The Unfaithful (1947 film)
| The Unfaithful | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Vincent Sherman |
| Screenplay by | David Goodis James Gunn |
| Produced by | Jerry Wald |
| Starring | Ann Sheridan Lew Ayres Zachary Scott |
| Cinematography | Ernest Haller |
| Edited by | Alan Crosland Jr. |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
Production company | |
Release date | July 5, 1947[1] |
Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2,250,000 (US rentals)[2] |
The Unfaithful is a 1947 film noir directed by Vincent Sherman, starring Ann Sheridan, Lew Ayres and Zachary Scott. The movie is based on the W. Somerset Maugham-penned 1927 play and William Wyler-directed 1940 film, The Letter.[3]
Plot
Chris Hunter (Ann Sheridan) stabs a man in her home one night while her husband Bob is out of town. The dead man's name is Tanner and she claims not to know him.
A blackmailer, Martin Barrow (Steven Geray), shows up with a bust of Chris Hunter's head signed by Tanner, who was a sculptor. Larry Hannaford (Lew Ayres), her lawyer and a good friend, realizes that Chris is lying about not knowing the man she killed.
Barrow double-crosses her by taking the artwork to Tanner's wife (Marta Mitrovich), who is now convinced Chris had an affair with her husband. She relays this information to Bob Hunter (Zachary Scott), who demands a divorce after Chris admits having an affair with Tanner while her husband was away during the war.
Chris is charged with murder and tried. Hannaford persuades the jury that while Chris was indeed guilty of adultery, she stabbed Tanner in self-defense. Hannaford then convinces Bob and Chris at least consider trying to save their marriage rather than rush into a divorce.
Cast
- Ann Sheridan as Chris Hunter
- Lew Ayres as Larry Hannaford
- Zachary Scott as Bob Hunter
- Eve Arden as Paula
- Jerome Cowan as Prosecuting Attorney
- Steven Geray as Martin Barrow
- John Hoyt as Det. Lt. Reynolds
- Peggy Knudsen as Claire
- Marta Mitrovich as Mrs. Tanner
- Douglas Kennedy as Roger
- Claire Meade as Martha
- Frances Morris as Agnes
- Jane Harker as Joan
Reception
Critical response
The New York Times gave the film a mixed review: "The Warner Brothers have turned out a better than average murder mystery in The Unfaithful, but they have badly over-weighted with melodramatics the things they obviously wanted to say about a pressing social problem. The new picture at the Strand stabs and jabs like a hit-and-run prizefighter at the subject of hasty divorces and the dangerous consequences to society of this ill conceived cure all for marital difficulties, but it never gets across a telling dramatic punch. However, through some uncommonly persuasive acting and skillful direction the patently artificial plot stands up surprisingly well."[4]
References
- ^ "The Unfaithful (1947) Detail View". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "Top Grossers of 1947", Variety, 7 January 1948 p 63
- ^ The Unfaithful at the TCM Movie Database.
- ^ The New York Times, film review, June 28, 1947. Last accessed: November 18, 2009.