M.H. Hoffman was once head of Tiffany but now, in 1932, he was head of Allied Pictures and turned his attention to his great love - the classics. He had already re-imagined "Vanity Fair" as an up to date New York story with Myrna Loy as a very alluring Becky Sharpe, now he turned his attention to "Madame Bovary" switching locales from provincial France to up-market New York with "subtle" (I'm joking!!) Joyce Compton as Flaubert's tragic heroine. The cast is full of stellar names who gave poverty row movies a lot of their polish and professionalism. Apart from Compton there's beautiful Lila Lee, dignified H.B. Warner, dependable Lyle Talbot (misspelt Lylse on the credits - how hard would it be to spell Lyle??), not to mention Kathlyn Williams, Beryl Mercer and Jason Robards Snr.
Kindly Dr. Gregory (H.B. Warner) is called to his dying gardener's bedside only to find his son comforting the distraught daughter Sheila (Comptom). Gerry (Talbot) has married her and now the father has to break the news to the old, loyal girlfriend Jane. Wow, Lila Lee looks absolutely beautiful in this film - she utters Flaubert's immortal line (just joking!!)- "Gerry has bought home another stray kitten" to which Gregory replies "Yes and we're all going to get fleas"!! It seems initially that Sheila's only crime is that she is not "to the manor born" and feels lost and alone among the penthouse set who do everything they can to cut her dead!! In fact it is Jane who goes out of her way (along with Gregory - Gerry seems to have disappeared from the picture) to make her feel at home.
But Sheila is a "bad lot" according to house keeper (Mercer) and hides her loose ways behind a flirty, innocent Southern charm - she has started an affair with an oily bounder (Ivan LeBedeff) who sees her as a summer diversion but the viewers are supposed to believe that he is the love of her life. It is up to H.B. Warner to add a bit of quiet dignity as he tries to grapple with his son's wanton wife. I didn't really recognise it as "Madame Bovary" but the leading role was tailor made for Miss Compton's screen personality.
Kindly Dr. Gregory (H.B. Warner) is called to his dying gardener's bedside only to find his son comforting the distraught daughter Sheila (Comptom). Gerry (Talbot) has married her and now the father has to break the news to the old, loyal girlfriend Jane. Wow, Lila Lee looks absolutely beautiful in this film - she utters Flaubert's immortal line (just joking!!)- "Gerry has bought home another stray kitten" to which Gregory replies "Yes and we're all going to get fleas"!! It seems initially that Sheila's only crime is that she is not "to the manor born" and feels lost and alone among the penthouse set who do everything they can to cut her dead!! In fact it is Jane who goes out of her way (along with Gregory - Gerry seems to have disappeared from the picture) to make her feel at home.
But Sheila is a "bad lot" according to house keeper (Mercer) and hides her loose ways behind a flirty, innocent Southern charm - she has started an affair with an oily bounder (Ivan LeBedeff) who sees her as a summer diversion but the viewers are supposed to believe that he is the love of her life. It is up to H.B. Warner to add a bit of quiet dignity as he tries to grapple with his son's wanton wife. I didn't really recognise it as "Madame Bovary" but the leading role was tailor made for Miss Compton's screen personality.