Unfaithfully Yours (1948)

Preston Sturges has his great run in 1940-44, with a series of comedy masterpieces unparalleled in Hollywood film. 1948's Unfaithfully Yours proves that he still had the touch, if only he could have found a supportive studio for his genius. (It would've helped if Unfaithfully Yours had been a hit, which it was not.) Sir Alfred De Carter (Rex Harrison) is a witty, vain orchestra conductor, a celebrated man married to a beautiful woman (Linda Darnell). He becomes convinced of her infidelity, and while he is on the podium during a concert, he fantasizes three homicidal revenge fantasies--all set to the classics.

The conductor looks suspiciously like a self-portrait by Sturges, and the delicious dialogue comes pouring out of Rex Harrison like pearls from a goblet. The film's main disappointment is that it doesn't feature the teeming stock company of character actors that crowd Sturges's earlier pictures (although Rudy Vallee, Lionel Stander, and Edgar Kennedy come through nicely). The film, while morbid, is often laugh-out-loud funny, but it also has something sneakily brilliant to say about the gulf between art and life: how the exquisite timing and perfect mechanics of Sir Alfred's imagination come a-cropper when he actually tries to enact his fantasies. Unfaithfully Yours was remade in a not-bad version with Dudley Moore in 1984, but this one's the keeper. Too bad it couldn't save Sturges--this is the last worthy film in a too-brief career. --Robert Horton Amazon.com

Unfaithfully Yours Delivers Laughs Faithfully

A cinema technique in advance of its time. Head and shoulders above its more recent remake. Harrison never got his just due for his outstanding comedic efforts. Rue de Valle and other period character actors make this absolutely worthwhile to own for any Preston Sturges fan. October 11, 2008

Something For Everyone: A Comedy Tonight???

When I saw this movie as a kid, it was billed as a murder mystery, and I recall being so horrified as Rex Harrison planned and executed his fiendish and ghastly perfect crime that I wanted to leave the movie theatre; and then when the entire scenario was turned on its head as Harrison actually put what turned out to be a figment of his musical imagination into action--or made a bungling effort to do so--I was very glad I had not left. My sides ached from tear-splashed laughter then, and they still do every time I watch this gem of a film.

Now that I am older, I also appreciate what a brilliantly sophisticated comedy Preston Sturges' "Unfaithfully Yours" is. Harrison's wit is (pardon the pun) razor sharp. Linda Darnell is stunningly beautiful both as the faithful wife of reality and the guilty wife of Harrison's imagination. The supporting cast, which includes Rudy Vallee as the pompous twit who stirs up the entire tempest in a teapot, and Barbara Lawrence as his acerbic wife, is excellent. Every character, in fact--from the handsome would-be lover down to the detectives, the tailor and the cymbal percussionist--is finely delineated. Even though Rex Harrison is never at home with the conductor's baton and the music-track is a bit dicey after all these years, the film, the DVD of which includes a commentary and a couple of interesting interviews, nevertheless remains priceless. June 22, 2008

Just SO much fun!

Preston Sturges knows how to write interesting characters in bizarre situations. This is a jealousy-plagued love story with plot lines acted out in Rex Harrison's character's mind, then carried out with varying results. The basic premise is brilliant for what it offers, and Rex Harrison is perfectly hilarious. Lovely Linda Darnell's performance(s) -- wonderful! Added treats, as always with Sturges, are the various supporting players who add wonderful coloration to the storyline. Rudy Vallee is particularly delightful! Add in a wonderfully crafted Alfred Newman score that incorporates works of Rossini, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner, and you end up with a marvelously entertaining film. Although a little too strong for little ones, this can be a good family film night selection that will surprise teens and up. March 29, 2008

Faithfully good

Definitely a movie that is worth having in any collection. The subject matter is as relevant today as it was in 1948, but the presentation can probably be better appreciated now than it was when it was first released. It is a very intelligent movie, and the performances are superb--defying expectations. I would have never expected to see Rex Harrison in this type of a role, and he proves to be excellent in it, portraying the paranoid, jealous, and fragile male who seems so powerful on the outside, and yet can be almost childlike in the way he relates to the world around him when his feelings are involved. The movie also reveals how easily love can turn to hatred when we become so immersed in our own needs and fears. This movie is not just cerebral, though. It is also very funny, especially when one notices the subtleties of the dialogue associated with some great slapstick. This one is to be watched over and over again. November 25, 2007

Brilliant film with worthless commentary from alleged "experts"

If there were a way to strip this disc of its atrociously pompous and utterly worthless commentary track, I would do so without hesitation. Three supposed "scholars" mumble on at excessive length, similar to people in a movie house who carry on aimless conversations to the annoyance of other patrons. An even bigger disappointment are the seemingly stream-of-conscious ramblings by Monty Pyton's Terry Jones, which make very little sense and add nothing to the enhancement of the film. The only worthwhile extras are the reminiscences of Preston Sturges' widow, the very charming Sandy Sturges, and an absolutely brilliant booklet essay by Jonathan Lethem (why on earth didn't Criterion permit him to do the audio commentary?). The film itself of course is marvellous, and among a sterling cast Edgar Kennedy (Sweeney the Private Eye) deserved a posthumous Best Supporting Actor nomination, but 1948 was not the era to acknowledge a masterful screen performance from a veteran comic of the old-time slapstick school. For Edgar Kennedy alone, UNFAITHFULLY YOURS is worth revisiting many times over, but avoid the "bonus material" at all costs. August 4, 2007

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