The Unfaithful

This post-war exercise in woman's-picture noir takes an Americanized adaptation of Maugham's "The Letter" and turns it into a second-rate "Mildred Pierce." I like Ann Sheridan a lot, but she lacks the potential for both evil and suffering that is necessary for this sort of role. The best things about the movie are Lew Ayres' worldly-but-sad divorce lawyer, Eve Arden's cynical-but-goodhearted divorced woman, and Steven Geray's small role as a smirking, slimy art dealer.

Good (but not great) film noir.

The Unfaithful (1947) is a variant of the more famous The Letter (1940). Has Ann Sheridan starring in a convincing manner, but with Lew Ayres stealing the picture for me as her investigating lawyer. Unfortunately I struggled with Zachary Scott who played Sheridan's husband. He's a man that oozes energy, but very little of giving off the right type of expression for my liking. Regardless, I enjoyed my time with The Unfaithful.