Film noir tends to be observed as a series of elements and an aesthetic to be replicated, but really His strength lies in his philosophy, in his particular way of observing contemporary human existence with disenchantment and many moral greyness. Although characteristics such as structures dislocated by flashbacks or femme fatales that upset complicated men are often repeated, it is a genre that allows for much more.
This can be appreciated in a film as overwhelming as ‘The Bigamist’, a drama with a strong noir influence directed and starring Ida Lupino, which can now be enjoyed for free on the RTVE Play platform (it can also be found on Plex or on subscription services such as Filmin). This is, together with ‘El autopista’, one of the great works that explain the historical importance of the director.
The secret life of a polygamist
Considered one of those “movies that you have to see once in a lifetime” (at least it appears in books of that style), the story presents us with a married couple trying to adopt, for which the director of the adoption agency decides to investigate them to assess your aptitude. In his inquiries into the character of Edmund Gwenn, a widely traveled commercial, he finds that secretly has another family, with another wife and even a baby. Once discovered, the bigamist attempts an act of contrition through the confession of his acts.
In this basic premise we already find the expected elements of a film noir, from the flashback structure to the woman (women) changing the life of the complex protagonist. The visual aspects, from the photography to the adequate lighting with chiaroscuro, accentuate the sensation even though we are apparently before a family drama about infidelities.
It is noticeable that Lupino carries elements of the genre from having previously directed ‘The Hitchhiker’, released that same year. Here he stars in the story (the first time a woman has directed a film and at the same time acts as an interpreter) along with a superb Joan Fontaine who they deviate from expected stereotypesgiving shape to different and attractive characters due to their complexity.
‘The bigamist’: subtle and elegant
It is refreshing even today to see a film addressing this trio of characters and the conflict that unites them with such empathy, being more condemnatory of infidelity (something required seeing that it is a film made in times of Hays code) than polygamy. It does not take morbidity from this explosive story, but subtly and elegantly uses dramatic exploration to shape a complex study of love and our attitude towards it.
There is also a perverse subtext knowing that Fontaine at the time of shooting this film was married to the producer who was previously married to the director. An aspect that makes a daring film especially personal, capable of being ahead of its time (we can even see traces in a recent film like ‘Mari(dos)’), and which does not fall into simple moral conclusions. The incredible triad of actors and brilliantly shot sequences such as the trial make ‘The Bigamist’ continue to be an essential work.
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