Bigamist

Starring:Ida Lupino, Jane Darwell, Ken Drake, Joan Fontaine, Lilian Fontaine, Edmund Gwenn, Jerry Housner, George Lee, Peggy Maley, Edmond O'Brien, Kenneth Tobey, James Todd, Mack Williams, John Brown, Matt Dennis, John Maxwell, Kem Dibbs, James Young
Director: Ida Lupino
Studio: Genius Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Customer Reviews:

"Here were people going someplace, so I went along with them.".......2006-03-15

A bigamist has to be a glutton for punishment--after all, isn't one relationship, one mortgage, and one set of bills enough? Why on earth would anyone go out and double (and juggle) their problems? The film "The Bigamist" directed by Ida Lupino tries to answer some of those questions in its character study of bigamist Harry Graham (Edmond O' Brien). Harry seems to be happily married to Eve (Joan Fontaine). They live in San Francisco and run a deep freeze business there, but work demands force Harry to travel frequently to Los Angeles. Eve throws herself into the business to compensate for her inability to have a child. Ultimately, she's a great business partner, but (according to Harry) a bit on the cold, formal side for a wife, and Harry strays during one of his business trips when he meets prickly waitress Phyllis Martin (Ida Lupino).

Interestingly, the film casts Harry as the victim. The role could have been written with Harry as a Lothario, but instead he's portrayed as lonely, sad, and tortured; the film really doesn't address the women's feelings much, and the emphasis is squarely on Harry--how he got into this mess, how tortured he feels about it, and how he juggles the relationships. Harry's complicated, double life spirals out-of-control when Eve seeks to adopt a baby, and suspicious social worker Mr. Jordan (Edmund Gwenn) begins a relentless background check.

"The Bigamist" is a surprisingly good film, and the emphasis on the motivations behind Harry's behaviour raise this film above the ordinary. There is a scene when Harry returns to San Francisco (to wife number one), and she throws a small dinner party with business acquaintances. Eve is the sort of wife other men envy Harry for, and as she entertains and amuses the other men, Harry is so distant, he might as well be on another planet. His relationship with Phyllis is entirely different, and while Harry's sob-story justifications are standard: "I was lonely," "she needed me," blah, blah, nonetheless the plot makes it perfectly clear exactly what Harry's mindset was every step of the way. A strong musical background accompanies much of the film, and it's used to underscore dramatic moments--often marking sudden swifts in mood and emotional drama. "The Bigamist"--even with its cheesy moments is still a highly entertaining film--displacedhuman

Strangely compelling........2005-07-03

This is a weird one for sure. When a man and his wife try to adopt a baby the adopting inspector discovers the man is married to another wife in another town! With the whole story being explained you are supposed to almost feel sorry for the man--but how can you really?! The speech by the judge at the end is very true.

I was very amused at an "inside joke" they pulled in the movie--making reference to Edmund Gwenn who happened to be the inspector! Seemed somewhat out of place in a movie of this nature. Overall, I'm not sorry I watched the movie.

