Honeymoon with a Stranger

1969's Honeymoon with a Stranger is the first USA filmed adaption of the mystery play "Trap for a Single/Lonely Man" by. Robert Thomas. The film premiered during the Christmas season on December 23 of that year on the ABC TV network. The film stars Janet Leigh, Rossano Brazzi, Caesare Danova, Eric Braeden, and Barbara Steele.

This adaption of the aforementioned Robert Thomas play does a gender reversal here.

The film begins when a.lady named Sandra (Leigh) wakes up and finds a man in her bed that isn't her missing husband. Though she repeatedly says that he isn't, nobody believes her. The whole story becomes a twisted mystery as Sandra pressures those around her to help her find her missing husband, but as the story continues moving, many of those around her think that she is hiding something. Is this lady's husband really missing?, or, Is she hiding some secret that she doesn't want revealed?

This was the very first USA adaption of the aforementioned play, although there is a British film that had a similar plot and story called."Chase a Crooked Shadow", which is believed to be the inspiration for the play and two other made for TV films that were shown in 1976 (One of My Wives is Missing) and 1986 (Vanishing Act).

This made for TV film happens to be decent. The film is well acted and well made. John Peyser keeps things moving smoothly as director. The film features a terrific cast of actors that perform in their roles very convincingly. The film does keep the viewer wondering what will happen next as the mystery is starting to be pieced together. The film entertains without it ever getting dull or boring.

I first saw this on the late show on one of my local syndicated channels in the wake of me seeing "One of My Wives is Missing" during the mid 1980's. I actually thought it was a pretty good and decent TV film. I then was given a DVD of this by a friend who burned it to DVD for me. It was great revisiting this film again. I'm glad to have it in my DVD library.

I highly recommend this film. If it ever comes on TV again, I highly encourage all of you to watch it. It is a very good and decent made for TV film.

Half the film was entertaining and involving enough. Acting average or above, the setting in Spain a plus, the mystery somewhat intriguing. But then the details of the plot became too intricate for my mind, I did not know what was going on, I was lost. So I couldn't appreciate the movie any longer. A tangled mess in my mind that I could not unsnare. During the first half I was thinking: "This is a 6-star movie." However, by film's end I needed to lower my rating to four stars. The basic twist was fantastic, but it was the steps to getting there that were not understandable that totally diminished the movie for me. Plus most of the second half dragged (bogged down in the plot details).

I recently got HONEYMOON WITH A STRANGER from a trade, I guess it was never released on video, which is a shame, it could be a Crime Cult Classic especially with the famous Janet Leigh and the cult icon Barbara Steele starring. This is a nice variation of the novel "Trap for A Lonely Man", but with a female as the main character rather than a male. In the novel, a woman leaves on a holiday and doesn't return. Her husband who has many wives hires a detective to look for her, she returns, however she looks totally different and the man swears she is not his wife. HONEYMOON WITH A STRANGER is totally the opposite.

SUMMARY: Sandra Latham (Janet Leigh) marries a wealthy man Ernesto (Joseph Lenzi). On their honeymoon in Spain, Sandra wakes up one morning to find Ernesto gone. She tries to contact him but nobody knows where he is. She files a report with the police that he is missing. That's where Captain Sevilla (Rossano Brazi) comes in. They search for him and in the mean time discover he's taken off on many of his wives and changed his name numerous times. Finally they contact him and he returns, but is a totally different man (Cesare Danova), physically as well as mentally. Sandra realizes this is not her husband but there is no proof that he isn't. They contact his sister Carla (Barbara Steele) and his brothers, but they all say that that is the real Ernesto. What is Sandra to do? Is there a stranger in her house or is she just really crazy?

This is a great made for TV film. I suggest you check it out if the chance arises. The setting is fantastic in Spain and the acting is superb. The ending is a real shocker, something you WOULD expect had the acting not been so convincing. A recommendation for this film would definitely be: THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY. *** STARS and 8/10.

American woman, just married in Europe and about to start her honeymoon at the Italian castle belonging to her new husband, awakens to discover she's apparently been abandoned; the sister of the missing spouse calls with a promise that her brother will return, however the man who comes back is an impostor. TV-made mystery, adapted from the play "Piege Pour un Homme Seul", is far-fetched and colorlessly staged but does benefit from a good cast, headed by Janet Leigh and Rossano Brazzi (terrific as the inspector on the case). The locations are visually dull, and the plot developments render much of the film's first half pointless (particularly the budding relationship between the stars). Leigh's exasperation is warranted, however her character as written isn't a convincing creation. Leigh is also not photographed well: her frowzy platinum hair and white outfits bleach out her natural beauty, while her pale skin and heavy mascara make her look like a junior-league Carol Channing.

The story for "Honeymoon with a Stranger" was originally a play and then it was made as a film MANY times. I can recall seeing it at least 2-3 times before I even saw this film, so it's obvious that the story is very familiar...perhaps too familiar.

The story begins with Sandra (Janet Leigh) marrying a rich Spanish man in a whirlwind courtship. She is naturally shocked when he takes her to his villa...which is more a castle! However, her happiness is short lived, as on their wedding night, Ernesto disappears and she goes to the police after he fails to return. The reaction of Ernesto's attorney is odd......and he feels that this sort of behavior isn't unusual for Ernesto. Later, when Ernesto's sister comes at the police's request, she, too, seems unconcerned about Ernesto's abrupt departure...and that when he does return it's NOT the same man that Sandra married. The sister and lawyer insist that this new Ernesto is the real one and that Sandra is out of her mind! And, instead of being upset, they keep offering Sandra money to accept an annulment and go! What's REALLY going on here??

Had this story been original, I am sure I would have enjoyed it more. But even then, the story is very farfetched and hard to believe. Fortunately, with DNA testing today, this means that they cannot really do any more remakes!! Easy to skip despite some good actors in the film.