Customer Reviews

Unfaithfully Yours (The Criterion Collection)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In hindsight, Paramount's decision to terminate their relationship with Preston Sturges occupies the region between 'insane', 'irresponsible' and that old standby, 'stupid'. Sturges' subsequent relocation to Fox was, of course, utterly disastrous; which makes UNFAITHFULLY YOURS as much a miracle as it is a great comedy. His stock company (save for a very funny Rudy Vallee) was now a thing of the past; although the cast he assembled here is game and lively, Edgar Kennedy foremost among them. Nevertheless, UNFAITHFULLY YOURS is Sturges' second consecutive attempt (after MAD WEDNESDAY) to move away from his trademark of the inspired dialogue-comedy and towards a more visual (or in this case, audio-visual) farce. Fortunately for us, he succeeded brilliantly (not that it cut him any ice in an increasingly desperate studio-system that not only didn't know what to do with its few geniuses but began to openly despise them). Rex Harrison plays a vain, high-strung symphony conductor who -thanks inadvertantly to his cuckold of a brother in law (Vallee, naturally)- begins to suspect his wife of having an affair. What follows is an amazingly supple and creative variation of the boudoir-farce, highlighted by the famous virtuoso segments in which Harrison daydreams of killing her to the strains of Rossini, Wagner & Tchaikovsky, as well as the classic finale where cold-bloodedness and high culture both are reduced to slapstick bumbling (silent comedy, always near & dear to Sturges' heart, is a definite influence here). Ignored on its release, UNFAITHFULLY YOURS, combining as it does comedic disciplines of music, dialogue and sight-gags, has since been elevated to its rightful position as a masterwork. Unfortunately, this re-evaluation came too late to rescue Preston Sturges from the personal and professional oblivion the know-nothings (in and out of Hollywood) were remorselessly consigning him to. See this movie and help redress this outrage.

Only The Lady Eve forces me to edge this movie out of number-one spot among Preston Sturges' comedies. The dialogue is snappy as ever (Doltish husband: "Too much temperament! Give me the simple viewpoint!" His wisecracking wife: "You've got it, kid. You don't have to yearn for it.") but the slapstick of the finale is cleverer by far than any in his other movies. The use of music is inspired, both in Harrison's concert revenge-fantasies and in his later attempts to put them into action, when the music is spiked with comic effects. A little slow to get started, this movie soon enough develops a quirky, unpredictable, and completely fascinating story line. Don't deprive yourself of seeing this!

Preston Sturges conceived, produced, wrote and directed this comic symphony at the peak of his creative powers, deftly combining fast, stinging dialogue with moments of inspired physical comedy. Harrison is in his element, with all his trademark cantankerousness on full display (reminiscent of a much younger Henry Higgins) and Darnell's an ever tolerant vision. Look for immortal comic Edgar Kennedy as a music loving detective.

In "Unfaithfully Yours" Rex Harrison plays a conductor who imagines what he would do to his wife (who he believes to be cheating on him)during a performance. Unfortunately, he discovers that real life never works as smoothly as one's fantasies. A classic Preston Sturges comedy, "Unfaithfully Yours" captures the brilliant comedy director in top form. Although there was an anemic remake with Dudley Moore in 1984 (with a screenplay co-written by Valerie Curtain the cousin of Jane Curtain of "Saturday Night Live" fame and one of the original cast members of "Three's Company"), all it does is prove not to mess with a classic film.


This new Criterion edition has some really cool extras and the image quality is very, very good. The audio Audio commentary by Sturges scholars James Harvey, Diane Jacobs, and Brian Henderson are fascinating but I honestly preferred the video appreciation by Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) as well as the video interview with Sandy Sturges. There's also an essay by Jonathan Lethem, a photo gallery and correspondence on the production of the film. This is one of Sturges' greatest black comedies and well worth picking up.

Now all Ihave to do is wait for my other favorite Sturges films-"Hail the Conquering Hero" and "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" on DVD (Oh, and "Christmas in July" would also be much appreciated as well). His classics are finally trickling out and I'm quite happy that they've made a much belated appearence on DVD.

