mackjay2

This is a decent repurposing of The Somerset Maugham play that is the basis for THE LETTER (1940) directed by William Wyler. In comparison with the earlier film it falls short, mainly due to its weak conclusion. The lead in this version, Ann Sheridan, is very good, but she lacks the tragic intensity of Bette Davis in 1940. In addition there is no evident romantic tension between Sheridan and her lawyer (Lew Ayres). As the wronged husband, superb Zachary Scott shows what a sensitive, accomplished talent he was, well equipped to play a non-villainous character. This film has a blackmail subplot too, but it lacks anything comparable to the dreamlike mystery of the scene where the protagonist meets the widow of the dead man in the Wyler. Several other mostly minor changes in this version partially work (Eve Arden as busybody friend of Sheridan), but nothing sticks in the memory as we find in 1940. Moreover, while THE LETTER can be cited as early or pre-Noir thanks to a darker visual style and an overarching sense of fatalism, THE UNFAITHFUL plays more like a straight melodrama about marital infidelity. It also "excuses" that transgression by minimizing the time period during which it occured. What really lowers the rating of THE UNFAITHFUL is a decision to conclude it with a three-way talky scene that attempts (and purports) to rationalize all that has gone before. If a viewer has caught on to the connection with Maugham's story by this point, they should be sorely disappointed.

Grim, dark Film Noir with a very solid cast: Bogart, Zero Mostel, and menacing Everett Sloane. Investigators discover a series of unrelated killings that lead to a murder ring. Eventually, Mendoza (Sloane) is found to be the leader, and he's ruthless. Surely one of the most evil villains in Noir. A couple of scenes are almost shocking, considering the production year (Ted de Corsia in a minor, but memorable role as a terrified witness). Others are fearful too, until police zero in on the mob. Expert direction by lesser-known Bretaigne Windust and Noir-tinged cinematography by Robert Burks. Good stuff, don't miss this one.

Extended cut - Holy Smoke. I had seen the previous version of this film and it didn't do much for me. Can't even remember it in fact. But a friend strongly recommended the longer cut. This is Cormac McCarthy at his most brutally nihilistic, with his viewpoint on the inescapable trap of human existence. It's not just about the price of greed. It's about underestimating the depths of depravity and evil to which some humans can sink, how their world can take over that of an unwary outsider. The screenplay is brilliant in a very McCarthy way. He wrote it himself and I'm just guessing that Ridley Scott made no significant changes---at times is seems 'literary' in the sense that people don't often talk the way they sometimes do in this film, particularly in the final act. But that's not a problem. I highly recommend this extended cut of the film, especially if you admire McCarthy's vision in his novels, and the Coens' masterful NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Be sure to see the 2 hour, 17 minute extended cut.