Featuring an unusual subject matter for a 1950s film, The Bigamist could easily have been turned into either a quickie exploitation flick or a heavy-handed moralizing trope on the sanctity of marriage. Instead, under director Ida Lupino's careful and sensitive guidance, the film manages the difficult trick of being sympathetic to the title character while at the same time condemning his actions. Although no classic -- it's a trifle too schematic and can't help but mix in a few too many clichés into the story -- The Bigamist is notable for its examination of a socially taboo subject and for the honesty with which it treats its characters and their milieus. As a director, Lupino also has an eye for telling detail, as in the manner in which the Chinese restaurant where Phyllis Martin (played by Lupino) works describes so much about the character and her world. Lupino the director gets a very fine performance from Lupino the actress and an even more impressive one from Edmond O'Brien, who handles the difficult role with seeming ease. As the first wife, Joan Fontaine is excellent, her familiar mannerisms well suited to the role. George Diskant's low-key photography also adds to the atmospheric proceedings.