The Bigamist - BFI Film Classics

Synopsis

Amelie Hastie's study of "The Bigamist" (Ida Lupino, 1953), traces how the film combines elements of noir and melodrama to tell the story of salesman Harry Graham's double life. This is only the fourth book in the series to address a film by a female director. Bigamy is topical with tv series such as HBO's polygamy drama "Big Love" (2006-). Lupino played one of the wives in the film, which was written and directed by her ex-husband. Hastie considers the film in the context of post-War Hollywood and as a commentary on marriage and relationships between the sexes. The book is richly illustrated with images from the film.BFI Film Classics has a loyal following of fans who buy every book published in the series. "The Bigamist" (1953), a film about a salesman who is secretly married to two women, also tells the story of gendered relations in post-war America. Amelie Hastie explores the film in the context of independent Hollywood and relates it to the director Ida Lupino's personal and professional history.