The Sin of Madelon Claudet

1931
Passed
1h 15m

IMDb RATING

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Helen Hayes in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)

Out of jail for a crime she did not commit, Madelon turns to prostitution and thievery to send her illegitimate son to medical school.Out of jail for a crime she did not commit, Madelon turns to prostitution and thievery to send her illegitimate son to medical school.Out of jail for a crime she did not commit, Madelon turns to prostitution and thievery to send her illegitimate son to medical school.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

1.2K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 3 wins total

Photos28

+ 21

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
According to 'When the Lion Roars', Irving Thalberg and his producers were previewing films one night, and he asked to see this one. Told it was hopeless, he asked to put it on anyway. After watching it, he remarked that it wasn't bad; the main thing to do was change the last seven minutes. Retakes were done, and Helen Hayes went on to win the Oscar for the part.

Goofs
When Madelon is at the theater bar having a drink with a patron, the bartender gives the man his change of 42 French francs, and she takes the money while threatening to make a scene in front of his wife. But after the man lets her take the Francs, he angrily asks her if she also wants the pennies. Since they are in France, the correct word would have been centimes.

Quotes
Madelon Claudet: You know, it's the queerest thing. When I was a little girl, Father Matthew used to say to us children, "You pay for everything - everything in this life." And last night when we were dancing, I thought of him, and I laughed to myself and said, "What an old fool you are, Father Matthew..." But he was right. And I'm paying.

Connections
Featured in Some of the Best (1944)

Soundtracks
Waltz No. 15 in A-flat major Op. 39
(1865) (uncredited)
Written by Johannes Brahms
Played during the opening credits and at the end

User reviews32

Review

Featured review

7/10

Hayes triumphs...but it ain't always easy.

Which do you talk about first? The saccharine, weepy tale of a mother's sacrifice? Or Helen Hayes' superb performance despite the claptrap about a woman who enables the son she gave away to become a great doctor? I'll go with Hayes. As Madelon, she goes from the naively adoring bride of a bounder to the mistress of a criminal nobleman to a fallen woman of the streets to a pathetic bag lady,each phase of her life revealing fresh nuances. No question she deserved the Oscar she won, if only for making the melodrama make sense and coping with direction that was clumsy even for 1932. Worth watching to see an amazingly gifted actress in her prime.