17th(2015)
The Bigamist
Ida LUPINO
- USA
- 1953
- 80min
- DD
- black and white
- Fiction
SYNOPSIS
Asian Premiere
Synopsis
A lonely man finds himself married to, and in love with, two different women. A couple, having grown apart after they are unable to conceive a child of their own, decides to adopt. But things take a troubling turn when the adoption agency conducts a background check and discovers the husband leading a double life with another family in L.A.
Program Note
Harry, a salesman in San Francisco and Eve, a successful business woman decide to adopt a child to restore their broken relationship as a married couple. Through his tenacious investigation of Harry’s secret, the adoption agency finds out that he has another wife, Phyllis and his child. Harry’s subjective flashback telling the agency the whole story helps us understand him, the terrible bigamist. Even Harry seems quite a moral man, feeling responsible for Phyllis’ pregnancy. But, he selfishly excuses his affair, blaming that Eve made him feel lonely. The flashback scene where he has a dinner with Eve and her business partners, in fact, reveals his tiny mind. While Eve is displaying her exceptional business acumen, Harry sneers at himself as an impotent man because he is left out the conversation. Eve tries to do him proud, embarrassedly saying that she was just a secretary. This vulnerable and indecisive man can’t handle his outstanding wife Eve who is independent and honestly reveals her desire. The scene where they are separated with a bit of regret after the trial realistically demonstrates unstable gender identity and men’s maladjustment to the society after the Second World War. The Bigamist was written and produced by LUPINO’s former husband, Collier YOUNG, and YOUNG’s second wife Joan FONTAINE was casted as Eve. More interestingly, LUPINO was also starred as Phyllis. While her other films were distributed by a major Hollywood studio, The Bigamist was distributed by Collier YOUNG and LUPINO’s independent film production company, The Filmmakers. [CHO HyeYoung]
PROGRAM NOTE
Asian Premiere
Synopsis
A lonely man finds himself married to, and in love with, two different women. A couple, having grown apart after they are unable to conceive a child of their own, decides to adopt. But things take a troubling turn when the adoption agency conducts a background check and discovers the husband leading a double life with another family in L.A.
Program Note
Harry, a salesman in San Francisco and Eve, a successful business woman decide to adopt a child to restore their broken relationship as a married couple. Through his tenacious investigation of Harry’s secret, the adoption agency finds out that he has another wife, Phyllis and his child. Harry’s subjective flashback telling the agency the whole story helps us understand him, the terrible bigamist. Even Harry seems quite a moral man, feeling responsible for Phyllis’ pregnancy. But, he selfishly excuses his affair, blaming that Eve made him feel lonely. The flashback scene where he has a dinner with Eve and her business partners, in fact, reveals his tiny mind. While Eve is displaying her exceptional business acumen, Harry sneers at himself as an impotent man because he is left out the conversation. Eve tries to do him proud, embarrassedly saying that she was just a secretary. This vulnerable and indecisive man can’t handle his outstanding wife Eve who is independent and honestly reveals her desire. The scene where they are separated with a bit of regret after the trial realistically demonstrates unstable gender identity and men’s maladjustment to the society after the Second World War. The Bigamist was written and produced by LUPINO’s former husband, Collier YOUNG, and YOUNG’s second wife Joan FONTAINE was casted as Eve. More interestingly, LUPINO was also starred as Phyllis. While her other films were distributed by a major Hollywood studio, The Bigamist was distributed by Collier YOUNG and LUPINO’s independent film production company, The Filmmakers. [CHO HyeYoung]
Director
-
Ida LUPINOIda LUPINO
Ida LUPINO was an English-American film actress and director, and a pioneer among women filmmakers. In her forty-eight-year career, she appeared in fifty-nine films and directed seven others, mostly in the United States, where she became a citizen in 1948. She co-wrote and coproduced some of her own films as well. She appeared in serial television programs fifty-eight times and directed fifty other episodes. Additionally, she contributed as a writer to five films and four TV episodes.
Credit
- ProducerCollier YOUNG
- Cast Joan FONTAINE, Ida LUPINO, Edmund GWENN
- Screenwriter Collier YOUNG
- Cinematography George E. DISKANT
- Art director James W. SULLIVAN
- Editor Stanford TISCHLER
- Music Leith STEVENS
- Sound Dick TYLER Sr., Howard WILSON
