Unfaithfully Yours

press release: 

UNFAITHFULLY YOURS

USA | 1948 | 35mm | 105 min.

Director: Preston Sturges; Cast: Rex Harrison, Linda Darnell, Rudy Vallee

Harrison has a field day as paranoiac conductor Sir Alfred de Carter, suspicious of his wife’s (Darnell) fidelity to the brink of hysteria. His jealousy fueled by the music of Rossini, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner, Sir Alfred plots revenge in increasingly deranged fantasies, only to find his protracted attempt at retribution foiled in a hilariously extended bout with technology. In a stylistic departure from the signature chaos of his ensemble comedies, writer/director Sturges gracefully reflects Sir Alfred’s arrogance by precisely coordinating his diabolical visions with a near-constant musical underscore, only to pull the rug out with reality driven slapstick in the haywire finale.

Sunday Cinematheque at the Chazen: Reinventing Hollywood

This lineup of great entertainments draws its inspiration from David Bordwell’s captivating new book, Reinventing Hollywood: How 1940s Filmmakers Changed Movie Storytelling. The book and this series focus on just some of the storytelling methods that made the 40s period exciting, in particular the outrageous and outlandish use of flashbacks and subjective viewpoints, as well as an exploration of character psychologies and neuroses. The series begins on January 28 with a special lecture from Professor Bordwell and a screening of The Chase (1946).

All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.