The Sin of Madelon Claudet (The Lullaby) (1931)
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59% of users liked it
(208 ratings)
In the space of 74 minutes, Helen Hayes goes from naïve French country lass to elderly harridan in Sin of Madelon Claudet. Is it any wonder that she won an Academy Award? (She truly deserved this Oscar; the jury is still out concerning her cutesy supporting turn in 1969's Airport, which also… More In the space of 74 minutes, Helen Hayes goes from naïve French country lass to elderly harridan in Sin of Madelon Claudet. Is it any wonder that she won an Academy Award? (She truly deserved this Oscar; the jury is still out concerning her cutesy supporting turn in 1969's Airport, which also copped her the gold statuette). Betrayed by artist Neil Hamilton, Hayes moves on to jewel thief Lewis Stone, who commits suicide to avoid arrest, leaving Hayes to her fate. After ten years in jail for her complicity in Stone's crimes, Hayes turns to the only profession open to her. She walks the streets to raise enough money to support her illegitimate son, who grows up to be Robert Young and who has no idea that Hayes is his mother. Thanks to his mother's anonymous financial support, Young is able to attend medical school, eventually becoming a wealthy doctor. Even allowing for the illogical nature of the plotline and the lachrymose dialogue, the heartrending final scenes of Sin of Madelon Claudet can still raise a lump in the throat after 65 years. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Edgar Selwyn
- Genres
- Drama, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Oct 24, 1931 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Helen Hayes won her first Oscar for playing a self-sacrificing mother in this MGM soap opera, scripted by husband Charles MacArthur, which was part of femme-driven film cycle that included the Oscar-nominated Madame X and Sarah and Son.
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Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
[Hayes] flogs her big moments until they're dead.
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Cast
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Helen Hayes
as Madelon Claudet
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Neil Hamilton
as Larry
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Robert Young
as Dr. Jacques Claudet
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Cliff Edwards
as Victor
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Jean Hersholt
as Dr. Dulac
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Marie Prevost
as Rosalie
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Karen Morley
as Alice Claudet
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Charles Winninger
as The Photographer
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Alan Hale
as Hubert
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Halliwell Hobbes
as Roget
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Lennox Pawle
as St. Jacques
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Russell Powell
as Claudet
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Frankie Darro
as Jacques (younger)
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Otto Hoffman
as Official
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Lewis Stone
as Carlo Boretti
- Ed Brady
