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The Unfaithful Wife

The Unfaithful Wife (La Femme infidèle)

Movie · 1969 · 4 people

Claude Chabrol both wrote and directed La Femme infidèle ("The Unfaithful Wife"), a 1969 French-Italian film. A French-language production of about 98 minutes, it sits where drama, crime and neo-noir meet, and some descriptions label it an erotic thriller. On release it did not reach a wide audience in France, selling around 682,000 tickets (682,295), yet over the years it came to be counted as a classic and made The New York Times' list of the 1,000 best films ever made.

At its centre is a businessman who realises his wife has been unfaithful and ends up killing her lover. The film is led by Stéphane Audran, Michel Bouquet and Maurice Ronet, with Michel Duchaussoy, Donatella Turri, Serge Bento, Guy Marly, Henri Marteau, Dominique Zardi, Henri Attal and Michel Charrel also in the cast. It is usually grouped with Chabrol's films that look beneath the settled surface of bourgeois life.

The story was brought to the screen again decades later: in 2002 Adrian Lyne directed an English-language remake titled Unfaithful.

DirectorClaude Chabrol

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Claude Chabrol Claude Chabrol Director · died at 80 Dominique Zardi Actor · died at 79 Henri Attal Henri Attal Actor · died at 67 Michel Charrel Michel Charrel Film actor · died at 89

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Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

La Femme infidèle is counted among the typical examples of Chabrol scratching beneath the orderly surface of bourgeois life, and its framework earns that reputation. Sitting between drama, crime and neo-noir lets it draw tension from suppressed feeling rather than outbursts. Stéphane Audran, Michel Bouquet and Maurice Ronet are exactly the acting material such a drama needs. It is also striking that it sold only around 682,000 tickets in France on release and became a classic later: this is a film that gains value with time rather than on first impression. Setting it beside Adrian Lyne's 2002 Unfaithful is a productive exercise in how two eras read the same story. The 98-minute running time is well judged.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

This is not one to sit down and watch with the family. It's about adultery and a killing, and some descriptions even call it an erotic thriller. I wouldn't call it suitable for children or teenagers. Adults, especially fans of older French cinema, can watch it among themselves. Don't expect a fast film; it's a calm one that builds its tension slowly.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

See the crime and neo-noir labels and it's easy to expect a fast-paced thriller, but this isn't that. Given that it's one of Chabrol's looks beneath bourgeois life, the tension comes from the characters' inner worlds, not from fights or chases. The betrayed husband gives it a strong core, but if you want speed, it asks for patience. If you're curious how classic crime films were put together, give it a shot.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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