The rather plodding pace of this chick flic melodrama masquerading as a noir (under the guise that anything with Zack Scott, set in LA, is of that genre) gives the viewer plenty of time to sniff out the rank odor of misogyny that permeates it as every female character is either a liar, a b---, or vengeful, and clearly the title refers exclusively to the distaff side of humanity. I might also add that two of the three leads are miscast, Scott never being convincing as a conventional good guy, and Ann Sheridan, who specialized in wisecracking waitresses, totally boring as a society wife. Not miscast, however, and providing the only interest in this rather tired production is Lew Ayres playing a fussy, woman hating, divorce attorney, a typically fine, nuanced study from this most sensitive of American actors. Give it a C. PS...Also partially redeeming this thing are great shots of 1947 LA, from Angels Flight to the red cars on Santa Monica Blvd (which I noticed was already afflicted with the smog that came to be associated with my home town from the 50s to the turn of the century.)
Review of The Unfaithful
