The Third Lover

"Three's a crowd...until she whispered..."three's allowed.""

1962 1h 20m FR

😐

6.4

MID

⭐

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 49★7IMDB · 1,088

DramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

On a work assignment in Germany, failed journalist Albin crosses paths with Andreas, a successful writer, and his wife Hélène, who quickly becomes the apple of Albin’s eye. While Andreas is off on a business trip, Albin tries to seduce Hélèn and, eventually, take over Andreas’ life.

“Three's a crowd...until she whispered..."three's allowed."”

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Cast

Jacques Charrier
Albin Mercier
Walther Reyer
Andreas Hartmann
Stéphane Audran
Hélène
Daniel Boulanger
Un policier
Erika Tweer
Michaël Munzer
Claude Romet
Louis Le Pin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Claude Chabrol
Writers: Claude Chabrol, Martial Matthieu, Paul Gégauff
Languages: French, German
Countries: Italy, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

80 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

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64 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Italy, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Claude Chabrol, shot by Jean Rabier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Pierre Jansen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jacques Gaillard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Claude Chabrol directs. Jean Rabier behind the camera. Pierre Jansen scores. Jacques Gaillard cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Italy, France. Dialogue in French, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

180 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
264 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, German.
4International production across 2 countries: Italy, France.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Claude Chabrol, shot by Jean Rabier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Pierre Jansen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Jacques Gaillard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Jacques Charrier and Walther Reyer and Stéphane Audran carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Three's a crowd...until she whispered..."three's allowed."".
11IMDB entry: tt0056302 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Only 49 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
13Classified under 11 themes, including "adultery", "journalist", "blackmail", "bavaria, germany".