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IMDbPro

Madame X

  • 1966
  • Approved
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
2.5K
YOUR RATING
Keir Dullea, John Forsythe, and Lana Turner in Madame X (1966)
When her lover is killed, the wife of a wealthy man is convinced to fake her own death, which leads her into greater depths of depravity until fate reunites her with her long-lost son, who is unaware of her real identity.
Play trailer2:25
1 Video
21 Photos
AdventureDramaMystery

When her lover is killed, the wife of a wealthy man is convinced to fake her own death, which leads her into greater depths of depravity until fate reunites her with her long-lost son, who i... Read allWhen her lover is killed, the wife of a wealthy man is convinced to fake her own death, which leads her into greater depths of depravity until fate reunites her with her long-lost son, who is unaware of her real identity.When her lover is killed, the wife of a wealthy man is convinced to fake her own death, which leads her into greater depths of depravity until fate reunites her with her long-lost son, who is unaware of her real identity.

  • Director
    • David Lowell Rich
  • Writers
    • Jean Holloway
    • Alexandre Bisson
  • Stars
    • Lana Turner
    • John Forsythe
    • Ricardo Montalban
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    2.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • David Lowell Rich
    • Writers
      • Jean Holloway
      • Alexandre Bisson
    • Stars
      • Lana Turner
      • John Forsythe
      • Ricardo Montalban
    • 65User reviews
    • 21Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:25
    Watch Trailer

    Photos21

    Ricardo Montalban and Lana Turner in Madame X (1966)
    Ricardo Montalban and Lana Turner in Madame X (1966)
    John Forsythe and Lana Turner in Madame X (1966)
    John Forsythe and Lana Turner in Madame X (1966)
    Ricardo Montalban in Madame X (1966)
    Joe De Santis in Madame X (1966)
    Constance Bennett, John Forsythe, and Lana Turner in Madame X (1966)
    John Forsythe and Lana Turner in Madame X (1966)
    Ricardo Montalban and Lana Turner in Madame X (1966)
    Lana Turner in Madame X (1966)
    Constance Bennett, John Forsythe, and Lana Turner in Madame X (1966)
    Lana Turner in Madame X (1966)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lana Turner
    Lana Turner
    • Holly Parker
    John Forsythe
    John Forsythe
    • Clay Anderson
    Ricardo Montalban
    Ricardo Montalban
    • Phil Benton
    Burgess Meredith
    Burgess Meredith
    • Dan Sullivan
    John Van Dreelen
    John Van Dreelen
    • Christian Torben
    Virginia Grey
    Virginia Grey
    • Mimsy
    Warren Stevens
    Warren Stevens
    • Michael Spalding
    Carl Benton Reid
    Carl Benton Reid
    • The Judge
    Teddy Quinn
    Teddy Quinn
    • Clay Anderson Jr. as a Boy
    Frank Maxwell
    Frank Maxwell
    • Dr. Evans
    Kaaren Verne
    Kaaren Verne
    • Nurse Riborg
    • (as Karen Verne)
    Joe De Santis
    Joe De Santis
    • Carter
    • (as Joe DeSantis)
    Frank Marth
    Frank Marth
    • Det. Combs
    Bing Russell
    Bing Russell
    • Police Sgt. Riley
    Teno Pollick
    • Manuel Lopez
    Jeff Burton
    Jeff Burton
    • Bromley
    Jill Jackson
    • Police Matron
    Constance Bennett
    Constance Bennett
    • Estelle
    • Director
      • David Lowell Rich
    • Writers
      • Jean Holloway
      • Alexandre Bisson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This is the final film of Constance Bennett, who died before its release.
    • Goofs
      Although the movie covers a 25-30 year span ending in the mid-Sixties, all of the women are dressed and coiffed in the height of mid-sixties fashions in scenes set in the late thirties/early forties.
    • Quotes

      Clayton 'Clay' Anderson: [to his mother while decorating Christmas tree] Mother, there aren't enough icicles on your side.

    • Connections
      Featured in Home Stories (1990)
    • Soundtracks
      Swedish Rhapsody
      by Willy Mattes (as Charles Wildman)

    User reviews65

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    old melodrama gets gloss treatment at the hands of Ross Hunter
    The old chestnut "Madame X" has had something like 9 screen versions, not to mention a play and the book. There's an occasional change here and there but the plot remains basically the same: A young woman is thrown out of her home and separated from her child. She hits the skids, and 20 years later, the child defends her on a murder charge.

    So goes this version of "Madame X" as well, with a nice roster of stars: Lana Turner, Keir Dullea, John Forsythe, Ricardo Montalban, Constance Bennett, and Burgess Meredith. Turner is the unfortunate woman, happily married to Clayton Anderson (John Forsythe) a man with a good political future, and she's the mother of a young son. But the marriage becomes strained when Clayton is away too much, and Holly starts fooling around. When her husband comes home and she realizes how much she loves him, she tries to break it off with a roué (Ricardo Montalban). During an argument, he falls down the stairs to his death. Holly's mother-in-law, played by Constance Bennett, arranges for her to disappear with a new identity. In Europe, Holly meets a wealthy musician who falls in love with her, but she runs out on him - a big mistake - and ends up turning to alcohol and easy sex. When she murders a blackmailer (Meredith) who is going to tell her son who she is, she ends up on trial - defended by her son.

    Well, the pot doesn't boil any better than this, and Hunter gives it a big, expensive production and sets Lana Turner loose in what is probably her best performance. Although the age/dissipation makeup is a little over the top, Turner gives the degenerate Holly a great, hard edge and a lot of frailty. It's a nice juxtaposition to the earlier sweetness and buoyancy of her character. Turner was one of those movie stars whose beauty, glamor, and private life often had critics not paying much attention to her performances, but she gave some good ones nonetheless. The other standout in the cast is Bennett, who's as slender as she was in the '30s and a lot tougher. Her voice has dropped a couple of octaves and her hair is a strange brown (this was perhaps in deference to the blond Lana). Toward the end of the film, she gets white hair softly styled and looks beautiful - even with the age makeup that needed to be added to the 60-year-old. The role of Forsythe's manipulative, protective mother is perfect for her -- a fitting last film for one of the great and prolific stars of the 1930s. She died before the film was released. Keir Dullea is appealing as the son, and Forsythe is pleasant though he doesn't have a huge role.

    Try as they might, Madame X is from another time and by 1966 just wasn't great movie material. It is however, entertaining and engrossing. The most jaded person can't help but to be moved by the ending, though you may hate yourself for it.
    helpful•25
    5
    • blanche-2
    • Mar 25, 2006

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 6, 1966 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Bilinmeyen Kadın
    • Filming locations
      • Playboy Mansion - 10236 Charing Cross Road, Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA(Anderson estate - later became the Playboy Mansion)
    • Production company
      • Ross Hunter Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes

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