The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)

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

Director:

Edgar Selwyn

Writer:

Edward Knoblock (play)

Stars:

Helen Hayes, Lewis Stone, Neil Hamilton

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Helen Hayes	...	Madelon Claudet
Lewis Stone	...	Carlo Boretti
Neil Hamilton	...	Larry
Robert Young	...	Dr. Lawrence Claudet
Cliff Edwards	...	Victor
Jean Hersholt	...	Dr. Dulac
Marie Prevost	...	Rosalie
Karen Morley	...	Alice Claudet
Charles Winninger	...	Photographer
Alan Hale	...	Hubert
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Roget
Lennox Pawle	...	St. Jacques
Russ Powell	...	M. Claudet

Storyline

French country girl Madelon falls for artist Larry, who leaves her after she becomes pregnant. She finds help from jewel thief Carlo, but he commits suicide when the police try to arrest him. Madelon is arrested and receives a ten year term in prison for assisting him in his profession. To support her son, who does not know that she's been in prison, she becomes a street walker, allowing him to attend medical school.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | medical school | suicide | thief | prostitution | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

24 October 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Sin of Madelon Claudet

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After the film flopped badly on its first preview, Irving Thalberg ordered it back into production and had about one-third of the film re-shot. Since Helen Hayes was already making her second film, Arrowsmith (1931), she was called back to work on the "Claudet" retakes during her only times off from shooting "Arrowsmith," Saturday afternoons and Sundays. When Samuel Goldwyn, the producer of "Arrowsmith," heard that Hayes was working seven days a week and making two films simultaneously, he insisted that Hayes stop doing "Claudet" retakes until "Arrowsmith" was finished.

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Goofs

When Madelon visits Dr. Larry Claudet at his home office; he checks her heart and lungs by placing his ear to her chest and back. But a doctor needs a stethoscope to hear the heart and lungs directly, therefore, examining her in this manner is wrong especially since the stethoscope had already been invented for over a hundred years by this time period in the film.

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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.

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Connections

Featured in The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003)

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Soundtracks

For He's a Jolly Good Fellow
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung a cappella by Larry's friends

User Reviews

Howlingly bad melodrama saved by Hayes

VERY old and creaky talky about Madame Claudet (Helen Hayes) sacrificing everything for her son (who grows up into Robert Young). The thing is her son doesn't know she's alive. She had to give him up because she was abandoned by his father and (wrongfully) thrown in jail. She secretly supports him by becoming a prostitute.

It's as bad as it sounds and very old and out-dated. Plays like a (bad) play but Helen Hayes single-handedly saves it. She overdoes it occasionally (but then she WAS a stage actress) but she's basically just excellent. She won a well-deserved Oscar for this. And seeing Robert Young so...young (sorry) is fun. I just didn't buy the story for one second--it was just too silly (and old-fashioned) to be taken seriously. But it moves VERY quickly and is worth seeing for Hayes alone. I'm giving it a 7.