Madeleine (1950 film)
| Madeleine | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | David Lean |
| Written by | Stanley Haynes Nicholas Phipps |
| Produced by | Stanley Haynes |
| Starring | Ann Todd Ivan Desny Norman Wooland Leslie Banks |
| Cinematography | Guy Green |
| Edited by | Clive Donner Geoffrey Foot |
| Music by | William Alwyn |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 114 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Madeleine is a 1950 British period film noir directed by David Lean and starring Ann Todd, Norman Wooland, Ivan Desny and Leslie Banks. It is based on the true story of Madeleine Smith (Todd), a young Glasgow woman from a wealthy family who was tried in 1857 for the murder of her lover, Émile L'Angelier (Desny). The trial was much publicised in the newspapers of the day and labelled "the trial of the century".
Lean made the film primarily as a "wedding present" to his then-wife Todd, who had previously played the role onstage. He was never satisfied with the film and cited it as his least favourite feature-length movie. It was released by General Film Distributors on February 16, 1950.