Dance and the world dances with you.......2005-06-08

A San Francisco couple want to adopt a child. They are a partnered couple, both sell deep freeze refrigeration units. The beautiful blonde wife (Joan Fontaine) `fails' her husband (Edmond O'Brien) by being unable to have children. She compensates by throwing herself into the business, which seems more rewarding to her than it is to hubby. They begin to fill out the adoption papers which, as the chipper little adoption agent (Edmund Gwynn) explains, "will pry into every detail of your private life." The husband begins to sweat and the violins swell. There are a lot of swollen violins in this one. Hubby spends much of his time in Los Angeles, where his lonely days and empty nights are soon relieved by a love-scarred waitress (Ida Lupino), a stranger who `helps him through a lonely Sunday' and soon proves more than capable of giving him as many Bigamist Juniors as he can handle. With O'Brien taking the overgrown-lapdog approach to his character it shouldn't have surprised me to hear soon-to-be Wife #2 Lupino chuckle him under the chin at one point and say "I love you so, you big lug." I don't think I've ever heard a man referred to as a `big lug' in a movie without a trace of irony, though, and if caught me off guard. I was more bemused than engrossed by the evolving drama, anyway. The engrossed don't ask embarrassing questions like WHY BIGAMY!!? I mean, my gosh. Taboo? I guess, maybe, fifty years ago - but Gentleman's Agreement this ain't. A penetrating look at a man who loves two women? Heck, no. More like a roiling melodrama, a turgid B-movie with an A-movie cast, 99.9% pure soap salvaged by its excellent cast - especially Fontaine as Wife #1.
In a typical Edmond O'Brien vehicle of that period the shadows would have been deeper, at least one of the dames would have been homicidal, and Gwynn would have been a righteously angry old elf, indeed, rather than the grandfatherly adoption clerk who can barely bleat out an ambivalent `I don't know whether to despise you or pity you' after sitting through one of O'Brien's transgressive flashbacks. How, Gwynn asks, could `a man like you get into a position as... vile as this?' Judging by the stellar cast and the low-rent look of this one, I'd guess the same way Gwynn got into the same vile position - as a favor to director and co-star Ida Lupino. Just a guess, though.
Good acting, cliched dialogue, a silly premise. THE BIGAMIST is worth a look, if for no other reason than to watch how a good cast can soar above the material.

"I'll get into something real uncomfortable.".......2005-03-24

In case you're wondering, the term bigamist is derived from the word bigamy, which means `The criminal offense of marrying one person while still legally married to another', a practice which still thrives in some parts of this country, particularly in the Salt Lake City area. The Bigamist (1953), not to be confused with the Italian film Il Bigamo (1956), starring Marcello Mastroianni, is based on a story by Collier Young, who just happened to once be married to both the female costars of this film, but not at the same time. The film, directed by Ida Lupino, stars Edmond O'Brien (D.O.A), Joan Fontaine (Suspicion, Ivanhoe), and Ida Lupino (High Sierra). Also appearing is Kenneth Tobey (The Thing From Another World) and Edmund Gwenn, who appeared in a number of films, but is probably best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947).

The film starts out with a couple, Harry (O'Brien) and Eve (Fontaine) Graham in the process of applying to adopt a child in the office of Mr. Jordan (Gwenn), who works for the state of California in the capacity of being a child welfare worker. Things seem to be going well until Mr. Jordan presents documents to the couple that would allow for a background check, apparently because the state of California doesn't just give away parentless kids to any schlomo off the street. The presentation of said documents elicits a pained look on Harry's face, one that doesn't go unnoticed by Mr. Jordan, and prompts him to initiate an extra thorough investigation into Harry's affairs, who's a traveling salesman by trade, maintaining offices in both San Francisco (that's where he and his wife Eve live), and also in Los Angeles. Arriving in Los Angeles, Mr. Jordan makes the startling discover that Harry has another wife (GASP) and now has some serious `splaining' to do...which we get to hear as the film goes into a lengthy flashback. Seems Harry, suffering from both marital issues and loneliness (he's on the road a lot), took up pitching woo to a woman named Phyllis (Lupino), but never intended it to go very far...until Phyllis found herself in a sticky predicament (can you guess what it was? I'll give you a hint...it involved a bun and an oven). Harry, being a standup guy, tries to do the right thing, but circumstances and complications stack themselves up in such a way as to limit his actions. So the question now is what is to become of Harry, now that his secret is uncovered?

