4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
C'est d'accord - mais c'est ne pas du flaubert, September 1, 2000
This review is from: Madame Bovary [VHS] (VHS Tape)
In one of Woody Allen's short stories, a magician develops a box which any book placed into can be entered by a person sitting on the box. Woody's first choice is Madame Bovary, as his desire to meet the eponymous tragic heroine is so strong. Renoir, a magician of another sort who's made some of the most enchanting movies of all time, is slightly less successful. As a film in it's own right, it's OK, but as an adaptation of Flaubert's novel it leaves a lot to be desired. It's hard to blame Renoir, either for being attracted to the text, or failing to bring it to the screen succesfully, as the sheer poetry of the text is almost impossible to replicate, and casting Emma is an impossible task. Since Renoir, Minnelli and Chabrol have made simaler failures - maybe it's time to leave Emma to Flaubert's readers dreams.
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