''The Private Affairs of Bel Ami'' is a 1947 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Albert Lewin Albert Lewin (September 23, 1894 – May 9, 1968) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Personal life Lewin was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Newark, New Jersey. He earned a master's degree at Harvard and taught ...

. The film stars

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

as a ruthless cad who uses women to rise in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

ian society, co-starring

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...

and Ann Dvorak. It is based on the 1885

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...

novel ''

Bel Ami ''Bel-Ami'' (, "Dear Friend") is the second novel by French author Guy de Maupassant, published in 1885; an English translation titled ''Bel Ami, or, The History of a Scoundrel: A Novel'' first appeared in 1903. The story chronicles journalist ...

''. The film had a 1946 premiere in

Paris, Texas Paris is a city and county seat of Lamar County, Texas, United States. Located in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods, the population of the city was 24,171 in 2020. History Present-day Lamar County was part of Red River ...

. The score is by

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

Plot

In Paris in 1880, Georges Duroy, an ex-soldier working as a poorly paid clerk, encounters his former comrade-in-arms, sickly journalist Charles Forestier. Rachel, already rebuffed once by Georges, sits down at their cafe table. After Georges rudely dismisses her, Charles tells him the quickest way to better himself in Paris is by using his charms on women. Charles then suggests he seek a vacancy at his newspaper, ''La Vie Française'', despite having no writing experience. Georges then takes Charles' advice and goes to Rachel. He meets widow Clotilde de Marelle at a dinner party hosted by Charles and his wife. Charles' publisher is also a guest; he asks Georges for a sample article by the next day. Georges has great difficulty organizing his work, so he asks Charles for assistance the next morning. Charles sends him to see his wife Madeleine, as he has trained her. She helps him land the job. She also suggests he call on her friend Clotilde. He takes Clotilde dancing at a raucous nightspot. The singer there sings "Bel Ami", which is about a scoundrel. Clotilde calls Georges Bel Ami; he promises to live up (or down) to that name. While they are out one night, Rachel spots them and makes a scene. Afterward, Clotilde writes Georges a letter in which she confesses she loves him so much that there is nothing she cannot forgive him. At work, Charles states he has trained Georges to be his successor; his health is deteriorating. Georges tells Madeleine that he has fallen a little in love with her. She wants only to remain his friend. Georges then tells her of his idea: to write a gossip column, filled with innuendo and rumors. Madeleine thinks this is a magnificent plan. Georges gains another admirer in Suzanne Walter, the 16-year-old daughter of his employer, and an enemy, the politician Laroche-Mathieu. Clotilde informs him that the wealthy, good Jacques Rival has proposed to her, but that she wants to marry him. He tells her that he must either conquer Paris or be conquered. He states his heart tells him that he could be happy with her, but he has not listened to it "in a long time." After Charles dies, Georges proposes to Madeleine. She accepts, but insists it be a marriage of equals. The column is a great success. Georges becomes powerful, and Madeleine presides over an influential salon. Georges juggles not only the affections of Madeleine and Clotilde, but also those of Madame Walter, a woman of impeccable, virtuous reputation. Georges soon distances himself from her, as she proves to be madly, indiscreetly smitten. She gives him some news. Her husband and Laroche-Mathieu have fed him false information; the government is about to seize Morocco, contrary to what he has written in his column. The schemers will benefit financially from their manipulation of him. The Walters invite the Duroys to their home to a viewing of a celebrated and costly painting. Suzanne, now a sought-after heiress, is delighted to see him. Seeing Madeleine and Laroche-Mathieu conversing at the gathering gives Georges an idea. Laroche-Mathieu is attracted to Madeleine, so he asks her to lead the foreign minister on to gain information and ensure that he does not deceive Georges again, at least that is what he tells her. He then uses this as grounds for divorce, so he can marry Suzanne. Her father is outraged, and her mother aghast. Upon further consideration, however, and for his daughter's happiness, he gives his consent. This is too much for Clotilde to stand. According to French law, a person can appropriate a noble name if there are no known survivors. Georges does just that. Madame Walter, however, locates Philippe de Cantel, the last descendant, though too late. He challenges Georges to a duel, two weeks before his marriage. Before the duel, Georges professes to Clotilde that there are only two people he loves: her and her young daughter. Clotilde goes to the Walters to try to stop the duel, but the two men fatally shoot each other. Just before he dies, Georges regrets not being happy with Clotilde.

Production

The film was the swan song of the actor

Warren William Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Pe ...

due to his health continuing to deteriorate. He was unable to work for most of 1947, the year the filming of ''The Private Affairs of Bel Ami'' finished. This was the first role of

Susan Douglas Rubeš Susan Douglas Rubeš C.M. (13 March 1925 – 23 January 2013) was an Austrian-born Canadian actress and producer. She was sometimes credited as Susan Douglas or Susan Rubes. Life and career Rubeš was born Zuzka Zenta Bursteinová in Vienna, A ...

who had to sign a seven-year contract or else she could not act in any more films. Signing actors and actresses for seven years was a common thing for studios to do at the time. Due to restrictions imposed by the

Motion Picture Production Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the ...

