Madame Bovary (M-G-M), when the novel was first published in France in 1856, created a major scandal. Haled into court, Author Gustave Flaubert was charged with defaming French womanhood and corrupting the public morals. The Hollywood version, by framing the story within the court proceedings against Flaubert, has neatly combined fact with fiction to produce a fascinating close-up of provincial manners & morals in igth Century France. By the same device it deftly short-circuits the Johnston office, incorporating its apologia into its action.
According to the testimony of Gustave Flaubert (James Mason), Emma...