TV and Movies

[Oznell]

6:00 p.m. Eastern--  "Madame Bovary"  Jennifer Jones, Van Heflin, Louis Jourdan, James Mason

Vincente Minelli does a magnificent job directing Flaubert's tale of a dissatisfied, lost and floundering French beauty.

Emma Bovary (Jones) cannot be content with her bourgeois life as a small town doctor's wife and mother.  She strives for social notice, seeks solace with other men, she hurts herself and others.  Jennifer Jones is uniquely suited to the role.  Lana Turner had been slated to play Madame Bovary, but the part plays much more to Jennifer Jones' strengths, I believe.

Even if director Minelli had not distinguished himself in so many other films, he'd be immortal for the heightened, swirling, emotional, hothouse ball room scene, one of the best scenes at a ball on film.  "Break the windows!"  It's relatively long, and instantly memorable:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNS8yd5JkBU 

[Catiele]

<p><font size="3">Jennifer Jones without a doubt.&nbsp;</font></p>

[Oznell]

Right, @Catiele, she had the requisite "fragility",  the romanticism, and, for want of a better term, a sort of vein of 'neurosis' that ran under her acting.  She was a poignant, lovely and pitiable Emma Bovary...

[spiderw]

I first saw Jennifer Jones in Song of Bernadette.  I was very young and loved the movie and thought Jennifer such an inspiration in that role.  I also enjoyed her and William Holden in Love is a Many Splendored Thing !!  I know she made many movies and I regard her as among the best of actresses.  I think in a way she was underrated compared to many other actresses but in my entertainment book she is tops!!!!!!!!

Madam Bovary was a fitting role for her.

[jackthebear]

saw on my blogfeed there is a new translation of this out now,  haven't read it in 40 years might be worth a 2nd read

[Oznell]

Yeah, @spiderw, I agree that she's been somewhat underrated.  She was very good in "Since You Went Away" too, showed the maturing over time of the young daughter of Claudette Colbert.  In more recent years, I was so struck by her performance in the Italian film with Montgomery Clift, that I can never remember the name of without looking up!  (I think the Italian name was "The Station").

I was thinking that too, @jackthebear-- another reading of the novel would be in order.  It's an extraordinary book, one that stays with you...

[kaydee50]

@Oznell  I think the name of that movie is Indiscretion of an American Wife or something of that nature.  I saw it awhile ago and it was quite good but I really like Clift.  JJ was great IMO in Song of Bernadette.  She was also in The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit.

BTW early in the morning Broadway Melody of 1940 with the great Eleanor Powell and the wonderful Begin the Beguine routine.  Quite a eyeful.

[Somertime]

I loved her in Portrait of Jennie and Love Letters both were with Joseph Cotton.  There was, always, an underlying sweetness and innocence about her.

[Oznell]

Bingo, @kaydee50--  thank you for supplying the name of that film that I couldn't summon up!

[Johnnyeager]

This movie has one of the most exquisite ballroom dance scenes ever put on film.  I can watch the movie over and over just for that sequence!

And a scene where Emma catches a glimpse of herself in a mirror, surrounded by suitors and smiles.  Jennifer played that scene perfectly.  Just can't envision Lana at all.