The Unfaithful At Noir City, D.C.
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.
Robin Friedman
