Back in the 1920s-30s, there were a ton of films about mothers who gave up everything in order to care for their children....children who are usually illegitimate. Movies like "Madame X", "So Big!", and "A Feather in Her Hat" all had this theme and it's a plot that often straddles the line between heartwarming and schmaltzy...and when seen today, they're mostly a schmaltzy lot. I never have enjoyed these sorts of soapy plots....and you might want to keep this in mind as you read my review.
In "The Sin of Madelon Claudet", Madelon (Helen Hayes) is the hard-luck girl who ends up giving her all for her son, Larry. When the story begins, she is in love with an American named Larry...a rich guy who promises to marry her. However, he's a guy without character and he disappears...leaving her pregnant and without resources. After giving birth, she falls in love with Carlos (Lewis Stone) and he asks her to marry him...knowing full well she has a baby. But her luck won't hold and it's soon revealed that he's a thief....and when he's caught, Madelon is sent to prison for ten years even though she'd done nothing wrong. When she gets out, her son is in an orphanage and thriving...so much so that she decides to tell him her mother has died and allows him to stay there. What's next? Well, quite a bit...but it all boils down to her doing tricks in order to send money for Larry to go to medical school. What's next? See the film.
For me, the biggest problem with this film is the 'been there/done that' feeling because the plot is so very familiar. It is unusual because its star, Ms. Hayes, received the Oscar for her performance...but otherwise it's pretty much the same as many other weepy films from the era involving the long-suffering mother giving everything for her little boy.
In "The Sin of Madelon Claudet", Madelon (Helen Hayes) is the hard-luck girl who ends up giving her all for her son, Larry. When the story begins, she is in love with an American named Larry...a rich guy who promises to marry her. However, he's a guy without character and he disappears...leaving her pregnant and without resources. After giving birth, she falls in love with Carlos (Lewis Stone) and he asks her to marry him...knowing full well she has a baby. But her luck won't hold and it's soon revealed that he's a thief....and when he's caught, Madelon is sent to prison for ten years even though she'd done nothing wrong. When she gets out, her son is in an orphanage and thriving...so much so that she decides to tell him her mother has died and allows him to stay there. What's next? Well, quite a bit...but it all boils down to her doing tricks in order to send money for Larry to go to medical school. What's next? See the film.
For me, the biggest problem with this film is the 'been there/done that' feeling because the plot is so very familiar. It is unusual because its star, Ms. Hayes, received the Oscar for her performance...but otherwise it's pretty much the same as many other weepy films from the era involving the long-suffering mother giving everything for her little boy.