review for The Private Affairs of Bel Ami on AllMovie

Albert Lewin had a predilection for literary sources for his films, and The Private Affairs of Bel Ami is one which is so derived, to very good effect. Granted, devotees of Guy de Maupassant's original novel will likely object to the liberties taken with the material, most particularly the ending in which the title character must pay for his misdeeds. This is a justified reaction, but if one looks at Bel more subjectively, as a film that had to adhere to the strict Production Code of the time, it's easier to forgive these liberties. Indeed, for a 1947 Hollywood production, Bel is actually very daring in its cold depiction of the scheming social climbing male who thinks nothing of using women merely to advance himself. As director and writer, Lewin does the absolute best that he could under the restrictions, and the taken on its own terms, Bel is a little jewel of a film. Lewin of course was lucky to have George Sanders once again on hand to portray his titular cad; the actor had the uncanny ability to play the most amoral (and sometimes immoral) characters and manage, without softening them, to bring the audience to his side. There's excellent support as well from Ann Dvorak as a woman who does more than merely "back up" the men in her life, and a very young and beautiful Angela Lansbury. Russell Metty's precise, dramatic lensing is another boon, as is Darius Milhaud's impressive score.