Review of Madame Bovary (1949) by Jesse L — 07 Jul 2004

(VHS) (First Viewing, 10th Minnelli film).

There's just something about Madame Bovery that just doesn't seem to interest me- her tragic fate seems so inevitable that getting to that point just seems very, very tedious. I can appreciate the remarkable detail to characterization and psychology in both Flaubert's novel and Vincente Minnelli's screen version, but can never quite seem to invest myself emotionally or mentally in her fate.

That said, I found much to appreciate in [b]Madame Bovary[/b], even if I was constantly checking my watch. Jennifer Jones is outstanding as the bewitching Emma- her style of acting, which almost borders on hysteria, is perfectly suited for the role. And physically she's just as I pictured Madame Bovary would be reading the novel (granted I saw a still from this film years before I ever read the book).

It is notable that she has no chemistry with her husband, played by Van Heflin, as their relationship is supposed to be doomed from the outset. More problematic is Emma's relationship with Randolphe (played by Louis Jourdan, who fits the role like a glove), as there is no way one would believe they indulged in a torrid love affair. But no matter, because like Madame Bovary does in her novel, Jones powers through the film, keeping all attention fixed squarely on her at all times.

The biggest flaw of the film is that it is so lavishly done. The point of the novel is that Emma Bovary is larger and grander than her drab surroundings and dull situations, but here Minnelli and his MGM collaborators have made [i]everything[/i] unbelievably exquisite. I couldn't help but wonder why Emma wouldn't be content on her picturesque farm or in her quaint French provincial town- they look exactly like the kinds of settings she dreamed of. That said, everything comes together for one dazzling scene. The lavish ball is the set-piece of both the novel and the film, and this is where Minnelli shines. Jones' stunning dress, Miklos Rozsa's superb scoring, Minnelli's deft camera that circles the waltzing Jones and Jourdan faster and faster- one can truly understand why Emma would decide to sacrifice her life in trying to reach this ideal.

If only the rest of the film sustained such a sublime level. But it doesn't, and like Emma's life, the rest of the story is tiresome, if tragic. Technically and visually a stunner, [b]Madame Bovary[/b] is one of a number of classic Hollywood films that I'd label as solid entertainment, but completely lacking any spark of true cinematic greatness that would make it memorable.