The Private Affairs of Bel Ami

"All women take to men who have the appearance of wickedness"

1947 1h 52m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 25

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A self-serving journalist uses influential women in late-1800s Paris and denies the one who truly loves him.

“All women take to men who have the appearance of wickedness”

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Cast

George Sanders
Georges Duroy
Angela Lansbury
Clotilde de Marelle
Ann Dvorak
Madeleine Forestier
John Carradine
Charles Forestier
Susan Douglas
Suzanne Walter
Hugo Haas
Monsieur Walter
Warren William
Laroche-Mathieu
Frances Dee
Marie de Varenne

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Albert Lewin
Writers: Albert Lewin
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

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

ERA

Did you know

79 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Albert Lewin, shot by Russell Metty. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

George Sanders and Angela Lansbury and Ann Dvorak carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "All women take to men who have the appearance of wickedness".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0039735 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 25 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Albert Lewin directs. Russell Metty behind the camera. Darius Milhaud scores. Albrecht Joseph cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

179 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Albert Lewin, shot by Russell Metty. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Darius Milhaud. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Albrecht Joseph shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5George Sanders and Angela Lansbury and Ann Dvorak carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "All women take to men who have the appearance of wickedness".
7IMDB entry: tt0039735 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 25 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "journalist", "manipulation", "ambition", "deception".

The technical file

Cinematography: Russell Metty
Original score: Darius Milhaud
Editing: Albrecht Joseph
Production design: Gordon Wiles
Costume design: Norma Koch
Makeup / hair: Ern Westmore
Runtime: 112 min · 1h 52m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Private Affairs of Bel Ami (1947)

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Albert Lewin

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-06-03
★ 7/10
George Sanders was always great as the cad, and rarely better than here. He is the seriously ambitious "Duroy" who decides that he can use woman as stepping stones to social acceptability. He's broke and jobless, but luckily encounters his war-time buddy "Forestiere" (John Carradine) who gets him job at a newspaper. Networking opportunities beckon. Initially, it's bar-fly "Rachel" (Rachel Wilson) who keeps him entertained, then he alights on the slightly more sophisticated "Clotilde" (Angela Lansbury) whom he has a genuine soft spot for, but she isn't going to get him anywhere near far enough up the greasy pole. For that he needs "Madeleine" (Ann Dvorak) and she not only opens an whole new social world, one that gets his mind set on a bit of malevolent manipulation and you just know that sooner or later his chickens are going to come home to roost. His unstinting ability too think only of himself is really quite entertainingly nauseous and somehow Sanders manages to encapsulate that selfishness and venality really quite smug and chillingly. There's the odd splash of colour in here, too, and with the ladies delivering strongly throughout - especially Lansbury but also Wilson too, this is a smartly written observation of dastardly deeds.

Production companies