.gif)
Madame Bovary (1949 film)
Encyclopedia
Madame Bovary is a 1949 film adaptation
of the classic novel of the same name
by Gustave Flaubert
. It stars Jennifer Jones
, James Mason
, Van Heflin
, Louis Jourdan, Alf Kjellin
(billed as Christopher Kent), Gene Lockhart
, Frank Allenby and Gladys Cooper
.
It was directed by Vincente Minnelli
and produced by Pandro S. Berman
, from a screenplay by Robert Ardrey
based on the Flaubert novel. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa
, the cinematography by Robert H. Planck and the art direction by Cedric Gibbons
and Jack Martin Smith
.
The film was a project of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
studios and Lana Turner
was set to star, but when pregnancy
forced her to withdraw, Jones stepped into the title role. Production began in December 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 Motion Picture Production Code. A plot device which structured the story around author 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
.
The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
in 1950 for Cedric Gibbons
, Jack Martin Smith
, Edwin B. Willis and Richard Pefferle
.
) in court to defend his novel, which has been accused of being a "disgrace to France and an insult to womanhood". In order to keep it from being banned, Flaubert tells the story of Madame Bovary from his perspective.
We are introduced to Emma (Jennifer Jones
) when she is twenty years old. She lives with her father (Eduard Franz
) on a small farm in the country. She is a lonely girl, and books are her only real companions. She fantasizes about love, and convinces herself that she will one day fall madly in love and have a perfect life. One day, Emma's father injures his leg. When the doctor, Charles Bovary (Van Heflin
) comes, Emma falls in love with him instantly. Soon enough, Emma and Charles are married. The couple moves into a small house in the town of Yonville in Normandy. Emma is disappointed, but vows to make the house into her dream home. She insists upon decorating the house lavishly, and although Charles makes only a modest salary, he provides Emma with her every wish. Although her home is just how Emma always dreamed, she is still disappointed at her lack of social status, and feels trapped by her less-than-perfect marriage. She insists to Charles that she wants to have a baby boy, so that he will grow up and be able to live his life the way he wants and not be confined to the rank of the husband as women were. Emma is met with even more disappointment when she later gives birth to a baby girl, Berthe. Emma develops an intolerance towards Berthe and is uninvolved in raising her, depending heavily upon the nanny, Félicité (Ellen Corby
). Unhappy with her life, Emma embarks upon an affair with Leon Dupuis (Alf Kjellin
).
When Charles is invited to a ball at the home of the wealthy Marquis D'Andervilliers (Paul Cavanagh
), Emma is overjoyed. Charles does not want to go, thinking they won't fit in with the aristocratic crowd, but Emma finally convinces him to attend. Emma is very popular at the ball, wearing an extraordinary gown that is the envy of the party. She is finally living her dream, in the company of high society and popular with many men. Charles, on the other hand, feels very out of place and drinks far too much champagne. Finally, Charles drunkenly tries to dance with Emma. Embarrassed, Emma makes Charles take her home. Afterwards, Emma continues her affair with Leon. However, Leon's mother (Gladys Cooper
) soon makes Leon move to Paris to attend law school.
Aristocrat Rodolphe Boulanger (Louis Jourdan), whom Emma had met at the ball, moves to Yonville and tries to have an affair with Emma. At first Emma resists, as she is determined to save her marriage. To do this, she asks Charles to perform a revolutionary surgical procedure, correcting the leg of Hyppolyte (Harry Morgan
), a crippled man from the village. Performing the procedure successfully would bring Charles immense fame and fortune; however, Charles knows he is not a skilled enough doctor to do it. He bluntly refuses at first, but after he realizes how much Emma wants him to do it, he eventually consents. He prepares for the surgery, and the entire village gathers around his house to cheer him on. However, at the last minute, Charles decides he can't do it. Emma then gives up all hope of happiness with Charles, and plunges into an affair with Rodolphe. She begins to mold his house into the home of her dreams, much like she did with Charles at the beginning of her marriage; however, Rodolphe finds this as nothing but an intrusion of privacy. The two of them plan to elope to Italy. She prepares to leave; however, Rodolphe goes to Italy alone, leaving Emma alone and heartbroken. Emma locks herself in the attic and tries to jump out the window, but Charles stops her just in time. She becomes very sick and stays in her bed for several months.
