DramaRomance

Madame Bovary

- Whatever it is that French women have ... Madame Bovary had more of it!

A frivolous country girl married to a naïve small-town doctor goes down the path of destruction when she grows tired of her limited social status.

Release Date : 1949-08-25

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Emma Bovary

Original Name : Jennifer Jones

Gender : Female

Character Name : Gustave Flaubert

Original Name : James Mason

Gender : Male

Character Name : Charles Bovary

Original Name : Van Heflin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rodolphe Boulanger

Original Name : Louis Jourdan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Leon Dupuis

Original Name : Alf Kjellin

Gender : Male

Character Name : J. Homais

Original Name : Gene Lockhart

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lheureux

Original Name : Frank Allenby

Gender : Male

Character Name : Madame Dupuis

Original Name : Gladys Cooper

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mayor Tuvache

Original Name : John Abbott

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hyppolite

Original Name : Harry Morgan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dubocage

Original Name : George Zucco

Gender : Male

Character Name : Félicité

Original Name : Ellen Corby

Gender : Female

Character Name : Rouault

Original Name : Eduard Franz

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guillaumin

Original Name : Henri Letondal

Gender : Male

Character Name : Madame Lefrançois

Original Name : Esther Somers

Gender : Female

Character Name : Marquis D'Andervilliers

Original Name : Paul Cavanagh

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pinard

Original Name : Frederic Tozere

Gender : Male

Character Name : Justin

Original Name : Larry Sims

Gender : Male

Character Name : Berthe

Original Name : Dawn Kinney

Gender : Male

Character Name : Priest

Original Name : Vernon Steele

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mother Superior (uncredited)

Original Name : Edith Evanson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bailiff (uncredited)

Original Name : Paul Bryar

Gender : Male

Character Name : Presiding Judge (uncredited)

Original Name : Edward Keane

Gender : Male

Character Name : Innkeeper (uncredited)

Original Name : George Davis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mme. Petree (uncredited)

Original Name : Florence Auer

Gender : Female

Character Name : Drunken Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Karl Johnson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Sailor Vincent

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Do you know, Charles, why that clock strikes? To announce the death of another hour. Madame Bovary is directed by Vincente Minnelli and adapted to screenplay by Robert Ardrey from the Gustave Flaubert novel. It stars Jennifer Jones, Van Heflin, Louis Jourdan, Alf Kjellin, Gene Lockhart and James Mason. Music is by Miklós Rózsa and cinematography by Robert H. Planck. It's most interesting now watching Minnelli's picture and being able to place it in the time it was made. Also of major interest is reading up on what the critics of the time had to say about it. This version is an undoubted lesson in the technical crafts of film making, the visuals, the sound, art design, costuming and a literary pumped screenplay that allows the cast to play it classical. It's also black hearted, perfectly in keeping with the gathering storm of the era that was film noir. Here is the monster. Some of the complaints about the film, to me anyway, just don't add up. Why do we need to care about anyone in this story? It's a dark tale of illicit passions, greed, betrayals, bad parenting and etc. Is this frowned upon in some circles because of love for the classic novel? Or because there's some esteem held for other versions? The criticism of Jones is also very suspect given it's a classic femme fatale performance, Emma is cold and driven and shallow to others feelings, Jones works it perfectly. As Rózsa's beautiful lush and poignant musical arrangements drift and hover over the various story instalments, Minnelli brings the film making guile. His camera work is sublime, like a ghost moving about the characters for the more vibrant scenes, tracking and roving, dizzyingly beautiful. At others it's close and personal, imbuing Emma's claustrophobia, with the black and white contrasts superbly photographed by Planck. So it doesn't capture the essence of Flaubert's intent, then? Emma Bovary a figure of hate instead of sympathy, the lack of a caustic aside on a society of double standards? So what! Outstanding film making is just that, especially when it can tune into a style of film making prevalent at its birth. Madame Bovary - maybe the most film noir movie not actually considered a film noir. Brilliant. 9/10