MovieChat Forums > Madame Bovary (1950) Discussion > One of the best older films I have ever ...

One of the best older films I have ever seen!

posted 15 years ago by ltldog2
2 replies | jump to latest

I like old movies for the clothes and the romanticism, but I usually expect cheesy dialogue and overacting. This one surprised me. I thought it on par with Gone With the Wind for the sensitivity to the characters (not stereotyping) and really getting into some dicey situations for the time (adultery, etc.) My heart wrenched every time that little girl started to cry--I wanted to wake up my toddler and hug him and say "mommy will never leave you!"!!!! Sure, it had its share of cheesy moments and soft focus (gag), but overall I was very impressed with the film.

Taking back IMDB message boards....one ignored Troll at a time.

[–] BarryTrexel 15 years ago

I also find this film to be visually beautiful as are most Vincente Minnelli films. Artisically, every frame of his films are created with great care and beauty. Additionally, he shows great care to respect the genre and subject matter at hand. While Minnelli wasn't as highly regarded by several actors as an "actor's director" as George Cukor was, the performances in the majority Minnelli films always seem to come off wonderfully. Jennifer Jones in this film, gives one of her finest performances. The ballroom scene with Jennifer Jones and Louis Jourdan is one of the most brilliant ever filmed by Minnelli. It's a shame that there was so much studio interference with "Brigadoon" and "Kismet", and neither were even close to reaching their potential as great musical adaptations. Still, even his most theadbare vehicles like "Undercurrent" a miscast dramatic mishmash, and "The Sandpiper", a Taylor/Burton vanity piece, are visually stunning to watch due to his visucally stunning direction.

[–] Benihanahasnofunflare 14 years ago

Strange seeing Van Heflin play a doofus.