This is the 5th (and last) of Sturges' truly inspired comedies (the others being "Hail the Conquering Hero", "Miracle of Morgan's Creek", "The Lady Eve", and "The Palm Beach Story") and its failure at the box office is probably why it was the last. I find it incomprehensible that it failed -- it starts a little slowly, perhaps (although I actually quite like the beginning), but the last 30-45 minutes (after the concert) is just heaven. Basically the movie is a slapstick comedy, but surely the most sophisticated slapstick comedy ever, and what I find astonishing is how perfectly cast Rex Harrison turned out to be in a pratfalling role (?!?!?!?). My kids and I laugh out loud just thinking about the scenes in this movie, must less watching it. If you haven't seen this movie and ever liked ANY movie made before 1950, you should watch it. It really is fun for the entire family, and belongs in any video collection.

I've seen countless movies, comedies, etc...but this is the only one I laugh at EVERY time I watch it...I litterally will have tears streameing down my cheeks from laughter, every time...even though I've seen it a jillion times.

Praise from a flatfoot detective towards conductor Rex Harrison. Nope I won't tell you which scene, they're ALL great. From Harrison's blowup at his brother in law Rudy Vallee to his growing jelousy towards his wife, which culminate in a series of hysterically funny revenge fantaies. This film is laugh out loud all the way. It's Preston Sturges at his best. The comic genius that brought us Mad Wednesday, Hail The Conquering Hero , Sullivan's Travels, etc.

No director has ever surpassed him. Lubitsch and Wilder matched him. As did Chaplin and Woody Allen, who also starred in their own films. But for sheer wit and nuttyness of plot combined with spectaular dialogue Preston is it. Try topping the last line of the film which a repentant Harrison delivers to his wife ashe takes her in his arms: 'A thousand poets dreamt for a thousand years--and you were born. . . my love'

Enjoy.

It is easy to understand why they changed everything but the bare premise of this movie for the 1984 remake. After all, the 1948 original staggered beneath the weight of massive burdens. Its star performer not only consented but actually seemed to delight in delivering precisely articulated dialogue in long blocks, one after another--and all at crackling pace, too. Worse, Preston Sturges' clever, witty script plainly assumed that his audience possessed both general knowledge and willingness to pay attention for whole minutes at a time. Worst, Sturges' plot satirized both movie stereotypes and audience expectations.

Those 1948 audiences, for good and sufficient reasons of their own, did not turn out in droves nor did they shell out much money to see "Unfaithfully Yours." The 1984 production team did their very best to avoid that dismal fate by jettisoning Sturges' near-perfect script, ruthlessly dumbing everything down and shrinking the film to fit the talents of twinkly little Dudley Moore.

(Rex Harrison to Dudley Moore, what a falling off was there!)

Harrison plays British conductor, Sir Alfred de Carter, whom the script clearly expects the audience to identify with the real conductor, Sir Thomas Beecham. The initial satirical thrust at audience expectations is that de Carter turns out to be a super-egotistical prima donna rather than the smooth, lovable and--yes!--twinkly Sir Thomas. By a series of satisfactorily ridiculous plot developments, Sir Alfred becomes convinced that his beautiful and much younger wife is having an affair with his assistant.

Sir Alfred has a high comedy encounter with a detective played by Edgar Kennedy, one of the finest second bananas in movie history. The detective does his level best to convince the wronged husband to ignore or forgive his wife's little failings, lest he lose far more than he can ever hope to gain from shallow, trifling revenge. In the course of the scene it becomes clear that the detective had not taken his own advice in the past and now bitterly regrets it. This is a wonderful scene, and probably Kennedy's last hurrah on the screen, for he died shortly thereafter--a perfect mixture of hilarity and wistfulness.

The egotist brushes aside the warnings of the detective and transforms himself into Othello's younger brother. Before, he had been over-generous and almost too-eloquent for belief with his loving words; now, he sneers and derides. If he does not quite get around to demanding that his bewildered wife hand over a handkerchief, it is only because time is short and he has a concert to conduct.

The performance begins with an overture by Rossini. The up-tempo music puts the conductor into a manic mood and his mind turns to a plot in which he murders his wife and casts damning suspicion on his rival. The elaborate machinations of the murder scheme satirize whole flocks of creakily overblown films from "The Bat" to "Philo Vance and the Kennel Murders." The second selection is the music of the pilgrims from Wagner's Tannhaeuser--a downer after Rossini. The conductor's imagination shifts from murderous revenge to world-weary forgiveness as it satirizes the emetic nobility of films such as the often-remade "Four Feathers." Finally, a Tschaikovsky piece moves Sir Alfred's thoughts to grim competitiveness. He will challenge his younger rival to a game of Russian roulette with his wife as a reluctant witness--think of about half the films made by John Barrymore or Doug Fairbanks, Jr.

