Product Details

• Actors: Jack Lemmon, Virna Lisi, Terry-Thomas, Eddie Mayehoff, Claire Trevor
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: October 15, 2002
• Run Time: 118 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006FDAW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,509 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "How to Murder Your Wife" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing Sixties Satire., March 7, 2005

By 

peterfromkanata (Kanata, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: How to Murder Your Wife (DVD)

"How To Murder Your Wife" is a very entertaining comedy, directed with his usual aplomb by Richard Quine, that provides another excellent vehicle for multi-talented Jack Lemmon. It certainly gives us a snapshot of the mid-sixties--cars, clothes, furniture and, of course, attitudes. Perhaps I should add that the "snapshot" also reflects the affluent lifestyle of someone who can afford a luxurious townhouse in New York City !

Mr. Lemmon plays Stanley Ford, a successful cartoonist and "confirmed bachelor". He wakes up one morning after a crazy bachelor party to find a blonde in his bed ( drop-dead gorgeous Virna Lisi ) , and a wedding ring on her finger--it seems that, while intoxicated, he managed to marry this young woman. To add to his befuddlement, she is Italian and speaks no English. His "very British" butler ( scene-stealing Terry-Thomas ) is "shocked and appalled" and threatens to leave this severely-compromised masculine environment. The rest of the film is dedicated to our hero's attempts to unload the new wife--by legal means or otherwise--and return to the playboy lifestyle that he champions. There is much more to the plot but, unlike at least one other reviewer, I subscribe to the theory that potential viewers do not wish to be told every scene, plot development and situation in advance.

The witty script is accompanied by an excellent cast. I have already mentioned the priceless Terry-Thomas, who also serves as the film's "narrator". Virna Lisi is extremely beautiful and seductive--the scene where she "pops out of the cake" at the bachelor party will still quicken the pulse of any red-blooded male ( and gives rise to the one central flaw in the film--why would any sane guy want to "dump" Ms. Lisi ! ? )! Eddie Mayehoff is hilarious as Mr. Lemmon's not-overly-clever lawyer, sympathetic to his client's plight, but also under the thumb of his domineering wife ( Claire Trevor, adding a fine comic performance to her distinguished film career ). Sidney Blackmer also shines in a small role as a judge who is anything but sober ! Finally--there is Mr. Jack Lemmon ( I still miss him )--having a ball as Stanley Ford, a paranoid, insecure, adolescent guy who only thinks he knows the key to true happiness.

I found the picture quality to be excellent--the sound pretty much what you would expect for a forty-plus year old film. There are no extras, except the trailer. Neal Hefti contributes a nice, jazzy score, reminiscent of his "Odd Couple" music--or perhaps vice versa !

Hopefully, people will not be discouraged by the "politically incorrect" title. This satirical comedy still has more than enough amusing scenes to entertain a modern audience, and the cast is perfect. Try it--you'll like it !

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Film's most hilarious courtroom scene, January 20, 2000

By 

A. Haas (Chicago) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How to Murder Your Wife [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This film will keep you laughing until it hurts. Jack Lemmon at his best with an outstanding supporting cast like they can't find any more. Accused of the murder of his wife, Lemmon fires his lawyer to defend himself - his star witness: the fired lawyer (Eddie Meierhoff). Witness a cross examination to end all cross examinations. The jury had no choice but to acquit! This is the movie that gave us the "gloppita gloppita" machine. Don't miss it - see it as a couple.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not what you'd expect, July 18, 2002

By 

Steven M. Davis (North Ogden, UT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How to Murder Your Wife (DVD)

This is one of those films that start out seeming to be about one thing, but turn out at the end to be about something else entirely. Jack Lemmon is a confirmed (?) bachelor, living in a town house with his valet, Terry-Thomas, when one morning, after a liquor-soaked bachelor party for a friend the night before, he wakes to find himself married (gulp) to the dazzlingly beautiful Virna Lisi. Trapped in a no-win situation, he cooks up a plot for her murder (only on paper, of course); but, when she disappears, he finds himself on trial for her actual murder. One of the great comedic courtroom scenes follows. When the [spoiler] at the end of the film, you realized that you've been duped -- the film, which seemed to be about the joys of woman-hating, turns out to be about one of the great themes of cinema - "love conquers all". Eddie Mayehoff and Claire Trevor are marvelous in supporing roles.