Bigamist (The)

Genre: romantic drama (in black and white)

With: Joan Fontaine (Eve Graham), Ida Lupino (Phyllis Martin), Edmond O'Brien (Harry Graham), Edmund Gwenn (Mr. Jordan), Kenneth Tobey (Tom Morgan), Jane Darwell (Mrs. Connelly), Peggy Maley (Phone Operator), George Lee (Sam)

Director: Ida Lupino

Screenplay: Collier Young (based on an original story by Lawrence B. Marcus and Lou Schor)

Release: 1953

Studio: The Filmmakers

Rating: 14

MBiS score: 8.2/10

 

 

132 Brinkman Street

 

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Story-line: when Eve and Harry Graham meet Mr. Jordan at his San Francisco office to finalize an adoption, Jordan notices Harry’s discomfort when asked to authorize a full investigation into his private life. Pushing his inquiries further, Jordan visits the Grahams at home and some of Harry’s business partners in Los Angeles. In so doing, he will learn that Harry is not the man he seems to be.

Pluses: delicate acting by Edmond O’Brien (in a tricky role), Joan Fontaine (the sometimes aggressive yet loving Eve) and Ida Lupino (a striking, beaming Phyllis), professional direction, a straightforward and credible screenplay marked by truthful dialogues, appropriate production values and a touching musical score. 

Minuses: a couple of Jordan’s lines are rather manipulative – while trying to show how conscientious he is – but do not detract from the movie’s overall value. Yes, the title reveals plenty… but the story behind it is well worth seeing.  

Comments: Ida Lupino (1918-1995) appeared in thirteen films or so as an actress and made four movies as a director. Here, she radiates charisma on screen and manages a formidable balancing act behind the camera by depicting Harry Graham not as a louse but as a human being faced with a heart-rending choice. THE BIGAMIST is neither a tasteless flick nor an exercise in shock value, but a sincere motion picture that grows on you like Phyllis Martin if you met her on a tourist bus. Life can be such a treacherous affair… 

 

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