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The Bigamist

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73% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
San Francisco businessman Harry Graham (Edmond O'Brien) and his wife and business partner, Eve (Joan Fontaine), are in the process of adopting a child. When private investigator Jordan (Edmund Gwenn) uncovers the fact that Graham has another wife, Phyllis (Ida Lupino), and a small child in Los Angeles, he confesses everything. In flashback, Graham tells of the strains in his marriage with Eve and how he found himself falling for the kind-hearted waitress Phyllis while on a business trip.
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The Bigamist

Critics Reviews

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Richard Brody The New Yorker [A] glossy yet granular melodrama about the stresses and deceptions of marriage, work, and romance. Apr 14, 2020 Full Review Carson Timar Filmotomy The Bigamist undoubtedly could have been cleaned up here and there, but overall is a worthwhile excursion into a layered and nuanced exploration of love. Feb 12, 2022 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia Lupino takes a down-to-earth look at the ethics of marriage and the moral dilemmas of bigamy, but while his melodrama has interesting moments, I have a feeling that it lacks dramatic punch. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 6/10 Nov 11, 2021 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...a lackadaisical drama... Rated: 2/4 Dec 17, 2020 Full Review Michael J. Casey Boulder Weekly Lupino's treatment of an adulterous husband is so even-handed, so sympathetic, you don't just feel for him; you understand him. Oct 24, 2019 Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row While viewers' reactions will likely vary greatly, Lupino refuses to take sides, and the result is a film that exists in a surprising moral gray area rarely seen in 1953. Rated: 3.5/4 Oct 9, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alain E An excellent, relatively unknown, drama about becoming The (accidental) bigamist. The hero is an overall decent man who is in the process of adopting a baby with his infertile wife when in one of his extended business trips meets a lonely woman, they kiss a few times and as it was common in the 40s and 50s, she ends up pregnant. Then he decides to do the right thing, giving her legal status without first divorcing his wife who is in the process of losing her father. A man of good intentions. Eventually he is brought to justice, but the movie ends without resolving the issues. The script is very good avoiding phony confrontations and the characters appear convincing. Good black and white photography, with the signature exaggerated shadows of the period. Another visual detail that I noticed is that in most scenes with lit candles in interiors the flames bend to one side as if there was a wind blowing on the set. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/03/25 Full Review Noel L It definitely grabs your attention right away and then goes into so much depth about how a bigamist isn't always a bad guy. I find that to be very intriguing and enjoyable to watch Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/08/25 Full Review jimmy b Joan Fontaine steals the show as the beautiful first wife. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/07/25 Full Review Leaburn O Man has an affair and ends up marrying woman he has affair with. Melodrama that has aged terribly. This is 1950s thinking but not relevant to modern times. Watched on Amazon Prime. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 12/13/24 Full Review nick s The production was fine, but the plot rather dull. As soon as the flashback started you were just waiting for it to get back to real time, and the wait was interminable. There is a certain expectation you have with the title "the bigamist" - racy, cheeky, indulgent. This movie wasn't that. It was one dry cracker. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/10/24 Full Review Ashley H The Bigamist is a decent film. It is about a man who is secretly married to two women feels the pressure of his deceit. Joan Fontaine and Ida Lupino give good performances. The script is a little slow in places. Ida Lupino also did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the drama. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Bigamist

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Cast & Crew

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Ida Lupino

Director

Edmond O'Brien

Harry Graham

Joan Fontaine

Eve Graham

Ida Lupino

Phyllis Martin

Edmund Gwenn

Mr. Jordan

Jane Darwell

Mrs. Connelley

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The Bigamist

The Bigamist (1953) The Bigamist (1953) The Bigamist (1953) The Bigamist (1953) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis San Francisco businessman Harry Graham (Edmond O'Brien) and his wife and business partner, Eve (Joan Fontaine), are in the process of adopting a child. When private investigator Jordan (Edmund Gwenn) uncovers the fact that Graham has another wife, Phyllis (Ida Lupino), and a small child in Los Angeles, he confesses everything. In flashback, Graham tells of the strains in his marriage with Eve and how he found himself falling for the kind-hearted waitress Phyllis while on a business trip.
Director
Ida Lupino
Producer
Collier Young
Production Co
The Filmakers Group
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 3, 1953, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 11, 2016
Runtime
1h 20m
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