SYNOPSICS
Madame X (1966) is a English,Spanish,German movie. David Lowell Rich has directed this movie. Lana Turner,John Forsythe,Ricardo Montalban,Burgess Meredith are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1966. Madame X (1966) is considered one of the best Drama movie in India and around the world.
A woman married to a wealthy socialite, is compromised by the accidental death of a man who had been romantically pursuing her, and is forced by her mother-in-law to assume a new identity to save the reputation of her husband and infant son. She wanders the world, trying to forget her heartbreak with the aid of alcohol and unsavory men, eventually returning to the city of her downfall, where she murders a blackmailer who threatens to expose her past. Amazingly, she is represented at her murder trial by her now adult son, who is a public defender. Hoping to continue to protect her son, she refuses to give her real name and is known to the court as the defendant, "Madame X."
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Madame X (1966) Reviews
Lana Turner Deserved a Nomination
Lana Turner, party gal supreme, was a fine actress whose personal life detracted from her fine on-camera work. "The Bad and The Beautiful" "Peyton Place" "Imitation Of Life" and this film "Madame X" are all examples of fine acting. Lana Turner after the Stopanato Murder was given a new lease on her career by Ross Hunter at Universal, and the result was "Imitation of Life" a huge success for Universal and Turner who had an ownership percentage in that hit. Hunter and Turner and Universal reprised in "Portrait In Black" and hit another great home run with a remake of "Madame X" also at Universal. Simply put Lana Turner is outstanding in this film and the last 30 minutes of Madame X has Lana Turner performing as only the best actresses could. Lana Turner should have been nominated, but I gather her party ways, the hangover of the Stompanto murder, etc..left a sour taste with some Academy voters. Fine support by Keir Dullea and terrific seeing Constance Bennett in the role of Lana's wicked Mother In Law. Ms Bennett died soon after filming. This is a fine Film with Lana Turner robbed of a Nomination.
Lana Turner's finest screen moments...
Holly Anderson (Lana Turner) is the young wife of a rich diplomat(John Forsythe). Neglected by her husband, she is driven in boredom into the arms of Phil Benton, a playboy (Richardo Montalban). When he is killed in a bad fall during one night of their encounter, she appeals to her matriarchal mother-in-law for help... But the aristocratic woman (Constance Bennett) who has always considered her an embarrassment to her family, convinces her the indiscretion will cost her husband his career and wreck their young son's life... Over the years, she slowly drifts into a life of alcoholism and prostitution, sinking lower and lower until. in a Mexican hotel she meets Dan Sullivan (Burgess Meredith) a smooth-talking con-man, and agrees to join him in a blackmail scheme... When she discovers too late that the intended victim is her husband, she shoots the ugly blackmailer and goes on trial for murder signing her confession as the mysterious Madame X... Unaware of her true identity, the young lawyer assigned to defend her is her own son Clay Anderson Jr (Keir Dullea), now grown to manhood... No one will be able to watch "Madame X" (filmed six times) without a strange feeling in the throat... So if you haven't cried so much in years, this is your opportunity to see the mother-love and self-sacrifice in specially in the famous courtroom scenes... She's truly very moving... Constance Bennett, one of the most glamorous stars of the 1930s returned to the screen after a twelve-year absence... Sadly, the film was Bennett's last; she died shortly before it was released...
Madam X - a Lana Turner masterpiece
That Lana Turner played her beauty down so much in this movie, that she acted like a dream - this is the real Lana Turner. She was marvelous. This movie is a heart breaker. That darling son that defends her, not knowing she was his mother, and yet, had an instinct? This is Hollywood and Lana Turner at their finest. If you want true soap opera and none of the tripe, go for this. John Forsythe, Constance Bennett? Even they are tearing up at Lana's performance. Marvelous is all I can say. Marvelous!!!! I loved Lana Turner when she was younger, but her later movies such as this and Peyton Place? She was and will always be fantastic.
Haul Out the Bathtowels
Madame X is one of the great soap opera films of all time, popular back in the day, but by the sixties that genre had really run its course. But it is given one handsomely mounted production by Ross Hunter who was the last great Hollywood producer of such drama. This film has a long pedigree. It is based on a play by Alexandre Bisson entitled La Femme X and in France it has been filmed quite a few times. In America Madame X was filmed twice. The original film was an early talkie and won an Oscar nomination for its star Ruth Chatterton. But that one was essentially a photographed stage play. Come 1966 if nothing else Ross Hunter made this film move. All kinds of location shooting done here, from Fairfield County, Connecticut to Switzerland, to Mexico and back to New York. It's the 20 year saga of Holly Anderson who paid big time for a bad mistake. Lana Turner played Anderson who when we meet here has just married Clayton Anderson from a very old line WASP family with a pedigree back to the pilgrims. John Forsythe is Clayton and in her last film, Constance Bennett is his mother Estelle. They have a son, but Forsythe's political career takes him away for long stretches and she begins an affair with playboy Ricardo Montalban. When Forsythe returns, Turner attempts to break it off with Montalban, but Montalban won't hear of it. During a struggle Montalban falls down a flight of stairs and is killed. Bennett who's been keeping tabs on this whole business confronts Turner and tells her to fake her death and leave before scandal ruins the good Anderson name which now includes another generation. For the sake of her husband and son, Turner sacrifices and leaves. The rest of the film is her wanderings until she gets involved with a petty crook played by Burgess Meredith and she kills him. She signs a written confession with an X hence the title. I won't tell the rest but make sure the bathtowel is handy while watching this film. Lana Turner who knew plenty about scandal and sacrifice in her life, does pretty well by this role. The rest of the players are in support of her, almost in awe. By this time soap opera had found its way on to the small screen, both in the afternoon and evening prime time. Films like Madame X just didn't do that well any more at the box office. A pity too, because you won't forget Turner's climatic scene with her grown son, played by Keir Dullea.
Madam X
Madam X is the film which should have given Lana Turner an Oscar! This is her best film that she had made and if you watch this film you will know why. She expresses so much emotion without any words just by the looks she gives in the court room scene alone. Lana ages from a young women to an older women so believably. It is not only the makeup she wears to show her aging...it is her performance. The rest of the cast did a very good job...but this is Lana's film and she holds it on her own by herself. If you enjoy tear-jerker's...this will deliver the tears because this movie will move you to those emotions. Madam X is a good film on it's own, but Lana's performance made it a wonderful film.