Follow Me (aka The Public Eye) (1972)

An accountant (Michael Jayston, NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA) suspects his wife (Mia Farrow) of less than a year is having an affair. He hires a private detective (Topol, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) to follow her and expose her affair. Based on the play by Peter Shaffer (who adapted his play for the screen) and directed by Carol Reed (his final film). This agreeable dramedy never found an audience when it was originally released although both Farrow and Topol took the top acting honors at the San Sebastian film festival. I'd hesitate to call it a love story since Farrow and Topol's characters never so much as speak much less have sex but the film shows how two people can bond and become intimate without the usual romantic entanglements. Does it constitute adultery? The film doesn't address that issue. Topol is one of those actors (like Zero Mostel) who at times seems too big for the screen. It works for something like FIDDLER ON THE ROOF but here, he's often in danger of being too big but seems to rein it in just when it looks like he's about to eat the scenery. But actually, in the end, it contrasts nicely with Farrow's underacting. The movie doesn't always work but when it does, it works beautifully. The haunting score is by John Barry. With Annette Crosbie and Margaret Rawlings.