When Emma recovers, she and Charles travel to Rouen to see the opera. While they are there, they see Leon, who has returned from Paris. Emma stays the night in Rouen, while Charles returns to Yonville. Leon says he is a lawyer now, and has much more money than he did before. However, Emma rejects Leon's attempts to renew their affair. Emma returns to Yonville to find out that Charles is out of town to attend his father's funeral. While he is gone, the conniving town moneylender Lheureux (Frank Allenby) visits Emma to collect the Bovarys' huge amount of debts. Lheureux attempts to have Emma repay him with sexual favors; however, she refuses, and tries to borrow money from other people. She first asks Leon for the money. However, Leon admits that he is actually only a clerk at the law firm he works for, and has no money to lend her. Emma then asks Rodolphe, who has returned to Yonville. At first, Emma tries flirting with him; then, she breaks down and begs him for money. Rodolphe refuses to lend it to her. Charles returns home to find an announcement that his property would be sold to repay the debts. Emma breaks in to the village apothecary and swallows arsenic. She returns home, and although Charles attempts to save her, Emma dies.
The film then returns to the courtroom, where it ends with Flaubert being acquitted of all charges.
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of the classic novel of the same name
Madame Bovary
Madame Bovary is Gustave Flaubert's first published novel and is considered his masterpiece. The story focuses on a doctor's wife, Emma Bovary, who has adulterous affairs and lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life...
by Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary , and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style.-Early life and education:Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen,...
. It stars Jennifer Jones
Jennifer Jones
Phylis Lee Isley , better known by her stage name Jennifer Jones, was an American actress. A five-time Academy Award nominee, Jones won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Song of Bernadette .-Early life:Jones was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the daughter of Flora Mae and...
, James Mason
James Mason
James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
, Van Heflin
Van Heflin
Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin, Jr. was an American film and theatre actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man...
, Louis Jourdan, Alf Kjellin
Alf Kjellin
Alf Kjellin was a Swedish film actor and director, who also appeared on some television shows.He was well established as a film actor when he occasionally took on roles in television shows. For example in 1965 he prominently guest-starred as Stalag Luft Kommandant Col...
(billed as Christopher Kent), Gene Lockhart
Gene Lockhart
Eugene "Gene" Lockhart was a Canadian character actor, singer, and playwright. He also wrote the lyrics to a number of popular songs.-Early life:...
, Frank Allenby and Gladys Cooper
Gladys Cooper
Dame Gladys Constance Cooper, DBE was an English actress whose career spanned seven decades on stage, in films and on television....
.
It was directed by Vincente Minnelli
Vincente Minnelli
Vincente Minnelli was an American stage director and film director, famous for directing such classic movie musicals as Meet Me in St. Louis, The Band Wagon, and An American in Paris. In addition to having directed some of the most famous and well-remembered musicals of his time, Minnelli made...
and produced by Pandro S. Berman
Pandro S. Berman
Pandro Samuel Berman , was an American film producer.-Biography:His father, Henry Berman, was general manager of Universal Pictures during Hollywood's formative years. The younger Berman, Pandro Samuel, was an assistant director during the 1920s under Mal St. Clair and Ralph Ince...
, from a screenplay by Robert Ardrey
Robert Ardrey
Robert Ardrey was an American playwright and screenwriter who returned to his academic training in anthropology and the behavioral sciences in the 1950s....
based on the Flaubert novel. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa
Miklós Rózsa
Miklós Rózsa was a Hungarian-born composer trained in Germany , and active in France , England , and the United States , with extensive sojourns in Italy from 1953...
, the cinematography by Robert H. Planck and the art direction by Cedric Gibbons
Cedric Gibbons
Austin Cedric Gibbons was an Irish American art director who was one of the most important and influential in the field in the history of American film. He also made a great impact on motion picture theater architecture through the 1930s to 1950s, the period considered the golden-era of theater...
and Jack Martin Smith
Jack Martin Smith
Jack Martin Smith was a highly successful Hollywood art director with over 130 films to his credit and nine Academy Award nominations which ultimately yielded three Oscars.-MGM:...
.
The film was a project of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
studios and Lana Turner
Lana Turner
Lana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
was set to star, but when pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
forced her to withdraw, Jones stepped into the title role. Production began in December 1948 and the film premiered the following summer.
The story of the adulterous wife who destroys the lives of many presented censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
issues with the Motion Picture Production Code. A plot device which structured the story around author Flaubert's obscenity trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
was developed to placate the censors. The highlight of the film is an elaborately choreographed ball sequence set to composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Miklós Rózsa's lush film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
.
