''Unholy Love'' (released in the United Kingdom as ''Deceit'') is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

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 and produced by

Albert Ray Albert Ray (August 28, 1897 – February 5, 1944) was an American film director, actor, and screenwriter. He directed more than 70 films between 1920 and 1939. He also appeared in 18 films between 1915 and 1922. He was born in New Roche ...

. It was the first film adaptation of

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 French 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 ...

'' produced. The film was quickly forgotten when more successful film adaptations of ''Madame Bovary'' were produced thereafter, such as Jean Renoir's 1934 version and

Vincente Minnelli Vincente Minnelli (born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American stage director and film director. He directed the classic movie musicals '' Meet Me in St. Louis'' (1944), '' An American in Paris'' (1951), ' ...

's 1949 version. For the 1932 film, Ray renamed all the characters and moved the location of the story to

Rye, New York Rye is a coastal suburb of New York City in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the Town of Rye, which has more land area than the city. The City of Rye, formerly the Village of Rye, was part of the Town until it r ...

. In actuality, this movie bears little resemblance to Madame Bovary. In the opening credits the following statement appears: Suggested by Gustav Flaubert's famous novel "Madame Bovary."

Plot

The movie opens with Jerry (Lyle Talbot), a doctor, comforting Sheila (Joyce Compton) at the bed of her dying father. Jerry's father (H. B. Warner), Daniel, also a doctor, enters and tries to help. There is nothing that can be done for the man, and he quietly dies. Sheila, distraught, runs from the room, and Jerry learns from his father that the man has died. Jerry tells his father he has married Sheila. Clearly this displeases Daniel and we learn that Sheila is the gardener's daughter. Realizing the woman who Jerry had been dating, Jane (Lila Lee), must be told, Daniel visits her and her mother. Jane's mother is horrified at the outrage, but Jane takes the news in stride, if not very hurt. Sheila and Jerry move into his father's home and Sheila tries to meet people. However, no one will have anything to do with her. Sheila meets the neighbor Alex, (Ivan Lebedeff) at the next door tennis court and they spend a great deal of time together. Thinking that Sheila is not so bad and just a poor lonely girl, Daniel decides to take her to a dance at the club one evening that Jerry has to work. The crowd snubs Sheila, but Jane decides to be hospitable and invites Sheila and Daniel to join them at the table with her and Alex. Later, we discover that Sheila has borrowed a great deal of money and bought a house in order for Alex and Sheila to have their trysts. Sheila continues to throw herself at Alex, and eventually Jerry discovers that she owes a great deal of money. Daniel offers to repay the money, but he also checks up on the house that Sheila has purchased and learns that the woman who hads taken care of Sheila's father during his last illness (Beryl Mercer) is living at the house as a housekeeper. The housekeeper tells Daniel what has been going on at the house, and that Sheila is no good and has been no good all her life. Heartbroken, Daniel returns home and to confront Sheila, and tells her that he has ordered Alex to leave town. Sheila is horrified at losing Alex and drives to his house. Alex is getting ready to go, and lets Sheila know the affair is over. Jane enters the home during this conversation. Sheila exclaims that if Alex is through with her, she will kill herself, and runs from the house, speeding off in her car. Worried, Jane runs after her and follows Sheila in her own car. Sheila rounds a sharp curve and drives off a bridge, dying in the accident. The police state it is clearly an accident, but Jane and Daniel know it is really suicide and that Jerry should never know.

References

External links

* *
''Unholy Love''
available for free download a
Internet Archive
{{Madame Bovary 1932 films 1932 drama films American drama films Films based on Madame Bovary Films directed by Albert Ray Films set in New York (state) American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films

Plot

See also

References

External links