AllMovie

It is likely that no Leo Tolstoy story has been filmed as often as his Kreutzer Sonata. This 1938 French version stars Jean Yonnel as Pozdnycheff, who suspects that his beloved wife Helene (Gaby Morlay) is carrying on an affair with world-renowned concert violinist Toukhatchevsky (Jacques Erwin). His jealousy leads to attempted murder, which in turn leads to profound remorse when Pozdnycheff learns that he's acted way too rashly, and without full possession of the facts. Unlike most adaptations of the Tolstoy yarn, this one has a happy ending, which looks as though it was tacked on at the very last minute. In keeping with the film's title, the musical score is almost exclusively comprised of Beethoven compositions.