Preston Sturges rendered the noir ethos in comic form in his films of the forties; in fact, no director had a blacker, bleaker view of American values than he, and of course he got away with murder by transforming his cynicism into satire--without ever once compromising his morbid point of view. We will be featuring more Sturges comic noirs in August. Unfaithfully Yours is Sturges' most complex and sophisticated creation. Smoothly switching from fantasy to reality, from slapstick to black comedy, Sturges weaves a cynical story of adultery and deception to rival any in the noir series. Rex Harrison is ideally cast as an orchestra conductor who suspects his beautiful wife (Linda Darnell) of adultery based on the reports of his insipid brother-in-law (Rudy Vallee). As he conducts Rossini, Wagner or Tchaikovsky, in his mind he hatches one hilarious murder plot after another, each inspired by the musical score and all in keeping with his thoroughly sophisticated lifestyle. Sturges achieves a rare balance of music, dialogue, and stylishly noir visuals, each complementing the other and adding to the wit of this memorable classic.