Madame X ** (1937, Gladys George, John Beal, Warren William, Reginald Owen) – Classic Movie Review 6816

Director Sam Wood’s 1937 MGM drama is the fifth (of seven) cinema film versions of this classic fallen woman, road-to-ruin weepie tale about Jacqueline Fleuriot, a rich woman whose life is wrecked by a brief indiscretion. She then embarks on a path of self-destruction that leads to murder, after which she has to stand trial, defended by her son who fails to recognise her. The depressing story, a relic from another age, now seems inexplicably popular.

An excellent performance from little-remembered star Gladys George gives the ancient Alexandre Bisson play some needed dramatic lift, but almost everything else in the movie seems all a bit tired and even this attractive cast and the MGM production cannot rescue it from mediocrity.

Also in the cast are John Beal, Warren William, Reginald Owen, Lynne Carver, Henry Daniell, Emma Dunn, Ruth Hussey, George Zucco, William Henry, Phillip Reed, Luis Alberni, Cora Witherspoon, Jonathan Hale and Adia Kuznetzoff.

Madame X is directed by Sam Wood, runs 72 minutes, is made by MGM, is written by John Meehan, is shot in black and white by John B Seitz, is produced by James K McGuinness and is scored by David Snell, with art direction by Cedric Gibbons.

It was next remade (in 1948) as The Trial of Madame X before the better remembered Madame X (1966), with Lana Turner, followed by a 1981 TV movie version with Tuesday Weld.

The play opened in Paris on 15 December 1908. An English version by John Raphael opened in New York on 2 January 1910 and had 125 performances.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6816

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