The Secret of Madame Blanche

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Movie
Original title The Secret of Madame Blanche
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1933
length 84 minutes
Rod
Director Charles Brabin
script Frances Goodrich ,
Albert Hackett
production MGM
music William ax
camera Merritt B. Gerstad
cut Blanche Sewell
occupation

The Secret of Madame Blanche is an American feature film starring Irene Dunne . The film varies the basic pattern of the sacrificial mother Madame X .

action

In 1898 the young American singer Sally Sanders made the acquaintance of the wealthy, arrogant heir Leonard St. John. After a brief engagement, the two get married. As soon as Aubrey St. John, Leonard's father, found out about his marriage to a former stage star, he disinherited his son. Leonard admits to his wife that he is completely broke. Sally, who is now pregnant, doesn't tell her husband about it. Instead, she sacrifices her last savings so that Leonard can travel to his father to convince him to recognize the marriage. In the end, the St. Johns agree to only reinstate Leonard as sole heir if he divorces Sally. Leonard, a weak-willed person, writes the letter, but feelings of guilt drive him to suicide a short time later.

Sally tries everything to get her little son, whose name is like his father Leonard, through. When she accepts a job as a singer in a brothel, her father-in-law demands custody of the son. Sally is never allowed to see her child again and falls more and more into depression. From now on she calls herself "Madame Blanche". The years go by. Shortly before the end of the First World War , young Leonard, who has grown into an irresponsible playboy, comes to Paris. He likes to hang around in disreputable establishments and has countless affairs. One evening he runs into Madame Blanche, the careless owner of a pub. Just as Madame Blanche is about to reveal her true identity, the father of one of the girls who seduced Leonard storms into the pub. A fight breaks out and Leonard shoots his father. Madame Blanche, aka Sally, helps Leonard escape and takes the blame on herself. At the trial, she claims she killed the intruder in self-defense, while Leonard, on the advice of his grandfather, confirmed the lie. Only during a tough cross-examination does Sally collapse and the truth emerges. Leonard puts his grandfather in his place, reconciles with his mother, takes the guilt on himself and promises to accompany her to America after his release from prison.

background

Irene Dunne had become a popular performer of romantic melodramas since her debut in 1930. Mostly she was seen as a long-suffering lady of better society who has to endure all kinds of emotional entanglements and many tears before she finds happiness in the arms of a man. The constant repetition of the role pattern quickly earned her the title Queen of Weepies .

Her home studio RKO , however, gave the actress mostly roles that were rejected by other stars such as Ann Harding or Katharine Hepburn . As a rule, Dunne only got good parts when she was borrowed from other studios. This is also the case with The Secret of Madame Blanche , a remake of the 1925 silent film The Lady with Norma Talmadge . MGM took over large parts of the plot, but emphasized the sad fate of the young mother and the self-sacrifice of the later Madame Blanche. The film was thus in the tradition of Madame X with Ruth Chatterton from 1929 and the countless variations that the theme had found since then, such as The Sin of Madelon Claudet , for which Helen Hayes won the Oscar for best actress at the 1932 Academy Awards .

The Secret of Madame Blanche is the first screenplay by the couple Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. The two had already written a number of successful stage plays and had switched to film together since 1933. The Hacketts made their breakthrough to the ranks of highly paid screenwriters in the following year when they wrote the screenplay for The Thin Man in 1934 based on a short story by Dashiell Hammett . In 1956, the couple won the Pulitzer Prize for their play The Diary of Anne Frank , the stage version of Anne Frank's diary .

criticism

Most of the reviews were cautious about the film, but found words of appreciation for the leading actress. Mordaunt Hall wrote in the New York Times :

"[Irene Dunne] gives a very appealing and intense presentation."

The New York Herald Tribune also only praised the portrayal of Dunne:

"[Irene Dunne] plays the unoriginal and sometimes even embarrassing role with reserve and feeling."

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ [Irene Dunne] gives quite an appealing and sincere performance
  2. ↑ [Irene Dunne] plays the familiar and sometimes slightly embarrassing part with reticence and feeling.