the unsubtle music ruined it

I can't explain. But I must, I must have more Chabrol.

The first Chabrol film to have caught my interest immensely. Its quality is in the skill of the writing of the work, taking a standard plotline of adultery and - through its thoughtful presentation and the willingness to jump between film genres with expertise - creating a film which doesn't need to exasperate itself or heighten the story for dramatic effect. Its almost an Hitchcock story Chabrol purposely removed the 'suspense' aspect from, making the character drama just as immersive instead.

Extremely subtle work from Chabrol's superb middle period. It starts slow but continues to grow in power until the it reaches its surprising end.

Slow at first but it builds an impressive momentum and from there it never tires. The score is incredibly disturbing. I need to see more films with Maurice Ronnet.

Claude Chabrol's portrait of life as interrupted and irrevocably altered by an extramarital affair engages with the conflicted psychology and longings of its primary characters in a manner - evocative of his prior Bad Girls - that serves to inform a fairly plain post-Hitchcockian tale into the stuff of intriguing, palpably naturalistic cinema, embodying the conflation of cinema with life that defined the New Wave's high value. In this sense, The Unfaithful Wife is both minor and major.

Another Chabrol film of this period where more emphasis is placed on tone and atmosphere than the nuts and bolts of the plot. It works for the most part - there are some genuinely suspenseful scenes, and the uneasy atmosphere is accentuated by the awkward silences, the stilted conversations and the furtive camera-work. It falters a few times though, most notably in the aftermath of the murder scene, which was a tad unrealistic.

I had to study a scene from this when I was at school. The detail put into particular scenes is the strong point as that is where the careful direction shines. Probably deserves a re-watch outside the classroom.

Pretty disappointing. There's some good material here, both as a suspense film and as a study of adultery, but it didn't gel all that well. This was not helped by the inconsistent tone of the film, the awkward music cues and the inconsistent supporting acting. If you can get over the rough edges its not a bad film though.

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It seems to be the usual case with Chabrol that had I not seen it and someone were to tell me the plot to the movie, I might shrug and say it sounds banal. The excellent writing, directing and acting make all the difference.