The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)

Director:

Edgar Selwyn

Writers:

Edward Knoblock (play)
Charles MacArthur (dialogue continuity)
(more)

Release Date:

24 October 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Out of jail for a crime she did not commit, Madelon turns to prostitution and thievery to send her illegitimate son to medical school.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Medical School | Suicide | Prostitution | Thief

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

Helen Hayes	...	Madelon Claudet
Lewis Stone	...	Carlo Boretti
Neil Hamilton	...	Larry Maynard
Cliff Edwards	...	Victor Lebeau
Jean Hersholt	...	Dr. Dulac
Marie Prevost	...	Rosalie Lebeau
Robert Young	...	Dr. Lawrence Claudet
Karen Morley	...	Alice Claudet
Charles Winninger	...	M. Novella - Photographer
Alan Hale	...	Hubert
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Roget - Boretti's Butler
Lennox Pawle	...	Felix St. Jacques
Russ Powell	...	Monsieur Claudet
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Reginald Barlow	...	Public Assistance Official (uncredited)
Joseph E. Bernard	...	Butler Saying Job Already Filled (uncredited)
Ed Brady	...	Merchant Seaman (uncredited)
Nora Cecil	...	Prison Nun (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Frankie Darro	...	Larry Claudet - as a Boy (uncredited)
Sherry Hall	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Tiny Jones	...	Prisoner Behind Bars (uncredited)
Robert Lees	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Gus Leonard	...	Landlord (uncredited)
Theodore Lorch	...	Felix - the Headwaiter (uncredited)
Eric Mayne	...	Medical School Professor (uncredited)
Frank Reicher	...	Arresting Detective (uncredited)
Virginia Sale	...	Charity Ward Nun (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	French Officer in Club (uncredited)

Directed by
Edgar Selwyn

Writing credits
Edward Knoblock		(play "The Lullaby")
Charles MacArthur		(dialogue continuity)
Ben Hecht		uncredited

Produced by
Irving Thalberg	....	producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Oliver T. Marsh		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Tom Held

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Costume Design by
Adrian		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Cecil Holland	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Earl Taggert	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Camera and Electrical Department
Samuel Cohen	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Eddie Fitzgerald	....	second camera operator (uncredited)
Kyme Meade	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Charles Pollock	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
René Hubert	....	wardrobe

Other crew
Howard Dietz	....	press representative (uncredited)
Harry Rapf	....	supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1931) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (193?) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2011) (USA) (DVD) (DVD-R)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Helen Hayes was reportedly so appalled by her performance that she tried to buy the movie from the studio so that she could destroy it.

Quotes:

Carlo Boretti:Sit here my dear. Oh wait, I want to get this cushion... it brings out all the blue that's sleeping in your eyes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "What's My Line?: Episode dated 7 June 1964" (1964)

Soundtrack:

For He's a Jolly Good Fellow

Effective Little Drama

Sin of Madelon Claudet, The (1931)

*** (out of 4)

Early soap opera with Helen Hayes who would end up winning the Best Actress Oscar for her performance here as Madelon Cludet, a woman who runs away from home and finds one disaster after another. She gives birth to a son but soon is railroaded into prison where she comes out of and agrees to tell the child that his mother is dead. She then turns to prostitution so that she can give the son money to go through medical school. If you don't like sappy stories then it's probably best to stay away from this thing as there's so much sugar running around that many will gag on everything that happens from the opening scene to the closing one. I must admit that there were times where I felt the filmmakers were beating the viewer over the head with the sentimental moments but the nice performances make this film worth viewing. Hayes is exceptionally good here as her character goes from one abuse to another and she perfectly nails each emotion no matter how raw it is. I also found her to be excellent under all the make up of the older woman as she pulled this off as well. Lewis Stone has a brief role but he's his typical excellent self and Robert Young plays the adult kid. The ending is one you'll see coming from a mile away but I thought it packed a good little punch. The editing is something else that really worked well and this can easily be seen during the sequence where we cut back and forth to the mother "working" and the son getting the benefits of it. The biggest problem is that the film plays out like several 15-minute short films put together as the story pretty much just builds itself up for a payoff and then we go to the next short sequence that will then build up for a quick payoff.