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Madame Bovary (1949) More at IMDbPro »


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Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   792 votes
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Director:
Writers:
Gustave Flaubert (novel)
Robert Ardrey (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Madame Bovary on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 January 1950 (Sweden) more
Genre:
Tagline:
All she wanted was everything. more
Plot:
A provincial doctor's wife's romantic illusions about life and social status lead her to betray her naive husband, take on lovers and run up ruinous debts. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
NewsDesk:
Fsm announces release of 15-cd Rózsa collection
 (From MovieScore Magazine. 25 November 2009, 12:55 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Positive review of a half forgotten film more (22 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Jennifer Jones ... Emma Bovary

James Mason ... Gustave Flaubert

Van Heflin ... Charles Bovary
Louis Jourdan ... Rodolphe Boulanger
Alf Kjellin ... Leon Dupuis (as Christopher Kent)

Gene Lockhart ... J. Homais
Frank Allenby ... Lheureux
Gladys Cooper ... Madame Dupuis
John Abbott ... Mayor Tuvache
Harry Morgan ... Hyppolite (as Henry Morgan)
George Zucco ... Dubocage
Ellen Corby ... Félicité
Eduard Franz ... Rouault
Henri Letondal ... Guillaumin
Esther Somers ... Madame Lefrançois
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Additional Details

Runtime:
Argentina:130 min | USA:115 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Director Vincente Minnelli wanted Lana Turner for the role of Emma, but was convinced that a more dignified actress like Greer Garson or Jennifer Jones was needed for the audience to understand the character more. more
Quotes:
Gustave Flaubert: Forgiveness is still, as I understand it, among the Christian sentiments. more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

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9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful.
Positive review of a half forgotten film, 15 October 2000
Author: killmore999 from Bradford, England

Although it is several years since I saw it I can remember the beautiful photography and period setting of this not very happy story of a tormented woman.Particularly Jennifer Jones,a vastly underrated actress giving a sensitive performance which one imagined could have done with a bit more directoral guidance. Minnelli was one of those directors who seemed to give all or nothing to his projects.By his own admission he had very little interest in "Kismet" as he wanted to get it out of the way in order to start "Lust for Life" with Kirk Douglas.The lumbering manner of "Kismet" shows this to be true !! (he owed MGM one picture under his contract before starting "Lust for Life" and unfortunately for the project "Kismet" was it)Additionally Minelli did not want Jones in the lead role and one wonders how influencial David Selznick was in pushing for Jennifer once Lana Turner was unavailable for the lead.At any rate Lana had not yet developed her dramatic abilities which would lie some years ahead.Jennifer showed that she was adaptable to many moods including a few years later her scene stealing turn in "Beat the Devil" few actresses can take credit for stealing a picture away from Bogie,Peter Lorre,Robert Morley and LaLolla. Back to Madame Bovary,although the subject is a heavy one,it is well handled by Minnelli,and most reference books today regard it as a sadly neglected piece,which deserves a wider recognition.Interestingly if my memory serves me correctly Vincente barely mentions it in his autobiography.Maybe his private life at the time and his more financially successful works figure more prominantly in his memory.If I had directed Madame Bovary I would be immensly proud of it.Maybe he was.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Madame Bovary (1949)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Hippolyte's faux operation ahall-3
Anyone Notice? xQUIETxBLUESx
Is Jennifer Jones in the court scene at the end? JB-36
What a supremely stupid woman!!!! suel41452
why make the novel into a film? phil_manic
Are these film quotations of author, Flaubert, actually his own words TCManiacs
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