The Bigamist (1953)

A businessman (Edmond O'Brien) leads two lives. In San Francisco, he lives with his wife (Joan Fontaine) who helps him run the business while they await word on an adoption. In Los Angeles, he lives with his wife (Ida Lupino) and their newborn baby. How he became a bigamist is the core of the movie's narrative. Directed by Ida Lupino, the film is surprisingly (and perhaps disturbingly) sympathetic to the bigamist. He didn't do it out of malice but with good intentions. Yet somehow the film doesn't extend as much empathy toward the two wives. I was waiting for the big scene where the two wives meet and confront each other but it never happened. The film could have used a powerhouse scene like that and Fontaine and Lupino are strong enough actresses to carry it off. It's a good little film but it never fulfills its potential. But mine is a minority opinion. The film is greatly admired and its reputation growing in the ensuing years since its original release. Considering the subject matter, it's sort of ironic that the film was written by Lupino's ex-husband Collier Young, who was married to the film's other leading lady, Joan Fontaine! With Edmund Gwenn, Kenneth Tobey and Jane Darwell.