Madame X

It's interesting that the rebellion against Victorian mores lasted until well into the 20th century. This story of the endurance of Mother Love and the cruel implacability of Victorian morality is much contrived ado about nothing.

Like too many early talkies it is extraordinarily dull: there is no background music, little cutting and the camera work is static. Self-indulgent, stagy scenes are allowed to run on for too long. The gloomy sets, dark painted flats such as one must have seen on the Victorian stage and as can be seen in early silent films, are only dimly illuminated. The gloss that MGM became known for is not in evidence here.

The only point of interest in this film is that it is a record of the talent and style of Ruth Chatterton, one of the foremost stage stars of the '20s, and a star of early talkie films. Unfortunately, though a definite professionalism and artistry are evident, they also expose her as a shallow and posturing actress. With her slack body, puffy face and large, bleary eyes, she exudes masochism and self-pity from her very first scene, and this sense of weary defeat is sounded again and again without variety. More of a problem is her voice: her plummy and very deliberate diction (perhaps a by-product of early sound recording) gives lie to what is supposed to be a display of deep feeling. Her performance is nothing but empty technique, all of which imitates and indicates intense feeling without actually showing any. Where is the energy and life of real emotion? It isn't here.

In fact, polished, lifeless performances like this suggest why Bette Davis's work in OF HUMAN BONDAGE was like a gust of cold, clear air in the movies: In that film, Davis is full of the grit, spite and energy of real life. When her Mildred gets angry, there is a real sense of danger and excitement in it, an almost out-of-control sexual edge. The tension, intensity and unexpectedness in Davis's best work is exactly what is lacking in Chatterton's playing at emotion. This film is strictly for students of early sound films, or devotees of outmoded styles in stage and screen acting.

Since there have been ten film adaptations of Madame X, you might not be tempted to rent all of them for a comparison study. What can I say to get you to check out the 1929 version instead of all the others? If you can appreciate the lost art of silent movies, but you prefer talkies, this one will probably be your favorite. It's a very obvious link between the two types of movies; if it were the first talking picture, I'd believe it.

Directed by Lionel Barrymore, this could have been a silent movie with the insertion of a few title cards. Everyone uses broad gestures and huge facial expressions. In one scene, the maid opens the door, flings her arms back in shock, waits three seconds as she backs up and widens her eyes, then exclaims, "Madame!" Lewis Stone waves his arms in the air, and Ruth Chatterton's makeup can be seen in the back row.

Still, the acting is worth watching. If you don't know who Ruth Chatterton is, that's because she retired in 1938. Before Gladys George wowed everyone with her 1937 courtroom scene, Ruth Chatterton played the famous fallen woman, and played it beautifully. In the story, Ruth is married to the wealthy Lewis Stone, but she leaves him and their young son for another man. The man dies, and Ruth is left penniless and alone. She takes comfort in alcohol and crummy men, until finally, her past catches up to her. If you don't know how, it's time you rented one of the versions. If you're on the fence about silent movies, don't pick this one first. Check out Gladys George or Lana Turner, and only come back to this one after you've seen Dodsworth and the hidden talents of Ruth Chatterton.

For two years, Lionel Barrymore was the most famous actor-turned-director in Hollywood. The older brother of the famous Ethel and John Barrymore trio, Lionel had dipped his toe in the director's chair in the mid-1910s before solely concentrating on acting. He resumed directing in 1929 by handling a wall-to-wall talkie, August 1929's "Madame X." At the time, successful silent film directors were hesitant to tackle productions with microphones to capture verbal dialogue. The opportunities were wide open for those willing handle a new way of filming a movie with audio. Lionel was one of those people.

"Madame X," a popular adaptation of the 1908 play of the same name by French playwright Alexandre Bisson, had been filmed two times earlier, and has been remade nine times and counting after the 1929 version. That includes the 1966 Lana Turner and the 1981 Tuesday Weld movies. Stage actress Ruth Chatterton's character, Jacqueline Floriot, is thrown out into the streets by hubby Louis (Lewis Stone) for having an affair. He also prohibits her from seeing her son. Years later, she shoots her lover for trying to blackmail her ex, who's now the state's attorney general. Her assigned lawyer turns out to be her son. She only gives her name as Madame X, fearful of revealing her past.

