Madeleine (1950)

Director:

David Lean

Writers:

Nicholas Phipps (screenplay) and
Stanley Haynes (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 February 1950 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Here are the virile, violent facts that caused the most famous jury verdict in history...(USA poster)

Plot:

The middle-class family of a young woman cannot understand why she delays in marrying a respectable young man. They know nothing about her long-standing affair with a Frenchman.

Plot Keywords:

Trial | Verdict | Husband Wife Relationship | One Word Title | Love Letter

Cast

Ann Todd	...	Madeleine Smith
Norman Wooland	...	William Minnoch
Ivan Desny	...	Emile L'Anglier
Leslie Banks	...	James Smith
Barbara Everest	...	Mrs. Smith
Susan Stranks	...	Janet Smith
Patricia Raine	...	Bessie Smith
Elizabeth Sellars	...	Christina Hackett
Edward Chapman	...	Dr. Thompson
Jean Cadell	...	Mrs. Jenkins
Eugene Deckers	...	Thuau (as Eugène Deckers)
Ivor Barnard	...	Mr. Murdoch
David Horne	...	Lord Justice-Clerk
Henry Edwards	...	Clerk of the Court
Barry Jones	...	Lord Advocate
André Morell	...	Dean of Falcuty
Amy Veness	...	Miss Aiken
Kynaston Reeves	...	Dr. Penny
Cameron Hall	...	Dr. Yeoman
Douglas Barr	...	William the Boot Boy
Irene Browne	...	Mrs. Grant
Moyra Fraser	...	Highland Dancer
Alfred Rodriguez	...	Highland Dancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eva Bartok	...	Girl (uncredited)
George Benson	...	Chemist (uncredited)
John Boxer	...	Plainclothes Policeman (uncredited)
Albert Chevalier	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Owen Holder	...	Baird (uncredited)
John Laurie	...	Scots Divine (uncredited)
James McKechnie	...	Speaker of Commentary (uncredited)
Hugh Munro	...	Clerk (uncredited)
Anthony Newley	...	Chemist's Assistant (uncredited)
Nicholas Phipps	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Jack Vyvian	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Caven Watson	...	Clerk (uncredited)
Wylie Watson	...	Huggins (uncredited)

Directed by
David Lean

Writing credits
Nicholas Phipps		(screenplay) and
Stanley Haynes		(screenplay)
Nicholas Phipps		(dialogue)

Produced by
Stanley Haynes	....	producer

Original Music by
William Alwyn

Cinematography by
Guy Green

Film Editing by
Clive Donner
Geoffrey Foot

Set Decoration by
John Bryan

Costume Design by
Margaret Furse

Makeup Department
Biddy Chrystal	....	hair stylist
Stuart Freeborn	....	makeup artist
Paul Rabiger	....	makeup artist
John Wilcox	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Norman Spencer	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Pollock	....	assistant director

Art Department
Allan Harris	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
T. Hopewell Ash	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Herbert Westbrook	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Gordon K. McCallum	....	sound mixer
Stanley Lambourne	....	sound mixer (uncredited)
George Paternoster	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan Hume	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Charles Trigg	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dorothy Edwards	....	wardrobe mistress (uncredited)
Bob Rayner	....	wardrobe master (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Jim Pople	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Muir Mathieson	....	conductor
George Windeatt	....	composer: additional piano music (uncredited)

Other crew
Maggie Unsworth	....	continuity (as Margaret Sibley)
Jean Hall	....	assistant continuity (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cineguild

Distributors

• General Film Distributors (GFD) (1950) (UK) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• Divisa Home Video (2011) (Spain) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Universal International Pictures (UI)  us releasing agent

Also Known As:

"The Strange Case of Madeleine" - USA (poster title)

Runtime:

114 min | USA:101 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | UK:U (DVD) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Cineguild

Trivia:

Ann Todd had portrayed the title character in theatrical productions of the play this film was based on, and had always wanted to play her in a film adaptation. Shortly after she married director David Lean, he agreed to make this film and cast her as the lead as a "wedding present" of sorts.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When the prosecutor first walks away from addressing the jury the first time, the shadow of a boom can clearly be seen following after him across the jury.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Foul Play (1978)

Soundtrack:

Mrs. Mcleod Of Raasey

A lesser known but no less than brilliant David Lean film

As one of David Lean's lesser known films, I did not have any great expectations (excuse the pun) before watching this film. After watching the film, the only conclusion that I could draw is that it is lesser known because it is hard to acquire rather than because it is a lesser Lean film. Lean's directing in 'Madeleine' is on par with his grand visions of the two works of Charles Dickens that he had directed in the few years before this one. With Guy Green photographing again, and once again John Bryan involved in the film's production design, Lean creates a visual feast here that helps flesh out the themes of the screenplay.

The film is about a woman of wealth who is torn between a foreign working class man who she loves, and her father's expectations that she marries within her own class. Her father is a strict, conservative man, and Madeleine keeps her love affair a secret because she knows that he would not approve. However, she feels guilty for leading her lover on when she knows that it is futile. To make matters worse, her father is insisting that she lets an upper class young man romance her. Madeleine is unsure how to cope with the situation, and even considers using poison at one point in time.

The film has one of the best lighting designs that I have ever seen. Lean pays careful attention to shadows and the direction that light is coming from on screen. In the first scene when we see Madeleine and her lover Emile together outside, they are photographed with only back lighting so that their facial features are hardly seen, showing the secretive nature of their meeting. And after a few cuts they are then seen so that only their necks downwards are properly lit up. There is a definite contrast between shots like these are those that take place inside her house, where very strong lighting is used so that the skin on the characters all seem very white.

Another interesting use of light is in a conversation that Madeleine has with her father. The scene uses cuts between their faces, and her father is shot with light from a low camera angle so that his features are barely seen and that he seems dominating. In contrast, a slightly high camera angle is used on Madeleine with lighting work that shows her skin as grey with very visible distinguishing features. Whenever the sky is seen, it is also shown as moody and cloudy, which would be a combination of lighting and art direction. There is also one scene in which Madeleine says "No", and the light source for the shot when she says this is coming from below, with shadows falling from her nose above on her face.

The camera-work is brilliant too, especially in the scene with administering the poison. There is a low camera angle on a closeup of the bottle to make it menacing, then only seen in closeups, it is poured, while a girl in the background (not seen) sings a song about the death of a bird. The closeups and inserts are great throughout, as are Guy Green's angles. One of the best has a man's hand holding a cup in the foreground, while Madeleine is seen sitting down in the background. This is not a point of a view shot, but rather one that shows that Madeleine's attention is drawn to the cup. Amazing stuff.

The sound design of the film is also great, with certain sounds (footsteps, clanging) isolated when they are all that a character is listening out for. The audio in terms of music though is less than splendid. It is overly melodramatic, and tends to overplay the tension of certain scenes. The film also has another couple of detracting factors. One is that we never really feel the chemistry between Madeleine and her two lovers, which makes it slightly difficult to sympathise with what she is torn between. Also, the final third of the film is rather weak - the bulk of what it is of interest lies in the middle section. Either way, Lean's talent for directing makes this a very worthwhile experience overall, and it comes particularly recommended to those who liked his Charles Dickens films.