After the concert, the conductor rushes off to his home to prepare for his elaborate murder scheme, only to come hilariously crashing against the harsh reality of ruthlessly hostile mechanisms, cheerily incomprehensible operating instructions and painfully fragile chairs.

In the end, the conductor's wife offers an explanation that allows him to dismiss all his suspicions and return to his original state of (illusionary?) wedded bliss.

With brilliant performances, crackling dialogue, smart plotting and fine physical gags, "Unfaithfully Yours" ranks with "The Ladykillers," "Kind Hearts and Coronets" and "Monsieur Verdoux," the best of black comedies.

Five stars.

IDLE SPECULATIONS: Good as it is--and it is very good--"Unfaithfully Yours" might have been better still.

Rex Harrison, however brilliant he may be in the dialogue scenes, is not by any stretch of the imagination a physical comedian. Even though screen credit is given to a conducting coach, Harrison is painfully stiff as a conductor and as often as not behind the beat of the music he is supposed to be conducting. And the physical comedy sequence is weakened by the obvious substitution of a stunt double from time to time--not to mention the obvious fact that Harrison's record player is far funnier than he is. In 1948 there was an actor of the right age, one who who could have gotten away with the conductor's dialogue and would unquestionably have been side-splittingly funny while conducting or going two falls out of three with the demon record player--Charlie Chaplin. Now THAT would have been something to see!

Then there is the script. The film ends on a subtly false note. As "Unfaithfuly Yours" stands now, Linda Darnell's innocent wife neatly explains away every suspicion; she leaves not only her own virtue unblemished but also that of her unpleasant younger sister who throughout the film had been positioned as the eventual fall girl. At the very end of the film, the fully reconciled conductor and wife turn away to depart for a happy evening on the town.

I think that the studio or even Sturges, himself, cut a final scene to conform to the nervous dictates of the Film Code. I think that as the happy couple and their friends leave the hotel, they were intended to pass by Edgar Kennedy, the detective who had striven so hard to preserve the de Carter marriage. I think that Darnell and Kennedy were intended to make eye contact in shared acknowledgment that the pack of lies they had concocted to reassure Sir Alfred had worked. Then, at last, the conductor's straying wife would indeed have been Unfaithfully His.

Rex Harrison plotting murder! I never would have believed it! And to try to murder such a sweet girl as Linda Darnell seems utterly ridiculous! This movie was an absolute classic! I found it really interesting that he plotted out how to deal with his wife's infedelity while he conducted an orchestra. The things he plotted, though, were somewhat gruesome to watch, I must say. However, I have to say that the scenes in which Rex's character was trying to carry out his terrible scheme were very funny, and delightful to watch. I laughed until I cried when he was dealing with the irksome cane-bottom chairs. It isn't any wonder why his wife was so bewildered. I have to say that this is one of the funniest Rex Harrison movies I have ever seen and can readily suggest it to anyone who is up to a good laugh.

A talented composer, at the height of his powers, comes to suspect that his beautiful young wife is having an affair. His rage manifests itself in a series of fantasy responses, that in reality he is far too incompetent to put into practice. His jealousy, it seems, is not merely a matter of doubting his wife's fidelity, but manifests the tension between his mastery in front of the stage, and his incompetence to carry out his plans and to manage things by himself and without help from his wife and his assistant. A rich and dark fantasy exploration of the contrast between art and life, between the kind of trust that is necessary to sustain a marriage and the natural doubt that arises, it's a delightful film that shows Sturges to be a master of his craft. The dialogue is sharp, the acting perfect, and nearly everything said works on multiple levels. It's very funny, but poignant too, and the Criterion set is put together quite nicely. Includes audio commentary by Sturges scholars James Harvey, Diane Jacobs, and Brian Henderson, a video introduction by writer-director Terry Jones, an interview with Sturges's widow Sandy Sturges, and a nice essay by Jonathan Lethem.