Lionel's camera is largely stationary, a throwback to when he was directing movies in the mid-1910s where the camera barely moved, especially in drawing room dramas. But his work was appreciated by the Academy, nominating him for Best Director. One reason may have been he was one of the first to use an adaptation of a 'boom microphone.' During the production of "Madame X," Lionel had his audio people string a microphone on a fishing pole and position the apparatus high just out of frame to follow the moving actors. Previously, microphones were stationary, hidden in telephones or behind furniture. Lionel refused to take all the credit with the new innovation, stating in his 1951 autobiography that others in the industry had claimed to be the first in come up with the device. He stated, "All I can say is that in 1929 I recorded Miss Ruth Chatterton's voice with a fishing pole."

Chatterton, a famous stage actress, was encouraged by actor Emil Jannings to go into film. She appeared in her cinematic debut, 1928's 'Sins of the Father,' as well as two more movies before earning the lead in "Madame X." Her performance was so spectacular the Academy nominated her for Best Actress, only to be edged out by Mary Pickford during the second Awards' ceremony. Film exhibitors voted Chatterton as the second most popular draw in their theaters in 1929, second only to Norma Shearer. She starred in a number of highly successful movies in the early to mid-1930s, but tired of the movie set in 1938 to return to the stage.

Chatterton was passionate about flying. She was good friends with Amelia Earhart and piloted her own airplane crisscrossing America by herself several times.

As for the movie "Madame x," piano, organ and other instrumental players were still in demand by larger city movie theaters even though they were wired for sound. In some original prints of 1929 films seen today, the opening and closing credits contain no musical soundtrack. Theater owners in that short period wanted to make their customers feel like it was a special evening out to attend a movie. They hired musicians to play the opening and closing titles and had them sit or go out for a smoke while the movies were being played.

I have only seen three Ruth Chatterton films: DODSWORTH, FEMALE and MADAM X. I had never heard of Ruth Chatterton before I saw DODSWORTH and had no expectations regarding her as an actress. After seeing DODSWORTH, Ruth Chatterton's elegant persona entered my life forever. FEMALE, seen a couple of years later, was pure delight. What a find! A younger Ruth Chatterton, equally glamorous and equally brilliant, this time delivering a light, witty, winning performance. When I got to MADAM X, I was already a great fan of this divine actress. How can one describe the effect of her acting on one's feelings? I confess I was spellbound from the start. Chatterton's seamless technique renders her emotional outbursts painful to watch, yet we cannot move or breathe and just stand in awe, witnessing an exposure of emotion that is so raw and so true. I have read reviews that criticize Ruth Chatterton for the very qualities that I find attractive and unique in her acting. That only shows that taste is indeed a very subjective thing. MADAM X is an early talkie, static, old-fashioned, a shameless melodrama. I loved it!

Seeing this 1929 version of Madame X was quite a revelation, the only other version I had seen was the Americanized Ross Hunter soap opera production that starred Lana Turner in 1965. This film illustrates the problems of early sound production and how the players and directors had trouble adapting to the new sound medium.

Ruth Chatterton was nominated for her stage like overwrought performance as the degraded Madame X formerly Jacqueline Floriot. I'm glad that before seeing Chatterton I had seen Mary Pickford in the Oscar winning film for Best Actress, Coquette. Pickford's performance is no more overwrought than Chatterton's. The Academy voters I'm sure chose from a whole lot of similar product.

Lionel Barrymore was up for Best Director in the only other Oscar category Madame X was entered in. Barrymore directed a few silents, but after talkies came in he soon found himself in front of the camera. His direction is for a stage play, but again I'm sure no better or worse than his competition.

The play is of French origin and debuted on Broadway in 1910 with a run of 156 performances. The lead was Dorothy Donnelly whose reputation today comes from being the book and lyric writer for Sigmund Romberg for Student Prince, Blossom Time, and My Maryland. The author Alexandre Breson took his plot idea from Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Chatterton marries a cold hard self righteous Lewis Stone who when she gets no love at home, strays and seeks it elsewhere. Stone acts like Anna Karenina's husband and tosses her in the streets. And like Karenin, Stone tells his son, his mother is dead.

Fast forward about 25 years and Chatterton is now a poor man's version of Sadie Thompson. She hooks up with a South Seas low life in Ulrich Haupt who guesses her true identity and sees the blackmail possibilities in it. But when the idea is broached to Chatterton, she balks and Haupt pays the price.

This one as did the modern version had the Victorian ladies weeping every Wednesday matinée. Chatterton, Stone, Raymond Hackett as their grown son, and Haupt deliver their performances in true 19th century style.

The film is a curiosity and of course doesn't hold up well for today's audience. But in viewing don't compare Madame X with more modern work. It won't stand comparison that way.