Customer Reviews

The Bigamist

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If you have read my other reviews, you know I like complex, layered topics. Ida Lupino is now my role model as a filmaker actress. If this film were made today it would be called and "indie". Back then it was called "low budget". Clearly, though, this type of thoughtful, well acted, sensitive, insightful look at a difficult subject is where the indie movement has come from.
This film handles the subject of Bigamy from the standpoint of the story of this "regular guy" who ends up in a situation we come to understand from all its angles, who allows himself to be undone by applying to adopt a child and submitting to the background check.
I can not begin to describe how well this is handled. For a subject that reeks with potential melodrama, every single element is drawn from the characters, and the choices they are making. Joan Fontaine clearly had courage and an eye for thoughtful and controversial subjects (remember, Hitchcock's suspicion was supposed to - from the book story - end in her complicity in her own murder at the hands of her husband). She handles her role here so deftly... the character that we assume to be the "perfect wife" is unveiled as being very myopic and disregarding her marriage.
Ida Lupino gives herself the role of the working girl who asks no questions, so that she doesn't have to hear any lies. Edmund O'Brien, usually cast as the hulking tough, must have been delighted to have this morally complex, but remarkably unconflicted role. This film is simply a revelation. What is lovely is that the film recognizes all the typical things society would say about this situation, but we see the individuals, and they see each other, with human foibles and compassion.
Clearly, too this is one of the precursors to films like "Days of Wine and Roses" and "A Patch of Blue" in the next decade... films that took basically ordinary characters and put them in situations that were frowned on by society. The material is "of it's time," the elements and attitudes toward it would be very different today. But this is simply a masterful moment of film history that stands up to time.

Ida Lupino's second 1953 directorial effort (her first was the nightmarish road-movie/film-noir "The Hitch-hiker") is at first glance an entirely different affair -- pun intended -- charting the investigation of San Francisco adoption agent Mr. Jordan (Edmund Gwenn) into the background of a childless couple who wish to become parents, Harry and Eve Graham (Joan Fontaine and Edmond O'Brien). For the first couple of reels, the investigation is the story, as Jordan discovers several rather suspicious items about the husband, a traveling salesman who makes quite regular trips to Los Angeles. Suspecting that all is not as it seems, Jordan eventually follows Graham to L.A. and discovers that he goes under a different name, and doesn't seem to register at any of the typical hotels. We know from the title what is going to happen, and sure enough when Jordan tracks Graham to a small house out in the suburbs, a baby cries, and Graham's big lie unravels....

Yes, Graham has another wife, Phyllis Martin (Ida Lupino), a waitress and the mother of his baby boy. He admits it all to Jordan, admits that he fell in love with Martin because she offered something that his career-woman wife and partner Eve could not -- real love, need, romance. Most of the rest of the film is a flashback, detailing the last year or so of Graham's life; probably the best part of the film lies in the next couple of reels, O'Brien showing real pathos as the lonely husband, the romantic and would-be lover whose marriage has become a business arrangement, wandering a large and unfriendly, alien city -- Lupino does a beautiful job of conveying the desolation and unfriendliness of Los Angeles -- and finally striking up a tentative friendship and would-be romance with a tart-mouthed waitress from Pennsylvania who's still dreaming of a better life. Eventually that friendship becomes a one-night stand on Graham's birthday that results in the unexpected, but not unwanted child, and when back in San Francisco Eve decides to finally look into adopting after 8 years of childlessness, Graham realizes that difficult choices are closing in, though he avoids them until caught.

What's most striking about The Bigamist to me is how it avoids taking an easy way out, avoids making any of the characters into villains or clichés, though Fontaine's Eve is a little scantily fleshed out and is probably the least likable character of the trio; the film really comes off as an indictment of the career and capitalist-based world, of the conflicts between money and real joy that we face in this society, and it nearly achieves mastery in its exploration of these themes through the great location work and fine acting (especially by O'Brien) -- until a weak and fairly slapdash moralizing courtroom ending which boils it down all too simply. Still, for the most part this is a beautifully worked out look at the challenges people face alone and together, and a bravely realistic portrait of a crime that was barely talked about in an era where even divorce was often taboo. Though I haven't yet seen all of her films, I suspect this is Lupino's best; and though stylistically it couldn't be more different, in theme and feeling it is rivaled in its era in American film only by Douglas Sirk. Kino VHS rental.