While I enjoyed this film, I felt it had a few, relatively minor faults, and I'm not terribly big on the heavy melodrama (I was looking for something a bit more sensational). As far as the subject matter, while it may have been taboo back in the 50's, it seems tame by today's standards (that's a scary thought). I thought the film did a good job in presenting the material, as it seemed not to try and take one side or the other, but rather an objective overview how a relatively decent man could wind up in a situation like this (there was a little bit of heavy handed moralistic postulating here and there, but it was kept limited and didn't appear out of place due to the subject matter and the general consensus that's such behavior is pretty despicable)...O'Brien's character is well developed, a man struggling to do what he thinks is right, but finding himself sinking deeper and deeper into the sticky morass of socially unacceptable behavior. While I appreciated his situation and his good intentions, I could never find myself developing any sense of sympathy for his character. He had numerous opportunities to extricate himself before the situation became as bad as it did, but never followed through. It's not that I'm a high-hatted, moralistic goodie goodie or anything like that, but I am a firm believer that when one makes ones bed, he must lie in it, not matter how uncomfortable. He was the source of his own problems and had no one to blame beside himself. I thought both Fontaine (who's incredibly hotsy totsy here) and Lupino did very well with their characters, creating a sort of ying and yang as the two, seemingly halves may have represented a whole woman to Harry...either that or he just had a whole lotta love to give...if it were me, having seen how well (or poorly) each of the women have aged over the years, I would have stuck with Ms. Fontaine, as she continued to retain her hottiness while Ms. Lupino acquired a Jabba-like appearance as the passage of time was not so good to her (little to do with the film, but I thought it worth mentioning). As far as Ms. Lupino's direction (she was an extremely accomplished director and actress), it works well, and she keeps the story humming along, but it's not her best, when compared to her other release that same year in The Hitch-Hiker, which I would highly recommend.

The picture quality on the Alpha Video release varies from decent to rough to rotten (there's points where frames are missing), and the audio is decent throughout. The glossy DVD case would make it appear the film is in color, but it's in black and white (Alpha is known for creating especially attractive artwork for their generally substandard releases of films and television shows that have fallen into the public domain, meaning the copyright has expired, so any yahoo can release the material, which is often why you may see any number of different releases of the same film or TV show). The extras include a graphic listing of other Alpha titles, and trailers for the films Just Add Pepper (2002), A Chronicle of Corpses (2000), Magdalen (1998), and Candy Van Dewd (2002).

Cookieman108

By the way, I think the film would have been much more effective with a less direct title...

The Bigamist (1953) DVD [Remastered Edition]

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A2zcds.com has preserved this timeless Hollywood classic on DVD for generations to enjoy

The Bigamist (1953) DVD [Remastered Edition]

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Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009RS0CY
Release Date: 2005-05-23

Description

Based on the ritualistic moral laws that governed American Society in the Eisenhower era, The Bigamist is an endearing attempt by director Ida Lupino to justify the misgivings of a successful deep-freeze salesman who is driven by circumstances into a second secret marriage.

Playing second fiddle probably came naturally to Ida, who was cast in several similar roles before she took up direction, but what she managed to squeeze out of Edmund O'Brien in terms of a performance is truly laudable. Edmund's portrayal of a man who is successful in business but disgruntled with his personal life is magnificent. The plot unfolds nicely, showing Harry's gradual disillusionment with life, his persistent but waning attempts at winning his wife's attention and their unintended but steady drifting apart. Ida has done a fabulous job of showing how a man gives in little by little to internal pressures and circumstances. Although she has more or less a bit role to play in this classic, Joan Fontaine doesn't miss the opportunity to show off her irresistible charm.

Most movie audiences would leave the halls believing "he couldn't help it, she's to blame", while purists may have an altogether different outlook. Be that as it may, The Bigamist comes pretty close to capturing real life situations in a very convincing manner and is a must see for those who are die-hard Ida Lupino fans or simply lovers of great Hollywood classics.

Customer Reviews:

Who Knew?.......2006-05-18

Did you know that back in the 1950s you could be sentenced to life in prison for bigamy? I didn't either. I mean, I'm not saying that you should be married to two women at once, but life in prison seems like a fairly harsh penalty. Anyway, that's all beside the point. What this film is about is a bigamist who gets the chance to explain to a judge exactly why he needed to be maried to two women. It's very much a product of his time and he's able to show that it is actually his first wife's fault that's he's married twice. Yet, the ending is very, very romantic and I liked it.

