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

Writers:

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

Stars:

Helen Hayes, Lewis Stone, Neil Hamilton

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.

Cast

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

Die Sünde der 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:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to 'When the Lion Roars,' Irving Thalberg and his producers were previewing films one night and he asked to see this one. Told it was hopeless, he asked to put it on anyway. After watching it, he remarked that it wasn't bad; the main thing to do was change the last seven minutes. Re-takes were done and Helen Hayes went on to win the Oscar for the part.

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Quotes

Carlo Boretti: I wish Spaniards wouldn't put so much tragedy in their music; they ask for love with so many tears.

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Connections

Featured in MGM: When the Lion Roars (1992)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Real mother-love junk

Very MGM mother-love early-talkie stuff, which one suspects Norma Shearer turned down. Charles MacArthur's screenplay at least makes its points swiftly and with a minimum of embarrassment, but the direction makes rather too much of having The First Lady of the American Theatre in every scene. Helen's key-lighting is just so, her dithering and pauses are all fluttery excess, and the makeup (innocent girl to demimonde-cocotte to hag) does half the acting for her. Not that she's an incompetent film actress -- she's quite good, and even sexy, in the following year's "A Farewell to Arms." It's just that this is the bathetic "Madame X"/"Stella Dallas" sort of nonsense that sets young actresses dreaming of Oscars before they even face the camera. In a very American bunch of supporting Parisians, Marie Prevost is sympathetic and welcome, Jean Hersholt is not the noble bore he often was, and Lewis Stone gets to be a most un-Judge Hardy-like count with a secret.