IMDb >
Madame X (1929)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsMadame X (1929) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 1 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
17 August 1929 (USA) moreTagline:
Ruth Chatterton gives the greatest performance of her career in the sensational all-talking portrayal of Madame X. morePlot:
A young lawyer unknowingly defends his mother who abandoned him when he was three. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. moreUser Comments:
Standing Comparison moreCast
(Complete credited cast)| Ruth Chatterton | ... | Jacqueline Floriot | |
| Lewis Stone | ... | Louis Floriot | |
| Raymond Hackett | ... | Raymond Floriot | |
| Holmes Herbert | ... | Noel | |
| Eugenie Besserer | ... | Rose, Floriot's Servant | |
| John P. Edington | ... | Doctor | |
| Mitchell Lewis | ... | Colonel Hanby | |
| Ullrich Haupt | ... | Laroque (as Ullric Haupt) | |
| Sidney Toler | ... | Dr. Merivel | |
| Richard Carle | ... | Perissard | |
| Carroll Nye | ... | Darrell, a Naval Officer | |
| Claude King | ... | Valmorin, the Prosecutor (as Claud King) | |
| Chappell Dossett | ... | Judge |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
95 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.20 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Fun Stuff
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Madame X (1929)Recommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Madame X | Madame X | Madame X | Too Much Beef | I Confess |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | IMDb Drama section |
| IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |



Seeing this 1929 version of Madame X was quite a revelation, the only other version I had seen was the Americanized Ross Hunter soap opera production that starred Lana Turner in 1965. This film illustrates the problems of early sound production and how the players and directors had trouble adapting to the new sound medium.
Ruth Chatterton was nominated for her stage like overwrought performance as the degraded Madame X formerly Jacqueline Floriot. I'm glad that before seeing Chatterton I had seen Mary Pickford in the Oscar winning film for Best Actress, Coquette. Pickford's performance is no more overwrought than Chatterton's. The Academy voters I'm sure chose from a whole lot of similar product.
Lionel Barrymore was up for Best Director in the only other Oscar category Madame X was entered in. Barrymore directed a few silents, but after talkies came in he soon found himself in front of the camera. His direction is for a stage play, but again I'm sure no better or worse than his competition.
The play is of French origin and debuted on Broadway in 1910 with a run of 156 performances. The lead was Dorothy Donnelly whose reputation today comes from being the book and lyric writer for Sigmund Romberg for Student Prince, Blossom Time, and My Maryland. The author Alexandre Breson took his plot idea from Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Chatterton marries a cold hard self righteous Lewis Stone who when she gets no love at home, strays and seeks it elsewhere. Stone acts like Anna Karenina's husband and tosses her in the streets. And like Karenin, Stone tells his son, his mother is dead.
Fast forward about 25 years and Chatterton is now a poor man's version of Sadie Thompson. She hooks up with a South Seas low life in Ulrich Haupt who guesses her true identity and sees the blackmail possibilities in it. But when the idea is broached to Chatterton, she balks and Haupt pays the price.
This one as did the modern version had the Victorian ladies weeping every Wednesday matinée. Chatterton, Stone, Raymond Hackett as their grown son, and Haupt deliver their performances in true 19th century style.
The film is a curiosity and of course doesn't hold up well for today's audience. But in viewing don't compare Madame X with more modern work. It won't stand comparison that way.