Madame Bovary (1991)
Directed by Claude Chabrol

Film Review

At two and a half hours in length, this film is a detailed and faithful adaptation of Flaubert's masterpiece of the same title.  It captures the intimacy of that great work as well as enacting the grand set pieces, such as the country ball.  However, for all that, this film has a very cold, clinical feel to it throughout, and the profound sense of tragedy in Flaubert's story isn't really achieved.  Consequently, the film feels slow and heavy, and the ending shocks because it is filmed so graphically, not because a young woman is driven to desperation.  This is a film that clearly underscores the strengths and weaknesses of its director, Claude Chabrol, better known for his thrillers.

On a more positive note, Isabelle Huppert assumes the mantle of the great literary character of Madame Bovary with her customary skill and attention to detail.  For an actress better known for playing strong female characters, it is interesting to see her take on such a demanding role, that of a character who is marked by a tragic vulnerability, and tormented by an uncontrollable caprice.  She copes admirably and this is undoubtedly one of her most convincing film performances.

Film Synopsis

In 19th century France, Charles Bovary is a country doctor who, after the death of his first wife, does not delay in marrying the daughter of one of his patients, Emma Rouault.  All too soon, Emma becomes bored with her new life and yearns for the romance she reads about in novels.  The couple's move from a rural backwater to the Normandy town of Yonville lifts Emma's spirits for a while, especially when she makes the acquaintance of a young law student, Léon Depuis.  But when Léon moves to Rouen to continue his studies, Emma's boredom returns, worse than before.  How easily does she succumb to the charms of the handsome landowner Rodolphe Boulanger, but he only wants her as his mistress, not his wife.  Disappointed by Rodolphe, Emma Bovary is gladdened when Léon returns and their friendship soon develops into something more serious.  By now, Emma has accumulated debts running into thousands of francs so that she can impress her lovers.  When her debtor, the storekeeper Lheureux, threatens to send in the bailiffs Emma has no choice but to beg her former lovers to lend her some money.  She dare not reveal her folly to her husband.  When Rodolphe and Léon insist they have no money to spare, Emma realises that there is only one way out for her...