The Unfaithful Wife

Claude Chabrol’s filmography has long been anchored in psychological thrillers, yet the director paradoxically enjoys an elevated status among snobbish critics and academics who typically dismiss genre cinema as lowbrow. This acclaim stems not merely from Chabrol’s arthouse-inspired ascetic, but also from his incisive, often misanthropic dissection of the French bourgeoisie. During his creative peak in the late 1960…