The Unfaithfuls (1953)

I really did quite enjoy the premise here. A wealthy fromagier is praying that his wife is having an affair so he employs an investigator to provide what ought to be a routine tailing exercise. He delegates this task to his junior “Osvaldo” (Pierre Cressoy) but it proves quite difficult because “Luisa” (Irene Papas) mixes in circles that he has no hope of accidentally gatecrashing. To that end, he cleverly utilises the services of an ex-girlfriend “Liliana” (May Britt) who is now mixing in vastly improved circles to help him gain entry to her exclusive clique. Just why does “Azzali” (Carlo Romano) want shot of his wife? Well it turns out that he’s got himself a new squeeze in the form of the impressionable young “Marisa” (Marina Vlady) who is barely out of nappies and so he is hopeful he can find grounds for divorcing her so he can have his cheese and eat it! It’s fairly safe to conclude that nobody in their group is especially decent, or faithful, and as the increasingly ghastly “Osvaldo” sinks his teeth into his task, we meet “Luila” (the sparingly used Gina Lollobrigida) who is also up to no good on the romantic front. Just who might be trustworthy almost this maelstrom of decadence, deceit and champagne? Well that dubious honour might possibly fall on the maid “Cesarina” (Anna Maria Ferraro) who finds herself the used plaything of accusers who make her life almost impossible. Can anyone intercede on her behalf, though? This is quite an indictment of the gentry and the nouveau riche at play. There’s isn’t enough honour to cover a flea, and the prevailing doctrine of do as I say and not as I do is well exemplified by the scene-stealingly obnoxious “Bellaris” (Tina Lattanzi) who just about eclipses the others. I thought it maybe a bit over-scripted as there were times when I’d have preferred them all to shut up and let me soak up the toxicity a little more, but it’s a solid story that is easy for us to invest in and that’s full of people you’d quite cheerfully shoot!