La Poison

La Poison is a 1951 French black comedy written and directed by Sacha Guitry. Michel Simon stars as Paul Braconnier, a man in a small town who loathes his wife as much as she loathes him. While she plots to get rid of him, he travels to Paris to consult a celebrated lawyer about how a murderer might secure an acquittal. When his wife subsequently dies after taking poison, Braconnier is put on trial for her murder, and thanks to the lawyer's shrewd advice he manages to win over the court. Shot in black and white and also featuring Jean Debucourt and Germaine Reuver, the film is a caustic satire of marriage, justice and hypocrisy, carried by Guitry's trademark sharp dialogue.