, certain scenes needed to be censored. The 1945 painting '' The Temptation of St. Anthony'' by

Max Ernst Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealis ...

was shown on-screen, a brief splash of color in an otherwise black-and-white film, having been the winner of a contest between invited artists; Ivan Albright, Eugene Berman, Leonora Carrington, Salvador Dalí, Paul Delvaux, Dorothea Tanning, Leonor Fini, Louis Guglielmi, Horace Pippin, Abraham Rattner, Stanley Spencer and Ernst to create a work on the theme. Fini did not produce a painting, but the others were paid $500 for their submissions, with an additional $2,500 prize for the winner. Film critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

condemned the painting as "downright nauseous" but a contemporary review from ''Variety'' stated it was "one of the focal points of the story a la Dorian Gray, [] flashed on the screen the first time it’s shown in brilliant Technicolor for good effect."

Cast

as Georges Duroy *

as Clotilde de Marelle * Ann Dvorak as Madeleine Forestier *

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later ...

as Charles Forestier *

as Suzanne Walter (as Susan Douglas) *

Hugo Haas Hugo Haas (19 February 1901 – 1 December 1968) was a Czech film actor, director and writer. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1926 and 1962, as well as directing 20 films between 1933 and 1962. Life and career Haas was born in B ...

as Monsieur Walter *

as Laroche-Mathieu *

Frances Dee Frances Marion Dee (November 26, 1909 – March 6, 2004) was an American actress. Her first film was the musical ''Playboy of Paris'' (1930). She starred in the film '' An American Tragedy'' (1931). She is also known for starring in the 1943 ...

as Marie de Varenne *

Albert Bassermann Albert Bassermann (7 September 1867 – 15 May 1952) was a German stage and screen actor. He was considered to be one of the greatest German-speaking actors of his generation and received the famous Iffland-Ring. He was married to Elsa Sch ...

as Jacques Rival * Marie Wilson as Rachel *

Katherine Emery Katherine Drewry Emery (October 11, 1906 – February 7, 1980) was an American stage and film actress. Early years Emery was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She graduated from Sweet Briar College in 1928 and then went home to Montclair, New ...

as Madame Walter * Richard Fraser as Philippe de Cantel * John Good as Paul de Cazolles * David Bond as Norbert de Varenne * Leonard Mudie as Potin * Judy Cook as Hortense *

Karolyn Grimes Karolyn Grimes (born July 4, 1940) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Zuzu Bailey in the classic 1946 Frank Capra film ''It's a Wonderful Life''. She also played Debby Brougham in the 1947 film ''The Bishop's Wife''. Ca ...

as Laurine *

Jean Del Val Jean Del Val (born Jean Jacques Gauthier; 17 November 1891 – 13 March 1975) was a French-born actor, also credited as Jean Gauthier and Jean Gautier. Career He played roles during the Hollywood silent era, beginning with ''The Fortunes of Fif ...

as Commissioner *

Olaf Hytten Olaf Hytten (3 March 1888 – 11 March 1955) was a Scottish actor. He appeared in more than 280 films between 1921 and 1955. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and died in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack, while sitting in his car ...

as Keeper of the Seals *

Lumsden Hare Francis Lumsden Hare (17 October 1874 – 28 August 1964) was an Irish-born film and theatre actor. He was also a theatre director and theatrical producer. Early years Hare studied at St. Dunstan's College in London. Career Hare appeare ...

as Mayor of Canteleu * Betty Fairfax as Louise * C. Montague Shaw as Surgeon *

Larry Steers Lawrence Wells Steers (February 14, 1888 – February 15, 1951) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 550 films between 1917 and 1951. He was born in Indiana, and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Partial filmography * ...

as Second Surgeon * Gloria Grafton as Singer * Wyndham Standing as Count de Vaudrec

Reception

, critic for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', panned the movie, stating, "it is incredible that a picture could be made from a Guy de Maupassant novel and be as tiresome as this." He also complained that "everybody, from Mr. Sanders right on down through the whole list of love-laden ladies and fancifully costumed gents, acts as posily and pompously as they are compelled to talk." A 1946 ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' review stated, "Confronted with the old problem of cleaning up a classic novel to conform to strict censorship codes, the production outfit has come up with a scrubbed-face version of the complete scoundrel depicted in Guy de Maupassant's novel Private Affairs of Bel Ami." ''Variety'' also said that the cast was "exceptionally strong" and praised the score and camerawork. The author John Strangeland, who wrote a book about Warren William, said that the film is a "tiresome bore" and "terribly dry".

Home media

''The Private Affairs of Bel Ami'' was released on VHS in 1991. Steve Daly wrote in a 1991 ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' article that "the video release of this film is happy news for fans of

' particular brand of cinematic spleen."

References

External links

* * *
Review
in the ''Pittsburgh Post Gazette'', 14 June 1947 {{DEFAULTSORT:Private Affairs of Bel Ami, The 1947 romantic drama films 1947 films American black-and-white films American romantic drama films American remakes of German films Films based on French novels Films based on works by Guy de Maupassant Films directed by Albert Lewin Films set in Paris Films set in the 1880s Films partially in color United Artists films Films produced by David L. Loew Films scored by Darius Milhaud Works based on Bel-Ami 1940s American films