Press Release Warner Archive Collection Announcement: Madame Bovary (1949) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

Coming to Blu-ray December 12th!

NEW 2023 1080p HD Master from 4K Scan of Preservation Elements

MADAME BOVARY (1949)
Run Time: 114 Minutes
Subtitles: ENGLISH SDH
Audio Specs: DTS HD-MA 2.0
Aspect Ratio 16x9 1.37:1 with Side Mattes
Product color: B&W
Disc Configuration-BD 50

Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Cast : Jennifer Jones, Van Heflin, Louis Jourdan, James Mason
Special Features: M-G-M 25th anniversary retrospective film SOME OF THE BEST (1949) (HD), Classic TOM & JERRY cartoon LOVE THAT PUP (HD), Original Theatrical Trailer

Lonely Emma Bovary longs for romance, glamour, possessions. Wed to a country doctor she instead gets routine, motherhood and penny-pinching. So when she catches the eye of a handsome aristocrat, Emma risks all to reach for what she thinks will be happiness. Jennifer Jones stars in this lush adaptation of Gustave Flaubert’s famous novel that scandalized 19th century France. The film’s capstone is the stunning ballroom scene, contrasting Emma’s social success with her husband’s failure, culminating in his drunken arrival on the dance floor. In this famed sequence (highlighted by the unforgettable music of Miklos Rozsa), masterful director Vincente Minnelli skillfully combines dissolves, cross-cuts, pans, long takes- a library of techniques into a seamless triumph of head-spinning gaiety, heart-breaking despair, and moviemaking artistry.

 

[Robert Crawford]

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[Thomas T]

Yes!!! One of my holy grails. Love this version of the Flaubert novel. Love the artwork too, much better than the DVD artwork.

 

[bujaki]

Yes!!! One of my holy grails. Love this version of the Flaubert novel. Love the artwork too, much better than the DVD artwork.

It's Minnelli, so it's masterfully directed, but there's an excess of MGM gloss which is not true to the novel. The famous ball sequence is in stark contrast to the same scene in Renoir's version, which captures the tawdriness of a minor nobleman and his guests. Madame Bovary, the ambitious wife of a small-town physician, could ill afford the magnificent gown that Jennifer Jones wears.
But the scene really dazzles in Minnelli's version. Truly a tour de force.

 

[richardburton84]

It's Minnelli, so it's masterfully directed, but there's an excess of MGM gloss which is not true to the novel. The famous ball sequence is in stark contrast to the same scene in Renoir's version, which captures the tawdriness of a minor nobleman and his guests. Madame Bovary, the ambitious wife of a small-town physician, could ill afford the magnificent gown that Jennifer Jones wears.
But the scene really dazzles in Minnelli's version. Truly a tour de force.

I must admit I’ve yet to see the Renoir version, but I definitely agree that the Minnelli ball sequence is a tour de force. Also helping the scene is the gorgeous waltz Miklós Rózsa provided for the scene (and would later appear in other MGM productions).

 

[Richard M S]

Oh Madame Bovary has been one of my most wanted titles, especially since the dvd was one of my first to implode.

Their December titles have been A+ so far.