A2zcds.com has preserved this timeless Hollywood classic on DVD for generations to enjoy.......2006-05-03

"Hats off to Ida Lupino - one of the gutsiest females to grace Hollywood's male dominated studios. Her handling of her cast in `The Bigamist' is just as effective as her handling of directors when she faced the camera. Always in control of her sets as she was of her life, Lupino seems to have brought a refreshingly new and characteristically feminine perspective to this classic, which is a must watch for all her fans and her detractors - if any! "

Edmond O'Brien Double Feature: D.O.A./The Bigamist

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Edmond O'Brien Double Feature: D.O.A./The Bigamist
Starring: Edmond O'Brien Double Feature
Manufacturer: Critic's Choice
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000HWXRLK
Release Date: 2006-09-19

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Bigamist
Starring: Jane Darwell , Ken Drake , Joan Fontaine , Lilian Fontaine , and Edmund Gwenn
Director: Ida Lupino
Manufacturer: Genius Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00022682U
Release Date: 2004-01-01

Product Description

Edmund O'Brien, the soft, sweaty Everyman of so much early-'50s film noir, is cast as a sympathetic bigamist in Ida Lupino's 1953 film; a traveling salesman married to a frigid Joan Fontaine in San Francisco, he lets his loneliness lead him into a Los Angeles relationship with a hard-boiled waitress (Lupino, directing herself to one of her definitive damaged-goods performances). Hollywood's only significant woman filmmaker of the '50s, Lupino scrutinized and often criticized the sexual stereotypes of her time, and O'Brien is no moustache-twirling predator but a fundamentally decent man trapped by his own sense of responsibility. The on-the-fly, location shooting offers a hyperrealistic, street-level depiction of the seamy side of Los Angeles, epitomized by the hideous Chinese restaurant in which Lupino works, while Fontaine is positioned in an artificial soundstage world of penthouses and boardrooms. Defiantly violating any number of social taboos, The Bigamist is sensitive, meticulous filmmaking from a neglected master.

The Man With The Golden Arm & The Bigamist Double Feature

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The Man With The Golden Arm & The Bigamist Double Feature

Manufacturer: Digital Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

"The Man With The Golden Arm" - This powerful drama, which broached the subject of drug addiction in a stark and realistic manner, may be mild by today's standards, but was a groundbreaking and edgy film in its day. The legendary Frank Sinatra plays addict, Frankie Machine, with Eleanor Parker playing his disabled wife. Based on the novel by Nelson Algren. MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM received three Academy Award Nominations, including Best Actor for Frank Sinatra. "The Bigamist" - A salesman marries a wealthy woman from a blue-blooded L.A. family (Fontaine) and a street-smart waitress in a San Francisco Chinese restaurant. Driven to this agonizing extreme more by his big heart than lust, the bigamist strains to keep his double life a secret from the women he truly loves. Curiously non-judgmental, particularly as it's directed by a woman, Ida Lupino (it's also the only production in which she directed herself).

Investigative Reports: Intimate Deception

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Investigative Reports: Intimate Deception

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Description

A look at how bigamists get away with preying on vulnerable women. Features stories of a handsome model who was married to four women at the same time, and another man who married three women in a year while already married to a fourth.

Drama Movie Marathon Volume 1: 8 Movie Pack

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Drama Movie Marathon Volume 1: 8 Movie Pack

Manufacturer: RightNow Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
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BONUS: Each movie comes with a portable-media friendly version that can be downloaded to your Apple iPod!
Eight feature films on four DVDs.
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde;The Great Flamarion;Plan for Escape;Flying Blind;The Bigamist;Oh, Alfie;The Man with the Golden Arm;Home Town Story;

ASIN: B000GW75UU

Product Description

The legends of Drama are gathered here for you in this definitive DVD collection of some of the greatest Drama classics to ever come out of Hollywood. This 8 DVD collection is sure to provide you with countless hours of entertainment. Volume 2 includes: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde directed by John S. Robertson and starring John Barrymore; The Great Flamarion directed by Anthony Mann and starring Erich von Stroheim; Plan for Escape directed by and starring Peggy Ann Garner; Flying Blind directed by Frank McDonald and starring Richard Arlen; The Bigamist directed by Ida Lupino and starring Joan Fontaine; Oh, Alfie directed by Ken Hughes and starring Joan Collins; The Man with the Golden Arm directed by Otto Preminger and starring Frank Sinatra; Home Town Story directed by Arthur Pierson and starring Marilyn Monroe.

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