Rating summary
| Movie |  | 3.0 |
| Video |  | 4.0 |
| Audio | | 4.0 |
| Extras | | 3.0 |
| Overall |  | 3.5 |
Madame X Blu-ray Movie Review
A romantic melodrama starring the great Lana Turner
Reviewed by Neil Lumbard June 22, 2019
Madame X is a melodrama which stars the beautiful and beloved actress Lana Turner (The Bad and the Beautiful, The Postman Always Rings Twice). Adapted from the play written by Alexandre Bisson, the film is a hit and miss exercise in dramatic storytelling. The film is produced by Ross Hunter (Airport, All That Heaven Allows).
Holly Parker (Lana Turner) is simply an ordinary woman living a quiet lifestyle on her own. That all begins to change when she marries into a wealthy upper-class family when she falls in love with the up-and-coming politician Clay Anderson (John Forsythe). The two young romantics fall head over heels for one another and their chemistry clicks together as one. This development is to to the dismay of Anderson's mother, Estelle (Constance Bennett).
As their romantic whirlwind of love winds down, the couple finds themselves apart for long hours as Mr. Anderson attempts to pursue his political undertakings. With her husband away from home she finds herself beginning a romance with the womanizing Phil Benton (Ricardo Montalban). Upon an accidental death befalling Benton in a frenzied night, Estelle decides that it is her duty to take it upon herself to blackmail her daughter-in-law, Holly (whom she so despises) with the knowledge of Benton's unexpected death. As surprising as it might sound, the events of the film become even more dramatic as the story goes on.
"I saw the advertisement. Was that one topping or two topping?"
Though the film is almost frightfully melodramatic in its storytelling, the feature does have some noteworthy production elements. The most impressive thing about the film is surely the quality cinematography by Russell Metty (Spartacus, Touch of Evil). Metty is a gifted artist and this is certainly a beautiful looking film on all levels. If only all aspects of the production were so good.
The music score by Frank Skinner (Harvey, Arabian Nights) is somewhat forgettable and average (leaving hardly any impression). On a brighter note, the costumes by Jean Louis (From Here to Eternity, Judgment at Nuremberg) are beautiful and add to the film's atmosphere.
The screenplay written by Jean Holloway (Till the Clouds Roll By, Words and Music) is completely bonkers in that it feels like an episode of a soap opera done with a better budget and cast. This is a seriously mundane story that searches for melodrama in almost every nook and cranny it can reach. Audiences expecting something of a higher caliber will not enjoy the over-exaggerated style of the story.
David Lowell Rich (Northeast of Seoul, That Man Bolt) is a workmanlike director and the endeavor is neither creatively rich nor disastrously alarming. Madame X never feels like its a mess story-wise or from a directorial standpoint and yet it also never feels like a film which aims for much more than a Saturday-matinee that would be quickly forgotten by audiences as soon as the credits start to roll.
The filmmakers seem content with the melodramatic concepts and average execution. Unfortunately, Madame X is a fairly straightforward melodrama which doesn't offer audiences much in the way of creativity or artistic ambition. A merely decent film which might be worth watching once (for the performance by Lana Turner above all else).
Madame X Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Madame X has received a strong 1080p high definition MPEG-4 AVC encoded presentation. The encode has a healthy bit-rate of 24.95 mbps. The film is presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. This is a quality presentation through-and-through with excellent color reproduction and fine film grain left intact on the image. It's a strong transfer of the film which retains the artistic integrity of the cinematographer.
Madame X Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
Matching the high quality of the video presentation is the excellent audio quality in Mono DTS-HD Master Audio. This is a superb Dual Mono lossless audio presentation which preserves the original sound design. Featuring crisp clarity for the dialogue and the music score alike, the film has received an excellent preservation effort which offers audiences a compelling experience. Free from having distracting crackle or hiss, the audio presentation brings the film to life.
Madame X Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
Audio Commentary by film historians Lee Gambin and Dr. Eloise Ross
Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2 min. 27 sec.)
Trailers for other Kino Lorber releases are also provided: Portrait in Black, Foxfire, Female on the Beach, and The Captive City.
Madame X Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
An overly melodramatic concept which could have been better executed by the filmmakers, Madame X is a somewhat average film which is mostly highlighted by a strong performance by Lana Turner. The Blu-ray release (on the other hand) is exceptional and should please fans of the film with its excellent picture and audio quality.
