivia as easy prey.  She’s simple, plain, shy, & in much need of a man’s love and he knows just what to do to seduce her. He uses his charm, tells her all the pretty things she needs to hear and finally has her under his spell.  But the cad does not stop at that, he also uses his charm on the worldlier, and well, trashy Kitty (Moira Lister). But Olivia thinks Mark just loves her and no one else. Why are some women so damn gullible?

Mark gets in touch with a partner in crime and they plan a daring art heist. The heist fails, and Mark narrowly escapes death. You kinda wish he hadn’t  :/ .  Desperate, he plans to leave London in search of money.  But Olivia will not have it and is willing to keep her man no matter what. At this moment you see Olivia compromising all for the sake of a man. She decides to eat humble pie and borrow money from a wealthy friend she had not seen for a long time. She gets in touch with her wealthy friend, Susan (Geraldine Fitzgerald) who is now having problems in her marriage, & is on a verge of mental breakdown. Susan had at one time, in confidence, written some letters to Olivia containing descriptions of her romantic dalliances and questionable moral conduct. Unfortunately for Susan, Olivia kept those letters, and Mark will use them to blackmail her.  At first Olivia is sickened about the plan of blackmailing her one friend. But when threatened with abandonment, she acquiesces. It is here we see the “Jekyll & Hyde,” effect. The wholesome, pious woman becomes dark, calculating, and cold…and all for a man.

Olivia sets the blackmail wheels in motion in Susan’s home. With each passing victory, she becomes “confident,” and feels powerful for the first time in her life. She tells Mark how exciting it all felt to have power over others. She enjoyed every moment of it. No remorse, regret, or turning back. But what she does not know is that Susan’s husband, Henry, (Raymond Huntley) is many steps ahead of her game.  Mark is glad that Olivia has become like she has, the plan is better than he thought. Olivia eventually realizes that Mark is not who he says he is, and she means nothing to him; she is however, Mark’s useful idiot. Mark will pay the ultimate price and will learn that he taught his student well…too well.

I loved this movie! The film set in the Victorian era and shot in film noir style is a thriller, and has a jaw dropping ending that will stay with you for a good while. The story loosely based on a true story, is dark and captivating. Ann Todd as the missionary turned blackmailer, and murderer is convincing, and spine tingling! Watching Milland play a cad, stop-at-nothing, greedy, wannabe artist, & thief was a little hard for me. I’ve seen Milland play more romantic type roles, but he was able to turn that switch off for a while in this role and very effectively.  Fitzgerald as the frail, deer-in-headlights, stifled wife was a typical role for Fitzgerald. She captured the tortured life of a woman who turned to alcohol to drown out her “poor, little rich girl” existence. A must see!