The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Academy Award for Best Art Direction
The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
in 1950 for Cedric Gibbons
Cedric Gibbons
Austin Cedric Gibbons was an Irish American art director who was one of the most important and influential in the field in the history of American film. He also made a great impact on motion picture theater architecture through the 1930s to 1950s, the period considered the golden-era of theater...
, Jack Martin Smith
Jack Martin Smith
Jack Martin Smith was a highly successful Hollywood art director with over 130 films to his credit and nine Academy Award nominations which ultimately yielded three Oscars.-MGM:...
, Edwin B. Willis and Richard Pefferle
Richard Pefferle
Richard Pefferle was an American set decorator. He was nominated for six Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:Pefferle was nominated for six Academy Awards for Best Art Direction:...
.
Plot
The film opens with Gustave Flaubert (James MasonJames Mason
James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
) in court to defend his novel, which has been accused of being a "disgrace to France and an insult to womanhood". In order to keep it from being banned, Flaubert tells the story of Madame Bovary from his perspective.
We are introduced to Emma (Jennifer Jones
Jennifer Jones
Phylis Lee Isley , better known by her stage name Jennifer Jones, was an American actress. A five-time Academy Award nominee, Jones won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Song of Bernadette .-Early life:Jones was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the daughter of Flora Mae and...
) when she is twenty years old. She lives with her father (Eduard Franz
Eduard Franz
Eduard Franz , born Eduard Franz Schmidt, was an American actor of theater, film, and television. Franz portrayed King Ahab in the 1953 biblical low-budget film Sins of Jezebel, Jethro in Cecil B...
) on a small farm in the country. She is a lonely girl, and books are her only real companions. She fantasizes about love, and convinces herself that she will one day fall madly in love and have a perfect life. One day, Emma's father injures his leg. When the doctor, Charles Bovary (Van Heflin
Van Heflin
Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin, Jr. was an American film and theatre actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man...
) comes, Emma falls in love with him instantly. Soon enough, Emma and Charles are married. The couple moves into a small house in the town of Yonville in Normandy. Emma is disappointed, but vows to make the house into her dream home. She insists upon decorating the house lavishly, and although Charles makes only a modest salary, he provides Emma with her every wish. Although her home is just how Emma always dreamed, she is still disappointed at her lack of social status, and feels trapped by her less-than-perfect marriage. She insists to Charles that she wants to have a baby boy, so that he will grow up and be able to live his life the way he wants and not be confined to the rank of the husband as women were. Emma is met with even more disappointment when she later gives birth to a baby girl, Berthe. Emma develops an intolerance towards Berthe and is uninvolved in raising her, depending heavily upon the nanny, Félicité (Ellen Corby
Ellen Corby
Ellen Corby was an American actress. She is most widely remembered for the role of "Grandma Esther Walton" on the CBS television series The Waltons, for which she won three Emmy Awards...
). Unhappy with her life, Emma embarks upon an affair with Leon Dupuis (Alf Kjellin
Alf Kjellin
Alf Kjellin was a Swedish film actor and director, who also appeared on some television shows.He was well established as a film actor when he occasionally took on roles in television shows. For example in 1965 he prominently guest-starred as Stalag Luft Kommandant Col...
).
When Charles is invited to a ball at the home of the wealthy Marquis D'Andervilliers (Paul Cavanagh
Paul Cavanagh
Paul Cavanagh was an English film actor. He appeared in over 100 films between 1928 and 1959. He was born in Chislehurst and died in London from a heart attack....
), Emma is overjoyed. Charles does not want to go, thinking they won't fit in with the aristocratic crowd, but Emma finally convinces him to attend. Emma is very popular at the ball, wearing an extraordinary gown that is the envy of the party. She is finally living her dream, in the company of high society and popular with many men. Charles, on the other hand, feels very out of place and drinks far too much champagne. Finally, Charles drunkenly tries to dance with Emma. Embarrassed, Emma makes Charles take her home. Afterwards, Emma continues her affair with Leon. However, Leon's mother (Gladys Cooper
Gladys Cooper
Dame Gladys Constance Cooper, DBE was an English actress whose career spanned seven decades on stage, in films and on television....
) soon makes Leon move to Paris to attend law school.
Aristocrat Rodolphe Boulanger (Louis Jourdan), whom Emma had met at the ball, moves to Yonville and tries to have an affair with Emma. At first Emma resists, as she is determined to save her marriage. To do this, she asks Charles to perform a revolutionary surgical procedure, correcting the leg of Hyppolyte (Harry Morgan
Harry Morgan
Harry Morgan is an American actor. Morgan is well-known for his roles as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey...