One of a handful of low budget films from pioneering woman film-maker Ida Lupino. Known mainly for her soulful screen portrayals in the 1940's of downtrodden women, she managed this career turn in the early 50's, a remarkable feat given a production industry so thoroughly dominated by men.

Her best known feature is the chilling and critically acclaimed account of serial killer Emmet Myers, called "The Hitchiker". But all her films are marked by an earnest concern for the lives of ordinary people, whether menaced in extreme circumstance or in more ordinary circumstance by the unwed pregnancy of "The Outrage". Moreover, at a time when studios were fending off small screen television with big budget technicolor, she gamely persisted with the small, the intimate and the unglamorous.

"The Bigamist" remains an oddity, very much an artifact of its time, but worth viewing for its sensitive handling of male loneliness, a topic for which macho Hollywood has never had much time. The acting is first-rate from a trio of de-glamorized Hollywood professionals, including the poignant Lupino; there's also Edmond O'Brien in a low-key, nuanced portrayal of a man trapped by emotions, showing once again what a fine, intelligent performer he was. Notice how elliptically the pregnancy is presented and how subtly Fontaine's career woman is projected into the breakup. Both are very much signs of that time. Although the subject matter may have tempted, the results never descend into bathos or soap-opera, even if final courtroom scene appears stagy and anti-climatic. All in all, it's a very well wrought balancing act.

Lupino's reputation should not rest on gender. This film as well as so many of her others demonstrate what a versatile and unusual talent she was, whether in front of the camera or behind. Too bad, she never got the recognition from an industry to which she contributed so much.

I just received this DVD. This is the first time that I have seen this film all the way through. I enjoyed the film very much, and would recommend the film itself too anyone. It is of the Film Noir Genre. Ida Lupino was a very talented Woman, both, as an Actress and a Director. As for the Non Quality of the DVD itself, it is terrible. The product is advertised on the site by the Seller and Amazon as being ReMastered. This is Bull, it is false advertising. This version of this film is in No Way ReMastered. I Do Not recommend that anyone purchase this version.The Bigamist (1953) [Remastered Edition]

I found this vintage DVD at a 99cent store and thought the subject intriguing enough to shell out the buck. Sitting down to dinner, I put it in and immediately was pleasantly surprised to see the film begin without further remote control action and no annoying trailers and production film adverts to slog through. Why can't all DVDs just begin with the dang movie!
I digress, but back to the core subject, the review. The 50's were a fascinating time, and this film depicts a society where male and female roles are clearly delineated, e.g. a reference to a wife's perogative to stay at home. The "other woman" lights up on the bus (another anachronism), and the rogue male offers his lighter which initiates his pick up line. (The 50's pickup artist would always carry a lighter for such occasions). Near the end, during his bigamy trial, the defense counselor mentions the double standard where he could have just kept the other woman as a mistress and there would likely only be a wink and a nod from society at large, yet he fouled up his good name by taking on a second wife. Sure, there are weaknesses such as a overly simple plot and a irresolute ending. The story could continue in almost any direction and the viewer has no real clue as to what would happen next.

What he didn't realize that in 1953 you couldn't fall in love with two women at the same time. He did anyway. He surely did know you can't be married to two women at the same time. He lived in San Francisco & his marriage had become as frosty as his business. He sold deep freezes.
Wife #1 of eight years, Eva was barren & had thrown herself into the business, neglecting Harry. On his weekly business trip to Los Angeles, Harry meets & becomes involved with Phyllis. In an effort to revive their marriage Eva & Harry decide to adopt. Eva undergoes an attitude adjustment & their relationship improves. Unfortunately, Phyllis proves to be be very fecund. Because he loves her, Phyllis becomes wife #2. In an immodest amount of time, she has a baby. The movie implied to me that it would have been better had Harry merely kept Phyllis as a mistress. But because he tried to be a decent guy he got busted. It's a most heinous crime & justice (?) will be severe. Ida Lupino serves double duty here & she's one excellent director. Her acting as Phyllis is very good as is Joan Fontaine as Eva. But the best perfromamce is Edmund O'Brien as Harry. He really shows some acting chops in this one. Ida Lupino had not gotten the recognition she deserved as the fine director she was in her own time. She is getting a little now belatedly, thanks to TCM.

