Madame Bovary

After I read this book, my reaction was "What a horrid woman!" I like how the movie is told from Flaubert's "perspective" as he speaks from the bench in his obscenity trial. He tries to make us see how her dreams are so big, they just get the best of her.

Windows are emphasized, as they are in the book. And at one point, at the ball, windows are actually broken to allow "Madame to breathe". This is symbolic, I feel, and her actions after this seem to break window after window. When she initially designs the house, she is concerned over the cost of the beautiful materials she wants to use. But as she breaks the window of adultery, she is quick to break the window of finances.

In the movie, she tells Charles straight out "Do this surgery, become a man I can love." This is only implied in the book. In the novel, the surgery fails and Charles is riddled with guilt. I prefer the movie twist, where he decides not to perform a surgery he is not qualified for. The timing is slightly different in the novel, but in the film Charles' refusal to perform the surgery leads Emma straight into the arms of Rodolphe.

In the novel, after Emma's suicide, Charles learns of her affairs and dies of a broken heart. That does not happen here, and I am glad. It was an absurd ending. Also, Charles seems to be aware of Emma's indiscretions in the film, where in the book he was blissfully unaware. The film seems to be more realistic in this area.

The movie was made in 1949, and I was surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did.