Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

gridoon2018 Yet another one of Claude Chabrol's slow, dark, deceptively calm psychological / crime thrillers, and as these things go, "La Femme Infidele" is probably one of his most successful efforts. There is one sequence in particular, the confrontation between Michel Bouquet and Maurice Ronet, that is absolutely riveting cinema - it will have you holding your breath. And there is also an amusing homage to Hitchcock (the car accident - jammed trunk scene). Bouquet is superb in this film - he maintains a friendly, calm exterior most of the time, but you can see that there's a whole range of emotions hidden behind it. Stéphane Audran looks great (those legs!), but her best scene comes near the very end: a long tracking shot that follows her and focuses on her face as it takes a "Mona Lisa"-type expression, with just a hint of a smile. I do have three objections about the film: 1) The title leaves little doubt as to how "fidele" "la femme" really is; the first 30 minutes might have played even better if we were less certain that Bouquet's suspicions weren't mere paranoia, 2) Audran's affair is not very developed, and her marriage does not look dysfunctional enough for her continued infidelity to be in some way justified; 3) The last shot is technically beautiful, but very inconclusive; personally I think the film should have ended one scene earlier. For an even more twisty-turny variation on a similar scenario, check out Chabrol's "Innocents With Dirty Hands". *** out of 4.P.S: Brigitte the secretary is hot as hell!!!

The_Void Claude Chabrol is sometimes known as 'The French Hitchcock', and while the two didn't exactly make the same type of thriller; it's easy to see where the comparisons come from, and both of these great directors are masters of their crafts! This is only the third Chabrol film I've seen, but once again I'm extremely impressed and looking forward to seeing more! Though I have limited experience of his films, Chabrol's thrillers to me are more brooding and personal than Hitchcock's; and while they lack the brazen thriller element that made most of Hitchcock's oeuvre so good to watch, it's made up for in panache and intrigue! The Unfaithful Wife puts its focus on an upper class French family in a big mansion somewhere just outside of a big city. We follow them for a short while until it becomes obvious to the husband that his wife's constant trips into town are a clue that she is having an affair. The husband then decides to hire a private detective to investigate his wife, and after having his fears concerned; the husband turns up at the lover's house with murder in mind...The film appears to be so relaxed that at times you may wonder whether you are actually watching a thriller. But that is what makes this film so effective; Chabrol often lets his film settle, but there is always tension bubbling beneath the surface and the film is always intriguing, even when there is little going on. I won't spend too long talking about the acting and production values as obviously both are thoroughly professional and give the film infinite amounts of credibility. Most of the action focuses on the couple inside their big house and this benefits the film greatly as we soon get to know the characters. The central scene is clearly the murder sequence, although again Chabrol focuses on the build up rather than the actual pay off and the murder is as cold and brutal as it was obviously intended to be. The Unfaithful Wife is clearly a lesson in how suspense cinema should be; even more subtle than Hitchcock, this film manages to be constantly fascinating in spite of the fact that not a great deal transpires over the course of the film, and once again it's another great film on Chabrol's resume!

joel-280 Alice Liddel's (what a wonderful name!!) comment is arguable but, I think, off the mark. Many different things are going on in this movie, and one of the reasons Chabrol is admired is his skill in creating and using ambiguity, which lures the viewer in, requires him to make his own interpretation, and thus involves him in the movie much more deeply than would happen with a clear, obvious story line.To me what happens between the husband and wife is, they both have become disinterested with each other, sexually and emotionally; the wife takes a lover and, as she and we find out the purpose of this later, tests/taunts her husband: to reignite her love for him, he must prove that he loves her by doing something outrageous, difficult, dangerous, etc. She might or might not have had this in mind at a conscious level; it appears that she did not, which makes it even more interesting. He does it -- again, probably unintentionally -- and thus recreates his love and passion for her, and hers for him. By accident, they have successfully re-courted and re-conquered each other.This is what it's about, and would be regardless of the ending -- which Chabrol has (again)left ambiguous. Unfortunately, the crucial deed that saved the marriage turned out to be a murder, so there has to be at least a strong hint that they won't get away scot free.An irritatingly slow movie for quite a while, but ultimately very well done and rewarding for the viewer.

maureenwheat The Unfaithful Wife seems to be separate, but over lapping stories: like minimally invasive Venn Circles. The premise is divided: France's socially passive nes'pas attitude and fundamental acceptance of extramarital affairs, contrasted with one parties fundamental and conventional recognition of fidelity.The center piece of cohesion in the film is the married couple have a child. wife learns illegitimate lover also has offspring. This seems to create a divisive consternation within her. The lover distances himself from attentive loyalty to his progeny, to which the unfaithful wife cannot accede. There is a specific statement made by the unfaithful wife that is the recognition of true separateness from lover back to husband. The end is a surprise.SUMMARY AND SUGGESTIONS Overall, the themes are humanly dense and rich. But one must repeatedly watch this movie to ascertain the potential motives of each character. This movie is closer to a GREAT DRAWING PROMO or TRAILER, THAN A COMPLETE MOVIE. Excellent diversity of prototypes, realistic themes, very good acting======lacks expressive character depth This final one flaw is equivalent to a hot air balloon, with no hot air. You understand the concept, but never realize its human experience beauty in completion. A B&W remake would be really interesting.