Though not readily apparent at first, The Unfaithful is a remake of the 1940 Bette Davis vehicle The Letter, which in turn was adapted from the play by W. Somerset Maugham. The locale of the Maugham original has been shifted from the jungles of Malaya to the cozy confines of a middle-sized American town. Ann Sheridan stars as Chris Hunter, who late one night kills a man who tries to attack her in her own home. At least that's her story: it turns out that the dead man had once had an affair with Chris while her serviceman ...
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Though not readily apparent at first, The Unfaithful is a remake of the 1940 Bette Davis vehicle The Letter, which in turn was adapted from the play by W. Somerset Maugham. The locale of the Maugham original has been shifted from the jungles of Malaya to the cozy confines of a middle-sized American town. Ann Sheridan stars as Chris Hunter, who late one night kills a man who tries to attack her in her own home. At least that's her story: it turns out that the dead man had once had an affair with Chris while her serviceman husband Bob (Zachary Scott) was overseas. When it appears as though Chris might have intentionally murdered her assailant, faithful family friend and attorney Larry Hammaford (Lew Ayres) puts his career and reputation on the line by suppressing a valuable piece of evidence. Shorn of the class and race consciousness -- not to mention the eroticism and bitter irony -- of the Maugham original, The Unfaithful is able to move more logically to a happy (or at least satisfying) denouement. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Add this copy of The Unfaithful to cart. $16.28, new condition, Sold by Importcds rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sunrise, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2009.
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Ann Sheridan; Lew Ayres; Zachary Scott; Eve Arden. New. Run time: 109 mins. Language: English. New in new packaging. USA Orders only! Brand New product! please allow delivery times of 3-7 business days within the USA. US orders only please.
Add this copy of The Unfaithful to cart. $17.00, new condition, Sold by JubileeEntertainment rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sterling Heights, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2009.
Add this copy of The Unfaithful to cart. $19.33, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Warner Bros.
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John Hoyt, Steven Geray, Jerome Cowan, Eve Arden, Zachary Scott, Lew Ayres, Ann Sheridan. New. 1947 Run time: 109. Buy with confidence-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Delivery Confirmation included for all orders in the US.
This year's Noir City, D.C. film festival included a showing of the 1947 movie, "The Unfaithful" directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Ann Sheridan. Loosely based on Somerset Maugham's story "The Letter", "The Unfaithful" is set in a wealthy Los Angeles suburb following WW II. At the noir festival, the noted scholar and film historian Foster Hirsch offered an introduction to the film.
The screenplay for "The Unfaithful" was written by the noir author David Goodis during his brief years as a writer in Hollywood. Goodis is best-known for his novel "Down There" which was made into the celebrated film "Shoot the Piano Player" directed by Francois Truffaut. The Library of America has published a compilation of Goodis's novels which has added to his stature and accessibility. I was eager to see this film at the noir festival because Goodis has become one of my favorite authors.
"The Unfaithful" tells the story of marriage and dislocation. Chris and Bob Hunter had known each other two weeks before marrying when Bob was called overseas to war. During his two year absence, Chris cheated. When her former lover follows Chris home one evening soon after her husband's return, a fight ensues and Chris kills him. She lies about the incident and is put on trial. The film is both a crime story and a story of a marriage and of its stresses. Much of the film is presented implicitly through the eyes of Larry Hannaford (performed by Lew Ayres) a divorce attorney and friend of Chris and Bob who represents Chris during her trial and who counsels the couple.
The film includes some heavily noir shadowy scenes and plot elements. It also is a well-done social commentary for its day on issues of marriage, adultery, divorce, and human fallibility.
I was grateful for the opportunity to see this little-remembered film with its screenplay by David Goodis in a beautiful theater as part of a film noir festival.
