A Brilliant Conflict

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Corny melodrama starring Lana Turner, whom I generally don't like much. It has some good moments, though, and the final act is surprisingly touching, as silly as the twist is. Turner plays a woman of low class married into high society, her new husband a politician (John Forsythe). She's often left alone, though, and she soon attracts the unwanted attentions of Ricardo Montelban. He dies accidentally, but her mother-in-law assumes she murdered her lover and Turner gets banished. Later on, she hooks up with Burgess Meredith and has a drunken, semi-criminal relationship with him. He ends up dead, too, and then the son that she abandoned (now played by Keir Dullea) defends her in court, never knowing who she really is. The best scenes are the ones with Meredith. Yes, this is a movie where Lana Turner kills both Khan and the Penguin, but it's less campy than one might think (unlike Turner's following film, the hilarious acid trip movie The Big Cube). I think some just genuinely like the melodrama. I don't, but, in the end, it's not too bad a film.

Madame X is a film best enjoyed by baby boomers and for those who can understand a mother's sacrificial love for her child and family. I am a romantic at heart and I always cry when I see this movie. This movie is not intended for children. I truly love this film. It is much, much better than the 1937 version of Madame X. The movie took a few minutes to draw me in. But I was hooked once bad things started to happen. I love the last scenes in the movie. This is where I always cry. Lana Turner was perfect in this role. Lana Turner's transformation was incredible. Beauty becomes a beast with a deep love hidden in her heart and then transforms into a paragon of motherhood. The director used his camera and lighting well. The musical background is perfect. This is a late night film or a rainy day film where you can blame your wet eyes at the end on the rain. No popcorn here. Just a glass of wine to enjoy this movie with.

1966's "Madame X" was a second version of the original starring the Oscar nominated Ruth Chatterton in a memorable unforgettable performance.This sudsy story of a woman who accidentally killed her former lover and lived to regret it every day of her life pulls out all the stops. It's as if Lana Turner had to wear a scarlet letter for what she had done for the rest of her life.Having fled the scene thanks to her vicious mother-in-law, played with relish by Constance Bennett, Turner returns years later and is defended by her now grown up son, Keir Dullea. He doesn't know why, but Dullea is drawn to this mysterious woman. He had been told years before that his mother was dead.The film is convincing because of the wonderful cast. Lana Turner has never been better and Constance Bennett's final performance before her death in 1965 of a stroke, is heartfelt and filled with passion.That last scene is absolutely gut-wrenching. You will feel for the characters. A truly remarkable film done superbly by a fine cast.

That Lana Turner played her beauty down so much in this movie, that she acted like a dream - this is the real Lana Turner. She was marvelous. This movie is a heart breaker. That darling son that defends her, not knowing she was his mother, and yet, had an instinct? This is Hollywood and Lana Turner at their finest. If you want true soap opera and none of the tripe, go for this. John Forsythe, Constance Bennett? Even they are tearing up at Lana's performance. Marvelous is all I can say. Marvelous!!!! I loved Lana Turner when she was younger, but her later movies such as this and Peyton Place? She was and will always be fantastic.