Three Into Two Won't Go (1969)

A businessman (Rod Steiger) picks up a pretty 19 year old hitch hiker (Judy Geeson) on a road trip and beds her. He thinks he's in control of the philandering situation until the girl shows up on his doorstep and introduces herself to his wife (Claire Bloom). Based on the novel by Andrea Newman (adapted for the screen by Edna O' Brien) and directed by Peter Hall (THE HOMECOMING). This searing look at a marriage on the precipice should be better known. It's a blunt, unsentimental look at a married couple going through the motions of a marriage and unable to face the truth until a manipulative vixen exposes the cracks in the marriage and they are forced to acknowledge the facade they've been living. Steiger's nervous energy as an actor can be a problem but it's reined in and put to good use here. As the wife, Bloom is marvelous, subtly letting us see the layers peeling off. As was its practice at the time, Universal cut the movie for TV showings and added additional scenes not sanctioned or participated in by the cast or director. NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY and SECRET CEREMONY also underwent the same treatment. So if you've only seen the TV cut, you haven't really seen it. With Peggy Ashcroft, Paul Rogers and Elizabeth Spriggs.