Madame Bovary (1949)
Directed by
Vincente Minnelli
Writing credits
Gustave Flaubert (novel)
Robert Ardrey
Genre: Drama
Tagline: Whatever it is that French women have ... Madame Bovary had more of it!
Plot Summary: French author Gustave Flaubert is on trial for writing the "indecent" novel "Madame Bovary." To prove that he wrote a moral tale...
User Comments: Modest, unpretentious, but not memorable (more)
User Rating: 7.0/10 (253 votes)
Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Jones .... Emma Bovary
James Mason .... Gustave Flaubert
Van Heflin .... Charles Bovary
Louis Jourdan .... Rodolphe Boulanger
Alf Kjellin .... Leon Dupuis (as Christopher Kent)
Gene Lockhart .... J. Homais
Frank Allenby .... Lheureux
Gladys Cooper .... Madame Dupuis
John Abbott .... Mayor Tuvache
Harry Morgan .... Hyppolite (as Henry Morgan)
George Zucco .... Dubocage
Ellen Corby .... Félicité
Eduard Franz .... Rouault
Henri Letondal .... Guillaumin
Esther Somers .... Madame Lefrançois
Runtime: Argentina:130 min / USA:115 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Black and White
Sound Mix: Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification: Argentina:16 / Finland:K-16
Awards: Nominated for Oscar. (more)
Hollywood's record on film adaptations of classic literature is fairly respectable, keeping in mind the ever present eye on the box office. What pleased me most about this 1949 version of "Madame Bovary" is in fact its modesty. This probably has more to do with budget constraints than anything, but there is something small scale and decidedly unpretentious about it. While Jennifer Jones and Van Heflin may not be quite B movie actors, they were secondary level stars. Jones did not have the classical beauty of many of her contemporaries, which is in keeping with Flaubert's description of Emma Bovary, and Heflin's lack of charisma certainly suits Charles Bovary well.
Jones' performance is fairly good, with only occasional lapses into excessive Hollywood emoting. Despite Selznick's grooming she never quite became the star he intended for her. (Her best performance remains in the surprisingly comic role of Lubitch's "Cluny Brown"). All in all she captures much of Emma's desperation, but there is a distinct lacking in depth.
Heflin has the easier role and pulls it off well. Although this version sticks closely to the novel, one small change does however alter things significantly. Charles Bovary was clearly what we would call a "loser". Emma comes to this realization early on. She encourages him to perform an innovative operation to cure a young man's club foot, hoping this act will finally win him fame and status. In the novel, Charles remains unaware of his obvious limitations. Not only is he a loser, his has little understanding of himself, and his professional abilities. He botches the operation, which further drives Emma apart. While this isn't meant to justify Emma's behaviour in the eyes of the reader, it certainly helps to explain her basic rejection of her husband. In the film however, at the very second he is about to perform the operation, Bovary realizes that it in fact a bad idea and stops the proceedings. He is thus endowed with qualities that Flaubert did not intend.
Minnelli plays it safe. As can be expected his direction is solid and professional. As many have pointed out the ballroom scene is handled superbly. However, ultimately the film does not leave a lasting impression, despite its well intentioned and well executed efforts.
Datos tecnicos:
Madame Bovary.avi
Tamaño....: 788 MB (or 807,872 KB or 827,260,928 bytes)
------------------ Video ------------------
Codec.....: XviD
Duración..: 01:49:18 (163,955 fr)
Resolución: 480x352 (1.36:1) [=15:11]
Bitrate...: 747 kb/s
FPS.......: 25.000
------------------ Audio ------------------
Codec.....: ac3 (0x2000) Dolby Laboratories, Inc
Bitrate...: 128 kb/s (64/ch, stereo) CBR
La peli:
Madame.Bovary.avi 
capturas:
La gente que vea la peli en el ordenador se puede encontrar con unas lineas en la parte de abajo un tanto molestas que no he sabido como quitar.En la television estas lineas desaparecen
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También en DXC
Madame Bovary (Minnelli, 1949) DVDRip VOSE + Audio Español....Jma32 el Jue 29 Mar, 2007
También en DXC
Madame Bovary (Minnelli, 1949) DVDRip VOSE + Audio Español....Jma32 el Jue 29 Mar, 2007 
