Madeline (1998)

Director:

Daisy von Scherler Mayer

Writers (WGA):

Ludwig Bemelmans (books)
Malia Scotch Marmo (screen story) ...

Release Date:

10 July 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Comedy

Tagline:

In an old house in Paris, that was covered with vines...

Plot:

Redheaded young girl Madeline is very good at getting into trouble, but she's also fantastic in solving problems as well...

Plot Keywords:

School | Precocious Child | Museum | Child's Point Of View | Mouse

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Frances McDormand	...	Miss Clavel
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Lord Covington (segment "Lord Cucuface")
Hatty Jones	...	Madeline
Ben Daniels	...	Leopold the Tutor
Arturo Venegas	...	Mr. Spanish Ambassador
Stéphane Audran	...	Lady Covington
Katia Caballero	...	Mrs. Spanish Ambassador
Chantal Neuwirth	...	Helene the Cook
Kristian de la Osa	...	Pepito (as Kristian De La Osa)
Clare Thomas	...	Aggie
Bianca Strohmann	...	Vicki (as Bianca Strôhman)
Christina Mangani	...	Chantal
Rachel Dennis	...	Lucinda
Pilar Garrard	...	Beatrice
Jessica Mason	...	Serena

Also Known As:

Madeline (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG for momentary language.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

English | French | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:G | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/6 (video premiere) | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:PG | Brazil:Livre

Filming Locations:

Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Company:

Jaffilms

Goofs:

Continuity: Madeline's bed is on the right side of the bedroom at the start, but, later, it is on the left side.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Miss Clavel: Something is not right.

Movie Connections:

Version of Madeline (1989) (TV)

Soundtrack:

In Two Straight Lines

Lacking in suspense and quite simply arduous in places, the kids aren't even that endearing.

"In an old house in Paris covered with vines Twelve little girls were learning their lives."

So, begins this muddled children's yarn. The title character (Hatty Jones), one of "twelve little girls who live in a line," is a feisty, redhead orphan, who attends a posh girls' school in Paris. Her teacher and mentor is a nun, Miss Clavel (The Coen Brothers' favourite actress Frances McDormand), and her contemporaries are a bunch of spoilt young girls, who come out with such debatable witticisms as, "It is better to be super everything, than super nothing!"

Plainly a pain in the rectum, Madeline causes all kinds of "jolly" and "super" havoc throughout the film. This includes plummeting from a bridge into the Seine, releasing a scourge of mice and having her appendix out. By attempting to blend together too many elements from Ludwig Bemelmans's classic children's book series, Madeline only serves to nonplus and alienate its audience.

Essentially there are three plots. Firstly, when the benefactor of the school Lady Covington passes away, her husband (Nigel Hawthorne) resolves to close the school. Secondly, there is the loneliness and mischievous antics of Pepito, the son of the Spanish Ambassador who has just moved in next door. Lastly, there is some vague, poorly explained abduction scheme involving Pepito's tutor (Ben Daniels) and a bunch of clowns, Les Idiots.

For a children's film of this sort to work, the bad guys have to be truly wicked. However, Ben Daniels isn't remotely scary and only comes into play with the obligatory car chase finale. Madeline lacks the sinister sense of say a Roald Dahl creation and also falls flat as a charming piece of entertainment. Lacking in suspense and quite simply arduous in places, the kids aren't even that endearing. An irritating and uneven film, suited to ages 3 to 6.

Ben Walsh