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Jennifer Jones, James Mason, Van Heflin, Louis Jourdan, Christopher [Alf] Kent ... see more see more... , Gene Lockhart , Frank Allenby , Gladys Cooper , John Abbott , Henry Morgan , George Zucco , Ellen Corby , Eduard Franz , Henri Letondal , Esther Somers , Frederic Tozere , Paul Cavanagh , Larry Simms , Vernon Steele , Richard Alexander , Florence Auer , Paul Bryar , Edith Evanson , Stuart Holmes , Teddy Infur , Karl Johnson , Edward Keane , Victor Kilian , Eula Morgan , Constance Purdy , Helen St. Rayner , John Ardizoni , Lon Poff , David Cavendish , Andre Charisse , Fred Cordova , Anne Kunde , Bert LeBaron , Mayo Newhall , Manuel Paris , Jack Stoney , Sailor Vincent , Charles De Ravenne , Ed Agresti , Charles Bancroft , Gracille LaVinder , Angi O. Poulos , Phil Schumacher , George Davis , Alf Kjellin

MGM circumvented the censorship that would otherwise have prevented a film version of Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary by adding a prologue and epilogue that assured any and all bluenoses that the sto... read more read more...ry was strictly a work of fiction. James Mason appears as Flaubert, defending his inflammatory novel before a French jury. Thus, the tragedy of Emma Bovary (Jennifer Jones) is offered as a product of Flaubert's imagination, rather than a real-life story. The body of the film concerns Emma's attempt to escape the boredom of her bourgeois existence by marrying a doctor (Van Heflin). She finds life with the physician even more tiresome than her previous experiences, thus begins taking a series of wealthy lovers-all of whom prove to be two-dimensional cads. Unable to tolerate a lifetime of dead-end affairs, Emma eventually commits suicide. The best sequence-indeed, one of the finest set pieces ever directed by Vincente Minnelli-is the "Emma Bovary Waltz" sequence, a dazzling experience in dizzying camera movements. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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71% liked it

561 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Vincente Minnelli

Release Date: August 25, 1949

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DVD Release Date: March 6, 2007

Stats: 54 reviews

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Madame Bovary Jones, Jourdan and Heflin Madame Bovary Madame Bovary Jones and Heflin Jones and Heflin
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Flixster Reviews (54)

  • ajv2688
    October 24, 2010
    ajv2688
    A very interesting story, it makes me want to read the book too. The actors are great in this movie as well. I liked it.
  • jjnxn
    September 4, 2009
    jjnxn
    High gloss MGM version of Flaubert tradegy. Not bad but not terribly compelling either. The ball is without a doubt the best scene, if only the rest was as captivating.
  • SunilJawahir
    March 3, 2009
    SunilJawahir
    I got bored during parts of the book and it's obvious that this movie skips over some of those parts, which can be a little confusing but I liked it a good deal.

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Critic Reviews

Michael E. Grost
August 8, 2008
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television

Grim melodrama, about the horrors of debt and living beyond your means. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 2, 2007
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

One of Minnelli's most personal works, a film that embodies the glossy look of MGM and yet offers subversive interpretation of the classic novel, its modern heroine and the notion of romantic love. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
March 25, 2006
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

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Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Click to read the article Full Review

Boo Allen
January 12, 2007
Boo Allen, Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

No review available.

May 24, 2003
Film4

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