), a crippled man from the village. Performing the procedure successfully would bring Charles immense fame and fortune; however, Charles knows he is not a skilled enough doctor to do it. He bluntly refuses at first, but after he realizes how much Emma wants him to do it, he eventually consents. He prepares for the surgery, and the entire village gathers around his house to cheer him on. However, at the last minute, Charles decides he can't do it. Emma then gives up all hope of happiness with Charles, and plunges into an affair with Rodolphe. She begins to mold his house into the home of her dreams, much like she did with Charles at the beginning of her marriage; however, Rodolphe finds this as nothing but an intrusion of privacy. The two of them plan to elope to Italy. She prepares to leave; however, Rodolphe goes to Italy alone, leaving Emma alone and heartbroken. Emma locks herself in the attic and tries to jump out the window, but Charles stops her just in time. She becomes very sick and stays in her bed for several months.
When Emma recovers, she and Charles travel to Rouen to see the opera. While they are there, they see Leon, who has returned from Paris. Emma stays the night in Rouen, while Charles returns to Yonville. Leon says he is a lawyer now, and has much more money than he did before. However, Emma rejects Leon's attempts to renew their affair. Emma returns to Yonville to find out that Charles is out of town to attend his father's funeral. While he is gone, the conniving town moneylender Lheureux (Frank Allenby) visits Emma to collect the Bovarys' huge amount of debts. Lheureux attempts to have Emma repay him with sexual favors; however, she refuses, and tries to borrow money from other people. She first asks Leon for the money. However, Leon admits that he is actually only a clerk at the law firm he works for, and has no money to lend her. Emma then asks Rodolphe, who has returned to Yonville. At first, Emma tries flirting with him; then, she breaks down and begs him for money. Rodolphe refuses to lend it to her. Charles returns home to find an announcement that his property would be sold to repay the debts. Emma breaks in to the village apothecary and swallows arsenic. She returns home, and although Charles attempts to save her, Emma dies.
The film then returns to the courtroom, where it ends with Flaubert being acquitted of all charges.
Cast
first billed- Jennifer JonesJennifer JonesPhylis Lee Isley , better known by her stage name Jennifer Jones, was an American actress. A five-time Academy Award nominee, Jones won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Song of Bernadette .-Early life:Jones was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the daughter of Flora Mae and...
as Emma Bovary - James MasonJames MasonJames Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
as Gustave Flaubert - Van HeflinVan HeflinEmmett Evan "Van" Heflin, Jr. was an American film and theatre actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man...
as Charles Bovary - Louis Jourdan as Rodolphe Boulanger
- Alf KjellinAlf KjellinAlf Kjellin was a Swedish film actor and director, who also appeared on some television shows.He was well established as a film actor when he occasionally took on roles in television shows. For example in 1965 he prominently guest-starred as Stalag Luft Kommandant Col...
(billed as Christopher Kent) as Leon Dupuis - Gene LockhartGene LockhartEugene "Gene" Lockhart was a Canadian character actor, singer, and playwright. He also wrote the lyrics to a number of popular songs.-Early life:...
as J. Homais - Frank Allenby as Lheureux
- Gladys CooperGladys CooperDame Gladys Constance Cooper, DBE was an English actress whose career spanned seven decades on stage, in films and on television....
as Madame Dupuis
- John Abbott as Mayor Tuvache
- Harry MorganHarry MorganHarry Morgan is an American actor. Morgan is well-known for his roles as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey...
as Hyppolyte - George ZuccoGeorge ZuccoGeorge Desylla Zucco was an English character actor who appeared, almost always in supporting roles, in 96 films during a career spanning two decades, from 1931 to 1951. He is fondly remembered for his roles in classic horror films.-Early life:Zucco was born in Manchester, England...
as Dubocage - Ellen CorbyEllen CorbyEllen Corby was an American actress. She is most widely remembered for the role of "Grandma Esther Walton" on the CBS television series The Waltons, for which she won three Emmy Awards...
as Félicité - Eduard FranzEduard FranzEduard Franz , born Eduard Franz Schmidt, was an American actor of theater, film, and television. Franz portrayed King Ahab in the 1953 biblical low-budget film Sins of Jezebel, Jethro in Cecil B...
as Rouault - Henri Letondal as Guillaumin
- Esther Somers as Madame Lefrançois