This is a weird one for sure. When a man and his wife try to adopt a baby the adopting inspector discovers the man is married to another wife in another town! With the whole story being explained you are supposed to almost feel sorry for the man--but how can you really?! The speech by the judge at the end is very true.

I was very amused at an "inside joke" they pulled in the movie--making reference to Edmund Gwenn who happened to be the inspector! Seemed somewhat out of place in a movie of this nature. Overall, I'm not sorry I watched the movie.

In case you're wondering, the term bigamist is derived from the word bigamy, which means `The criminal offense of marrying one person while still legally married to another', a practice which still thrives in some parts of this country, particularly in the Salt Lake City area. The Bigamist (1953), not to be confused with the Italian film Il Bigamo (1956), starring Marcello Mastroianni, is based on a story by Collier Young, who just happened to once be married to both the female costars of this film, but not at the same time. The film, directed by Ida Lupino, stars Edmond O'Brien (D.O.A), Joan Fontaine (Suspicion, Ivanhoe), and Ida Lupino (High Sierra). Also appearing is Kenneth Tobey (The Thing From Another World) and Edmund Gwenn, who appeared in a number of films, but is probably best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947).

The film starts out with a couple, Harry (O'Brien) and Eve (Fontaine) Graham in the process of applying to adopt a child in the office of Mr. Jordan (Gwenn), who works for the state of California in the capacity of being a child welfare worker. Things seem to be going well until Mr. Jordan presents documents to the couple that would allow for a background check, apparently because the state of California doesn't just give away parentless kids to any schlomo off the street. The presentation of said documents elicits a pained look on Harry's face, one that doesn't go unnoticed by Mr. Jordan, and prompts him to initiate an extra thorough investigation into Harry's affairs, who's a traveling salesman by trade, maintaining offices in both San Francisco (that's where he and his wife Eve live), and also in Los Angeles. Arriving in Los Angeles, Mr. Jordan makes the startling discover that Harry has another wife (GASP) and now has some serious `splaining' to do...which we get to hear as the film goes into a lengthy flashback. Seems Harry, suffering from both marital issues and loneliness (he's on the road a lot), took up pitching woo to a woman named Phyllis (Lupino), but never intended it to go very far...until Phyllis found herself in a sticky predicament (can you guess what it was? I'll give you a hint...it involved a bun and an oven). Harry, being a standup guy, tries to do the right thing, but circumstances and complications stack themselves up in such a way as to limit his actions. So the question now is what is to become of Harry, now that his secret is uncovered?

While I enjoyed this film, I felt it had a few, relatively minor faults, and I'm not terribly big on the heavy melodrama (I was looking for something a bit more sensational). As far as the subject matter, while it may have been taboo back in the 50's, it seems tame by today's standards (that's a scary thought). I thought the film did a good job in presenting the material, as it seemed not to try and take one side or the other, but rather an objective overview how a relatively decent man could wind up in a situation like this (there was a little bit of heavy handed moralistic postulating here and there, but it was kept limited and didn't appear out of place due to the subject matter and the general consensus that's such behavior is pretty despicable)...O'Brien's character is well developed, a man struggling to do what he thinks is right, but finding himself sinking deeper and deeper into the sticky morass of socially unacceptable behavior. While I appreciated his situation and his good intentions, I could never find myself developing any sense of sympathy for his character. He had numerous opportunities to extricate himself before the situation became as bad as it did, but never followed through. It's not that I'm a high-hatted, moralistic goodie goodie or anything like that, but I am a firm believer that when one makes ones bed, he must lie in it, not matter how uncomfortable. He was the source of his own problems and had no one to blame beside himself. I thought both Fontaine (who's incredibly hotsy totsy here) and Lupino did very well with their characters, creating a sort of ying and yang as the two, seemingly halves may have represented a whole woman to Harry...either that or he just had a whole lotta love to give...if it were me, having seen how well (or poorly) each of the women have aged over the years, I would have stuck with Ms. Fontaine, as she continued to retain her hottiness while Ms. Lupino acquired a Jabba-like appearance as the passage of time was not so good to her (little to do with the film, but I thought it worth mentioning). As far as Ms. Lupino's direction (she was an extremely accomplished director and actress), it works well, and she keeps the story humming along, but it's not her best, when compared to her other release that same year in The Hitch-Hiker, which I would highly recommend.

