Unfaithful, The

Adaptation of a Somerset Maugham play already filmed in 1929 and then in 1940 as The Letter, starring Bette Davis. With husband Scott away at war, Sheridan's extra-marital affair keeps her home fires burning. Terrified that Scott will discover the infidelity, she murders her lover and at the subsequent trial claims it was an act of self-defence. But truth will out. Sherman's directing debut, The Return of Doctor X (1939), had starred Humphrey Bogart as a vampire! He improved into a solid director but retained a penchant for melodrama, as witnessed in this overblown mystery that's saved by Sheridan's impressive performance.