Unfaithfully Yours [Criterion Collection]

Director: Preston Sturges Preston Sturges

Overview

Preston Sturges' Unfaithfully Yours is a typically witty and wild screwball comedy starring Rex Harrison as a symphony conductor named Alfred de Carter who is convinced his wife (Linda Darnell) is having an affair. During one of his concerts, Alfred begins planning three different ways of solving the problem -- including murder -- setting each to a different classical piece. Sturges' script and direction are lively and the actors are perfectly cast, capable of wringing all the humor, both physical and verbal, out of the story. Despite the artistic success of the film, Unfaithfully Yours was unsuccessful at the time of its release, yet it was well-regarded by critics and film buffs. It was remade in 1984, featuring Dudley Moore in the lead role.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/12/2005
UPC:	0715515016421
Original Release:	1948
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:45:00
Sales rank:	5,186

Special Features

Closed Caption; New, restored high-definition digital transfer; Audio commentary featuring Sturges scholars James Harvey, Brian Henderson, and Diane Jacobs; New video introduction by director Terry Jones; New video interview with Sturges's widow, Sandy Sturges; Gallery featuring rare production correspondence and stills; Theatrical trailer; Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing; A new essay by novelist Jonathan Lethem

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Rex Harrison	Sir Alfred De Carter
Linda Darnell	Daphne De Carter
Barbara Lawrence	Barbara Henshler
Rudy Vallee	August Henshler
Kurt Kreuger	Anthony
Lionel Stander	Hugo Standoff
Edgar Kennedy	Detective Sweeney
Alan Bridge	House Detective,House Detective
Julius Tannen	Tailor,Information Man
Torben Meyer	Dr. Schultz
Robert Greig	Jules
Evelyn Beresford	Mme. Pompadour
Georgia Caine	Dowager
Harry Seymour	Musician
Isabel Jewell	Telephone Operator
Marion Marshall	Telephone Operator
Major Sam Harris	Bit Man
Douglas Gerrard	Bit Man
Dave Morris	Musician
Franz Roehn	Musician
George Mathews	Musician
Harry Carter	Reporter
Pati Behrs	Bit Girl
J. Farrell MacDonald	Doorman
George Melford	Elderly Man in Audience
Bill Cartledge	Page Boy
George Andre Beranger	Maitre d'
Tamara Schee	Mme. La Lotte
Ruth Clifford	Saleslady
Frank Moran	Fire Chief
Laurette Luez	Hatcheck Girl
Alfred Newman	Composer

Technical Credits

Preston Sturges

Fred Sersen	Special Effects
Preston Sturges	Producer,Director,Screenwriter
Roger Heman	Sound/Sound Designer
Arthur L. Kirbach	Sound/Sound Designer

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. The Maestro Arrives [4:53]
2. Questions [2:13]
3. Strangers Who Married Sisters [8:35]
4. Rehearsal [5:58]
5. House Dick/A Bit of Trouble [4:20]
6. A Square From Delaware [2:59]
7. They Way You Handle Handel [5:57]
8. Angry Alfred [3:12]
9. Daphne Responds [3:46]
10. Before the Concert [2:38]
11. Music Does Strange Things [6:03]
12. Preparations [3:06]
13. Crime and Cover-Up [5:36]
14. Tony's Fall [3:35]
15. Adulations [1:27]
16. Alfred Takes the Blame [5:00]
17. Russian Roulette [6:41]
18. Difficulties [11:59]
19. Simplicitas [3:43]
20. Nuttier Than a Fruitcake [3:18]
21. Explanations [9:58]
1. Sturges's Career [4:53]
2. Viciously Alive [2:13]
3. European Sensibility/Lubitsch and Capra [8:35]
4. The Ordinary American Face [5:58]
5. Howard Hughes/Slapstick [4:20]
6. Isolation [2:59]
7. Deflated Expectations [5:57]
8. Confidence [3:12]
9. What's Missing From This Film [3:46]
10. Zanuck/"Symphony Story" [2:38]
11. Rex Harrison [6:03]
12. No Parallels [3:06]
13. They Didn't Get the Joke [5:36]
14. Everything Goes Right [3:35]
15. Slapstick Returns [1:27]
16. Theatricality/Daphne's Ambiguity [5:00]
17. Alfred in Control/Sturges's Fall [6:41]
18. Women's Roles/Censorship [11:59]
19. A Man of Many Pursuits [3:43]
20. Supporting Characters [3:18]
21. Riding High/Romantic Love [9:58]

Menu

Side #1 --
   Play the Movie
   Chapters
   Color Bars
   Commentary
      Commentary: On
      Commentary: Off
      Index
      Color Bars
   Terry Jones Introduction
   Sandy Sturges Interview
      Play
   Gallery
   Trailer

Editorial Reviews

It’s more than a little ironic that this 1948 black comedy, savaged by many critics, virtually ended the brilliant career of writer-director Preston Sturges, who just a few years before had been Hollywood’s Golden Boy. Unfaithfully Yours had the same unique balance of sophistication and slapstick that earlier won the eccentric filmmaker legions of fans, yet its detractors couldn’t say enough bad things about it. Some called the film too dark and tasteless to be engaging comedy fare, while others decried Sturges’ use of old-fashioned pratfalls and corny wordplay. Today, the picture enjoys the reputation it deserves -- as a true classic. Rex Harrison portrays Sir Alfred De Carter, a world-famous symphony conductor obsessed with the notion that his glamorous wife (Linda Darnell) is having an affair. One night during a concert, he mentally spins an elaborate web of vengeful scenarios by which he might kill the woman. In a sensational cinematic tour de force, Sturges sets Sir Alfred’s fantasies to three separate orchestral works. The humor comes later, when he attempts to act out these scenarios, none of which work out as perfectly as he imagined. Harrison shows a surprising flair for slapstick, Darnell makes a radiant femme fatale (so to speak), and erstwhile bandleader Rudy Vallee is hilarious in a key supporting role. Compared to its lame 1984 remake starring Dudley Moore -- not to mention what passes for big-screen comedy these days -- Sturges’ Unfaithfully Yours is a 14-carat masterpiece.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Unfaithfully Yours is among the darkest comedies of director Preston Sturges, telling the story of a symphony conductor (Rex Harrison) who fantasizes about the unfaithfulness of his wife (Linda Darnell). The film distinctively mixes classical music with slapstick comedy and a non-linear story line, a combination that had little appeal to 1948 audiences. When the film was a box office failure, it effectively ended the Hollywood portion of Sturges' career, though he would continue to work in film for another ten years. Many critics consider Harrison's performance the best of his career, in one of the few roles in which he played a character with deep, personal flaws. As with all Sturges classics, the dialogue is snappy, though the film also relies to a surprising extent on physical comedy.

All Movie Guide - Richard Gilliam