The picture quality on the Alpha Video release varies from decent to rough to rotten (there's points where frames are missing), and the audio is decent throughout. The glossy DVD case would make it appear the film is in color, but it's in black and white (Alpha is known for creating especially attractive artwork for their generally substandard releases of films and television shows that have fallen into the public domain, meaning the copyright has expired, so any yahoo can release the material, which is often why you may see any number of different releases of the same film or TV show). The extras include a graphic listing of other Alpha titles, and trailers for the films Just Add Pepper (2002), A Chronicle of Corpses (2000), Magdalen (1998), and Candy Van Dewd (2002).

Cookieman108

By the way, I think the film would have been much more effective with a less direct title...

I REALLY ENJOYED THIS MOVIE. IDA LAPINO WAS VERY GOOD. SHE ALSO DIRECTED.
A MAN ENDS UP MARRYING TWO WOMEN AND GOES TO JAIL FOR IT.
THIS WAS AN ALPHA MOVIE AND I SWORE I WOULD NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE, BUT I REALLY WANTED THIS ONE. THE PICTURE IS POOR AND THE SOUND IS UNEVEN. BUT THE PRICE WAS RIGHT.

A San Francisco couple want to adopt a child. They are a partnered couple, both sell deep freeze refrigeration units. The beautiful blonde wife (Joan Fontaine) `fails' her husband (Edmond O'Brien) by being unable to have children. She compensates by throwing herself into the business, which seems more rewarding to her than it is to hubby. They begin to fill out the adoption papers which, as the chipper little adoption agent (Edmund Gwynn) explains, "will pry into every detail of your private life." The husband begins to sweat and the violins swell. There are a lot of swollen violins in this one. Hubby spends much of his time in Los Angeles, where his lonely days and empty nights are soon relieved by a love-scarred waitress (Ida Lupino), a stranger who `helps him through a lonely Sunday' and soon proves more than capable of giving him as many Bigamist Juniors as he can handle. With O'Brien taking the overgrown-lapdog approach to his character it shouldn't have surprised me to hear soon-to-be Wife #2 Lupino chuckle him under the chin at one point and say "I love you so, you big lug." I don't think I've ever heard a man referred to as a `big lug' in a movie without a trace of irony, though, and if caught me off guard. I was more bemused than engrossed by the evolving drama, anyway. The engrossed don't ask embarrassing questions like WHY BIGAMY!!? I mean, my gosh. Taboo? I guess, maybe, fifty years ago - but Gentleman's Agreement this ain't. A penetrating look at a man who loves two women? Heck, no. More like a roiling melodrama, a turgid B-movie with an A-movie cast, 99.9% pure soap salvaged by its excellent cast - especially Fontaine as Wife #1.
In a typical Edmond O'Brien vehicle of that period the shadows would have been deeper, at least one of the dames would have been homicidal, and Gwynn would have been a righteously angry old elf, indeed, rather than the grandfatherly adoption clerk who can barely bleat out an ambivalent `I don't know whether to despise you or pity you' after sitting through one of O'Brien's transgressive flashbacks. How, Gwynn asks, could `a man like you get into a position as... vile as this?' Judging by the stellar cast and the low-rent look of this one, I'd guess the same way Gwynn got into the same vile position - as a favor to director and co-star Ida Lupino. Just a guess, though.
Good acting, cliched dialogue, a silly premise. THE BIGAMIST is worth a look, if for no other reason than to watch how a good cast can soar above the material.