''Madame Bovary'' is a 1934 French historical

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Jean Renoir, starring Max Dearly,

Valentine Tessier Valentine Tessier (5 August 1892 – 11 August 1981) was a French actress who appeared in around thirty films during her career. She played the title role in Jean Renoir's 1934 film version of ''Madame Bovary''.Donaldson-Evans p.193 Selected fi ...

and Pierre Renoir, and adapted from

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flauber ...

's 1857 novel ''

Madame Bovary ''Madame Bovary'' (; ), originally published as ''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' ( ), is a novel by French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856. The eponymous character lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emp ...

''.

Plot summary

Cast

Critical reception

On the film's original release, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote that in interpreting the novel for film, "Renoir has done an exceptionally commendable job. Regardless of its snail-like pace, the production, combines a straight simple narrative with a fine sense of background authenticity and dramatic understanding." The reviewer doubted however, that box office appeal would extend much beyond readers of the book, "despite the better than average quality of the film."

References

Bibliography

* Donaldson-Evans, Mary. ''Madame Bovary at the Movies: Adaptation, Ideology, Context''. Rodopi, 2009. * Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.

External links

* * * 1934 films French historical drama films French black-and-white films Films about infidelity 1930s historical drama films 1930s French-language films Films directed by Jean Renoir Films set in France Films set in the 19th century Films based on Madame Bovary Films scored by Darius Milhaud 1934 drama films 1930s French films {{1930s-France-film-stub