Madame Bovary (1937 film)

Madame Bovary is a 1937 French historical drama film directed by Jean Renoir. It is based on the 1856 novel of the same name by Gustave Flaubert. The film stars Valentine Tessier as Emma Bovary, and features Pierre Renoir, Max Dearly, and Robert Le Vigan in supporting roles.

The film adaptation focuses on the ill-fated marriage of Emma Rouault to Charles Bovary, a country doctor. Dissatisfied with her mundane rural life and her dull husband, Emma seeks romance and excitement in extramarital affairs and extravagant spending. Her pursuit of passion and luxury leads to mounting debts and ultimately, tragedy.

While considered a notable adaptation, Renoir's Madame Bovary is often noted for deviating from the source material in certain aspects, particularly in its portrayal of Charles Bovary, whom the film presents in a somewhat more sympathetic light than the novel does. It explores themes of social class, marital dissatisfaction, and the destructive power of romantic illusions. The film aims to capture the essence of Flaubert's critique of bourgeois society and the romanticized expectations of women in 19th-century France.