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Stéphane Audran, Michel Bouquet, Maurice Ronet, Michel Duchaussoy, Guy Marly ... see more see more... , Serge Bento , Henri Attal , Michel Charrel , Louise Chevalier , Henri Marteau , Dominique Zardi , Stephen Di Napolo , Jean-Marie Arnoux

Stéphane Audran plays the title character, Hélène Desvallées, the bored wife of insurance executive Charles Desvallées (Michel Bouquet). Charles suspects Hélène of playing the field, so he has a priva... read more read more...te detective locate his wife's lover, author Victor Pegala (Maurice Ronet). Confronting Victor, Charles tries to adopt an air of indifference, but the conversation ends with the husband bludgeoning the author to death and then calmly disposing of the evidence. When Hélène is questioned about Victor's murder, she discovers on her own that her husband is guilty. Instead of turning him in, Hélène is so thrilled that Charles cares so deeply about her that she is more in love with him than ever before. The Unfaithful Wife was directed by Claude Chabrol, the then real-life husband of leading lady Stéphane Audran. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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77% liked it

1,097 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Claude Chabrol

Release Date: November 10, 1969

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DVD Release Date: January 21, 2003

Stats: 59 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (59)

  • SirPant
    October 12, 2010
    SirPant
    I quite like Claude Chabrol although it seems quite unfashionable to say so. It's a well trodden path with La femme infidèle but I think it's Chabrol who we can thank for making it believable. There is a Je ne sais quoi about his films, while he didn't exactly create any genres h... read moreimself, his style will proceed him for a long time to come. RIP Mr Chabrol.
  • harrycaul
    April 16, 2008
    harrycaul
    Without giving too much away, "La Femme Infidèle" is a murder story bookended by two phases of suspicion: a husband's (Michel Bouquet) questioning of his wife's fidelity, and the wife's (Stéphane Audran) realisation that her husband may have committed a crime of passion. What ma... read morekes the film so special is the novel concept of murder as a declaration of love, an act of savagery capable of bringing two people closer together rather than blasting them apart: extreme marriage therapy, if you will! The other thing that Chabrol does very well here is to deglamourise the act of murder itself, portraying it as an ugly, sordid business, fraught with complications. Curiously, this generally sombre film lightens considerably when events take a drastic turn, and a healthy dose of darkly comic Hitchcockian suspense is introduced. A brilliant little movie.
  • gator681
    May 26, 2005
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic][color=indigo]"Secret Honor" is a one-man film directed by Robert Altman featuring Philip Baker Hall as a post-disgrace Richard Nixon in full drunken, venomous rage, dictating his memoirs. Therein, lies the problem with this movie - there is not a lot of subt... read moreletly and nuance here which does not allow for much insight into his character. Despite this negative portrayal, I felt this movie let Nixon off the hook somewhat. He comes off as somewhat tragic instead of the monster I imagine he was. It does not help matters that "Secret Honor" reminds me of a lesser Twilight Zone episode; you know one where the evil old man has to face the sins of his long life. Hall is excellent as Nixon but I still prefer Dan Hedaya's performance in "Dick."(Note: "Secret Honor" might make for an interesting but none too enjoyable double feature with "The Assassination of Richard Nixon.")[/color][/font]

    [font=Century Gothic][color=navy]"The Unfaithful Wife" is another straightforward piece of suspense from Claude Chabrol. This one is about a wealthy businessman(Michel Bouquet) who imagines that his beautiful wife(Stephane Audran) is having an affair. He hires an investigator for proof and goes to see the other man.(Like Chabrol's "L'Enfer", I am curious to know what makes the husband suspicious of his wife. And is it love or possessiveness that drives his actions?) This movie differs from some of Chabrol's other films in that it is a little trickier than most. Plus, there is much that is left unsaid and is left inferred.("The Unfaithful Wife" was remade a few years ago in English as "Unfaithful" starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere which I have not seen.) [/color][/font]

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Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce
October 30, 2009
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Chabrol's dapper and affecting comedy of alienated manners Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
August 25, 2007
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

It's a brilliant scrutiny of the middle-class. Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Andrew Sarris
April 27, 2007
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

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Roger Greenspun
February 19, 2005
Roger Greenspun, New York Times

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Emanuel Levy
August 17, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

June 24, 2006
Time Out

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February 19, 2005
Film4

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