Madame X

I loved the decency of this movie. The issues were sensitive for the time period. But, the story did show that there is a price to pay for every mistake. Although the mother/wife was briefly involved in an adulterous relationship it was not glorified or flaunted. It was a mistake that she spent the rest of the movie hiding and paying for.

There were some unexpected plot turns. At different points in the movie, I was able to sympathize with each member of this tragic family. Every character was believable. I found a reason to like or dislike each one of them. I loved how this movie made each villain a victim. It was very easy to follow each character through their lives. Although the mother/wife had many faults, the love for her son makes you love her and feel for her.

Not many cheers in this picture but lots of drinking, and drinking, etc. This must be Gladys George's best performance, even better than in "Valiant Is The Word For Carrie" (1936), for which she won an Oscar nom but is rarely on TV. The picture depicts the precipitous fall from grace of a Parisian socialite, who is turned out of her home by her unforgiving husband after an adulterous affair.

So good is she in her role as a fallen woman that the movie is almost unwatchable at times, and the lower she descends the more sympathetic she becomes. Her portrayal of a floozy is perhaps the best characterization you will ever see, especially when she is drunk. There was not one scene in which she was off the mark in this picture - she was 'spot on', as they say.

The film has a 'B' picture feel, with Warren William and John Beal in crucial roles, although I think it was probably an 'A' in its time. I was very surprised and was not expecting George's extraordinary performance. I thought she was better here than Stanwyck was in another soaper, "Stella Dallas" (1937), and she gives you a better rooting interest.

Just a few days ago on TCM, I saw this version of Madam X. Gladys George's portrayal of Jacqueline Fleuriot was incredible! Her moving performance brought me to tears and this is not an easy thing to do. I felt her performance was natural and sensitive. Even in her darkest moments she emoted an incredible strength in the shadows of her fallen past. Warren Williams' flowing performance moves from frigid anger to final moments of self reproach. The pain in his eyes dominated the screen. What a marvelous performance!

Both these actors were supported by a cast of some of the best actors of their time.

I have read the play and wish to give this movie a standing ovation!

If you haven't seen any of the Madame X s, this one is probably the one you should see first. (The one from 1929 is probably the worst.)

It is the story of a woman who gives up her child for the sake of his reputation, and disappears from his life. Only to meet again in the end of the film.

Lana Turner did a version in 1966. And then in the 1980s a TV movie was made!

In Paris, neglected blonde Gladys George (as Jacqueline Fleuriot) decides to end her affair with a handsome young man. She has decided to patch up her marriage to wealthy lawyer Warren William (as Bernard Fleuriot) and attend to their son. Alas, the timing for Ms. George's turnabout is bad. Another woman discovers the couple and causes an explosive scene. Barely making it home ahead of the police, George learns her own husband has discovered her dalliance. He throws George out on the streets. She drowns her sorrows in alcohol and is passed from man to man. Now mostly drunk, George lets her identity slip while living with deliciously sleazy Henry Daniell (as Lerocle). To protect her adult lawyer son John Beal (as Raymond Fleuriot) from scandal, George gets herself in trouble with the law...

MGM had already released an "all-talking" version of the warhorse "Madame X" in 1929, which resulted in "Academy Award" nominations for its star (Ruth Chatterton) and director (Lionel Barrymore). They didn't get any "Oscar" consideration, but star Gladys George and director Sam Wood do at least as well as their predecessors. The leading role is one with which several of MGM's big female stars could have acted up a storm. While not in the studio's upper tier, George is definitely up for the task. She probably should have been nominated for a "Best Actress" award. In the story's climatic moments, George and Mr. Beal hit melodramatic heights of mythological proportions, but Mr. Wood and his crew move it along beautifully and George keeps you interested in her degradation and fate.

******** Madame X (10/1/37) Sam Wood ~ Gladys George, John Beal, Warren William, Henry Daniell