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Plot

King Vidor directed this screen adaptation of the novel An Imperfect Lover by Robert Gore-Brown, which had also made the transition to the stage. Jim Warlock (Ronald Colman) is a successful British lawyer who has always displayed a solid and conservative nature in his business associations, his professional ethics, and his personal life. He has enjoyed a happy if unexciting marriage with his wife Clemency (Kay Francis) for seven years, but when she leaves town for several days, Jim meets Doris (Phyllis Barry), a young sales clerk. To his surprise, Jim finds himself infatuated with Doris, and what begins as an innocent flirtation quickly escalates into a passionate affair. Eventually, when Jim tries to break off the relationship, Doris becomes distraught and kills herself. The death leads to a criminal investigation which makes Jim the leading figure in a national scandal, but he accepts all responsibility and refuses to say anything that would cast Doris in a negative light. The publicity forces him to leave the country and puts the future of his marriage in serious question.
MPAA Rating:
Not Yet Rated
Genre(s):
Drama
Run Time:
75min.
Theatrical Release Date:
02/27/2006
Distributor(s):
United Artists
Director(s):
King Vidor
Starring:
Ronald Colman , Kay Francis , Phyllis Barry , Henry Stephenson , Viva Tattersall
Themes:
Infidelity,Self-Destructive Romance,Crumbling Marriages
Tone:
Downbeat,Intimate
Keywords:
Britain,citizen,court [law],ethics,exile,extramarital-affair,gentleman,integrity,lawyer,love-conquers-all,marriage,passion,reputation,scandal,scholar,shame,suicide,suicide-attempt,testimony,wife,working-class