The first wife's alive. The second wife is her sister. Chaos ensues. French farce at its most deliciously unhinged.
A man remarried his wife's sister whom he believes died in a fire. The alleged deceased reappears and sows trouble and discord in the new household.
Writing
Guitry's dialogue: 95 minutes of linguistic Cirque du Soleil.
Acting
Guitry plays himself playing a lawyer—pure theatrical narcissism.
Direction
Single-set intimacy that feels like invasive theater.
Director
Sacha Guitry
Sacha Guitry
Maître Jean-Pierre Walter
Suzanne Dantès
Marie-Thérèse, the second wife
Marguerite Pierry
Marie-Jeanne, the first wife
Pauline Carton
Angèle, servant
Robert Seller
Charles, manservant
Lana Marconi
Grand Duchess Christine
André Roy
Self - Producer (in prologue)
Charles Roy
Self - Producer (in prologue)
René-Christian Forget
Self - Sound Engineer (in prologue)
Maggy Rouff
Self - Wardrobe Supervisor (in prologue)
Louiguy
Self - Composer (in prologue)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Guitry shot this in five days at his own Paris theater, using his personal furniture as set dressing.
The 'returned dead wife' trope was banned by Nazi censors in occupied France—Guitry filmed anyway, hiding in plain sight.
FR
