June 14, 2009

Unfaithfully Yours (1948)

4/5

Preston Sturges's Unfaithfully Yours follows a British concert conductor who suspects his young and beautiful American wife of being unfaithful to him. The movie is a dark comedy, but one that changes mood throughout. As Kyle described it, the film starts as a witty comedy, does a 180 into a tense murder mystery, then finally ends as a Looney Tunes episode of gags and silly sound effects. It really is quite remarkable and unexpected. And yet it maintains a coherence I wouldn't have thought possible given the various dissonant moods.

Technically, the cinematography is pretty good. The directing and music were above average. The characters are fairly shallow and the acting fairly lackluster. Not like it matters that much. It is the humor that you focus on, and the humor you remember. And the humor that makes this movie 4 stars. Check it out if you like Preston Sturges.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040919/