Watch The Private Affairs of Bel Ami For Free

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Most excellent story-telling entertainment guaranteed to deliver to the viewer a satisfaction while viewing and closure at the end gripping you all the way. While the story is excellent the star of the flick captures the part and delivers the goods on a platter. The result? Reviews like this and a bonus too. There is a statement made by a blind pianist during dinner time in the movie that was quite profound. I took note of it at the time, appreciated it and only to have it catch me off-guard at a later time and as result, pulled some well-earned tears right out of me. I leave it to you to have your own experience and will tell you no more. Nicely done to all involved. Enjoy the backgrounds of life during this time, its polite society and the social, drinking, courting and dueling of the times presented. Supporting cast was excellent and the director made certain we got all the necessary messages without asking for them. I am a fan of the classics because they have the qualities that live on in the movie world. I especially enjoy the dialogues and scenery as well as customs captured for the movie themes. Today, its all sex, killing and loud noises as if that is all there is. The classics remind us there is much more art involved and clearly no accidents either. I enjoyed a nice roast chicken which I picked on and some delicious dessert as I love eating while watching a show. This is a good movie for a favorite snacking too. Enjoy this little "affair"

The movie is is faithful to the novel for about 3/4 of its running time. A handsome, amoral rake cuts his way through the vain, naive, foppish,self centered denizens of Parisian society in the 1880s He is not that smart, but he is shrewd enough to get the money and affection he craves. We don't know where his appetites came from. De Maupassant created him primarily to show the appalling psychological weaknesses of French upper class society "Prety Boy", as he is called, wins and wins big.Well, the morals code of 1947 would not permit this. A scoundrel thriving is as bad was a naked woman on screen in the 1940s. You couldn't show it! Thus, the entire last section of this movie is made to comply with the code, and it plays out a story of how "Pretty Boy"'s primary victim thwarts his schemes and gets even. She gets even Big.While I am happy to see the rat get his, this ending undermines the main point of the novel. It also doesn't fit the first three quarters. Characters suddenly behave differently than they did previously with no description of how and why they changed.Still, it is a literate and intelligent movie. Not many of this kind of movie was made then, and even fewer are made today It is well played. George Sanders is the perfect cad. All the female actors do very well. Even since I first saw Ann Dvorak when I was six or seven, I have had a crush on her all these many decades, so it was good to see her.Well worth the time for intelligent viewers...and those seniors who love Ann Dvorak!!

In 1956, George Sanders made one of his best films, "Death of a Scoundrel". I mention this because in many ways, "The Private Affairs of Bel Ami" is very similar--though not quite as satisfying and amoral. Both stories star Sanders and both feature him as a schemer--a man who uses people (especially women) and casts them aside when it suits his best interests--and his main interests are power and money.When the film begins, Sanders is almost broke and with a low-paying job. However, when an old friend (John Carradine) meets him in a café, he offers to help him get a job on his newspaper--a chance for more money and to meet the right people. And, slowly, Sanders begins to work his way upwards--mostly by marrying or wooing the right women. The most fascinating was when his friend died--and just seconds later, he proposes to the widow! And, to make it worse, the body is lying next to them! This sort of thing and much more make up the rest of the film--an entertaining soap opera throughout. My only reservation is that the latter film is just a lot better--with less slow moments and a character who is even more unlikable and scheming! By the way, a scene to look for is when they unveil 'The Temptation of St. Anthony'. The painting is in full color within a black & white film--like the picture in "The Portrait of Dorian Gray". Because of this, it's VERY striking--especially with its very intense reds. This an other versions of this scene (it was a popular theme during the Renaissance) are very disturbing to see for the average person--but also very compelling and emotive.

There are notable differences between Lewin's film and Maupassant's novel.This is the story of a go-getter ,Georges Duroy (whose nickname Bel -Ami" was invented by his conquests) who makes his way of life ,thanks to women .He's not very educated but he appeals to them a lot.SPOILER:the ending is downright "moral".Albert Lewin was asked to "sweeten" Bel-Ami(Duroy) character and thus completely changed the conclusion:the novel saw the hero's triumph ,his marriage with Suzanne and the mother's despair -whereas in the film she plays the role of a deus ex machina- Generally Hollywood substitutes happy ends for sad endings (remember the priceless nineties version of "les misérables" in which Jean Valjean (Liam Neeson) survives and the excellent though Dieterle' s "hunchback of Notre-Dame"(1939) at the end of which Esmeralda finds happiness:but Valjean and Esmeralda are positive heroes and Hollywood would not see an innocent die.On the other hand, Bel- Ami is so cynical a person that his death is some kind of "happy end".One must add that the fateful final duel is superbly filmed by Lewin .END OF SPOILERIt took forty years (you read well) to get this movie into Maupassant's native land.It was critically-acclaimed and the numerous qualities of Lewin's style were underlined:refinement of the settings -Paris is wonderfully recreated in the studio-,perfection of the cast -not only George Sanders but also Angela Landsbury,sensitive and moving,and Ann Dvorak,fine use of music :"Bel Ami waltz" ,the lullaby Landsbury's daughter,la petite Laurine plays on her piano,and the French traditional "auprès de ma blonde".Bel-Ami's cynicism reaches its climax when he plays cup-and-ball game (bilboquet)while his best friend Charles who suffers from tuberculosis is coughing.That said,the story might be hard to follow for people who are not familiar with the novel.There are many subplots (the title is "private affairs of B.A." whereas the writer's title was simply "Bel-Ami") which intertwines and the script is not always clear:for instance ,B.A. tellsClotilde (Landsbury) that he's going to marry Madeleine-in the novel he does marry her- but later he tells Suzanne he's free. (in the novel he divorces but the film does not give any explanations)Lewin conveyed quite well the "hatred for the provinces " feeling which we hear when Bel -Ami tells how he loves the gai Paris.It's a pity that Duroy's "background" is passed over in silence :although the hero hints at his native Normandy ,the extraordinary scene when Madeleine meets her lover's parents ,two coarse vulgar peasants speaking a colorful patois was not kept by the script writers :it would have provided the film with a sharp contrast.There is one short color shot (a few seconds) :Max Ernst's painting "la tentation de Saint-Antoine" .lewin had already used the trick in his precedent work "the picture of Dorian Gray" (1945).N.B.If you like Maupassant 's adaptations for the screen,you will enjoy:-"Une partie de campagne" Jean Renoir,1936 -"Le plaisir" Max Ophuls ,1951 -"Boule de Suif" Christian-Jacques ,1945 -"Une vie" Alexandre Astruc,1959.