Madame X

To understand "Madame X" you need to realize it was based on a 1908 French play by Alexandre Bisson (1848-1912) that reflected 19th Century morality. It was filmed in 1916, 1929 (Ruth Chatterton directed by Lionel Barrymore), 1937 (this version), 1954, 1966 (Lana Turner), and 1981. The 1937 version reflects a slightly different morality, not only more recent, but also examined from an American POV rather than the European. Watching it in the 21st century, one has to take all these influences into account.

Gladys George (1904-54) plays Madame X and gives an excellent performance, her career best, and probably among the top 50 performances ever given on film. It's uncanny how she ages 20 years not only in appearance, but in manner, voice, etc. To modern audiences it may look a little over the top, but for the 1930s and set in the early 1900s, it isn't.

George was nominated for an Oscar for "Valiant is the Word for Carrie" (1936) but is probably better known as Jimmy Cagney's moll from "The Roaring Twenties" (1939) or Humphrey Bogart's dead partner's wife from "The Maltese Falcon" (1941).

Warren William (1894-1948) plays George's husband, a wealthy lawyer too proud to forgive Madame X her trespass, sending her away and setting in motion the sad story. William is best known for his role as d"Artagnan in "The Man in the Iron Mask" (1939) and as the first Perry Mason in a series of mid 30s films. His work here is quite good.

John Beal (1909-97) plays George's son, who thinks his mother is dead. Beal made nearly 100 films between 1933 and 1993, usually as a second male lead in B films. He's best known for his role as Judge Vail in TV's "Dark Shadow" (1970-71). He is effective in this role, meant for Tyrone Power, and his final scene with George is a real tear jerker.

Reginald Owen (1887-1972) as a friend of the family and Henry Daniell as a sleaze-bag blackmailer both do their usual good jobs in supporting roles.

Sam Wood directs. He hit his stride in the 30s with this film and "A Night at the Opera" (1935), "A Day at the Races" (1937), and "Goodbye Mr. Chips" (1939). He's also known for "Kings Row" (1942), "Pride of the Yankees" (1942) and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1943).

In addition to George's bravura performance, the film has some good looking transition effects and shows the passage of time in a creative way, at least by 1930s standards. The sex and violence are merely hinted at, yet nonetheless effective.

Bottom line - a memorable tear jerker with a truly great performance.

Other versions of this women's picture I have seen are creaky. This one is not melodrama, or doesn't play like it. It is drama, thanks to its title character.

Gladys George is a sadly neglected actress who worked steadily for her short life. She was attractive but, as in this movie, willing to look like a sloven if the script called for that. Her gravely voice was unique. And what skills as an actress!

The rest of this is more stylishly directed than other versions of "Madame X." But the other performers are mediocre.

This is a must-see for a performance that truly ought to have won an Academy Award for Ms. George.

Turner Classic Movies showed this a few days ago and, curious to see how it differed from the glossy Lana Turner/Ross Hunter-produced Technicolor version of almost thirty years later, I tuned in. There were a few differences, of course, in the way the familiar plot was developed, but, oh my goodness! Gladys George just blew me away! She towered above the proceedings with a performance that is just amazing.

TCM's host, Robert Osborne, in some concluding remarks after the film's closing scene faded from the tube, advised that Tyrone Power was to have been loaned to appear as Ms. George's son in this version, in a complex deal with 20th Century Fox that involved Clark Gable and Jean Harlow (from the M-G-M side of the ledger) and Shirley Temple and Tyrone from 20th. But Harlow's sudden death caused the deal to fall through (thus permitting posterity to be graced with Judy Garland as Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" rather than Shirley, whom M-G-M had really wanted for their extravaganza) and Tyrone didn't come to M-G-M until the following year for his relatively small role in "Marie Antoinette."

The result, as far as the 1937 version of this oft-filmed weepie is concerned, was that M-G-M gave it a little less than "A" production values, but the performance of Ms. George in the title role makes that of small consequence, indeed. She's utterly believable, especially as she slides into slatternly alcoholism during the latter half of the picture. Osborne also revealed that, as the years wore on, Gladys became a bit too fond of the bottle in real life, accounting for her relegation to supporting roles. But there's no way she was under the influence when her inebriated scenes were filmed during this production's abbreviated shooting schedule. She's a professional here, at the peak of her powers, and they're close to tremendous, especially in the final, over-wrought courtroom scenes. Lana wasn't half-bad in the remake, but she benefited from the passage of nearly three decades since Ms. George had made the role her own. What a star!

A woman (Gladys George) is forced to leave her baby to avoid scandal when her husband (Warren William) throws her out for being unfaithful. Her son grows up thinking she is dead. Twenty years later she kills a blackmailer who threatens to expose her secret. The son (John Beal) is now an attorney and is assigned to represent the woman, with no idea that she's his mother.

Gladys George is amazing in one of her best roles. Good supporting cast includes Reginald Owen, Henry Daniell, and George Zucco. Ruth Hussey has a single but important scene. It's always nice to see her. Only weakness in the cast is John Beal. He's out of his depth and it shows. Best of all the film versions of Madame X. It's one of those "power of a mother's love" tearjerkers that were so popular in the 1930s.

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