Themes: Suicide, Social Climbing, Self-Destructive Romance
Main Cast: Jennifer Jones, James Mason, Van Heflin, Louis Jourdan, Christopher
Release Year: 1949
Country: US
Run Time: 115 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
MGM circumvented the censorship that would otherwise have prevented a film version of Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary by adding a prologue and epilogue that assured any and all bluenoses that the story was strictly a work of fiction. James Mason appears as Flaubert, defending his inflammatory novel before a French jury. Thus, the tragedy of Emma Bovary (Jennifer Jones) is offered as a product of Flaubert's imagination, rather than a real-life story. The body of the film concerns Emma's attempt to escape the boredom of her bourgeois existence by marrying a wealthy doctor (Van Heflin). She finds life with the physician even more tiresome than her previous experiences, thus begins taking a series of wealthy lovers-all of whom prove to be two-dimensional cads. Unable to tolerate a lifetime of dead-end affairs, Emma eventually commits suicide. The best sequence-indeed, one of the finest set pieces ever directed by Vincente Minnelli-is the "Emma Bovary Waltz" sequence, a dazzling experience in dizzying camera movements. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Beautiful to look at but curiously hollow emotionally, Madame Bovary is not a totally satisfying adaptation of the Gustave Flaubert classic, but its assets tend to outweigh its deficits. While director Vincente Minnelli's work here is uneven, when it is good it's stunning -- as witnessed in the highly acclaimed waltz sequence, in which the camera seems to never hold still for a moment, as well as the elopement sequence and the courtroom scenes. At other times, Minnelli seems to be treading water, putting in acceptable but uninspired work as he waits for the next sequence that truly excites him. More consistent is Jennifer Jones, who surprises with her fiery sensitivity; the film's hollowness is certainly not due to her performance, which perfectly captures the complexities of the character. Van Heflin is good, although he seems to be holding back a bit, and James Mason captures attention in the unnecessary framing sections. Louis Jourdan and Gladys Cooper also turn in fine support, and the sets and costumes are sumptuous. Bovary may fall short in some areas, but its strengths are very strong indeed. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Gene Lockhart - J. Homais; Frank Allenby - Lhereux; Gladys Cooper - Mme. Dupuis; John Abbott - Mayor Tuvache; Henry Morgan - Hyppolite; George Zucco - Dubocage; Ellen Corby - Felicite; Eduard Franz - Roualt; Henri Letondal - Guillaumin; Esther Somers - Mme. Lefrancois; Frederic Tozere - Pinard; Paul Cavanagh - Marquis D'Andervilliers; Larry Simms - Justin; Vernon Steele - Priest; Richard Alexander; Florence Auer - Mme. Petree; Paul Bryar - Bailiff; Edith Evanson - Mother Superior; Stuart Holmes; Teddy Infur - Boy; Karl Johnson - Drunken Guest; Edward Keane - Presiding Judge; Victor Kilian - Mons. Canivet; Eula Morgan; Constance Purdy - Mme. Foulard; Helen St. Rayner - Opera Singer; John Ardizoni - Lagandy; Lon Poff; David Cavendish - Man; Andre Charisse - Young Man; Fred Cordova - Guest; Anne Kunde; Bert LeBaron - Young Man; Mayo Newhall; Manuel Paris - Servant; Jack Stoney; Sailor Vincent; Charles de Ravenne - Pimply-faced Youth; Ed Agresti; Charles Bancroft; Gracille LaVinder - Woman; Angi O. Poulos - Porter; Phil Schumacher; George Davis - Innkeeper
The film was a project of the MGM studios and Lana Turner was set to star, but when pregnancy forced her to withdraw, Jennifer Jones stepped into the title role. Production began in December of 1948 and the film premiered the following summer. The story of the adulterous wife who destroys the lives of many presented censorship issues with the Production Code. A plot device which structured the story around author Gustave Flaubert's obscenity trial was developed to placate the censors. The highlight of the film is an elaborately choreographed ball sequence set to composer Miklós Rózsa's lush film score.
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Story of beautiful Emma Bovary (Jennifer Jones), an adulteress who destroyed the lives of everyone she came in contact with, is narrated by Gustave Flaubert (James Mason) who is on trial for writing an indecent novel Madame Bovary.
