MADAME BUTTERFLY ( 1932 )

FERNANDO’s CORNER ~ Posted July 5th, 2016

I have just watched “Madame Butterfly” (1932) (Paramount) (Dir: Marion Gering).

I wanted to see this film out of curiosity and because I am a completist, especially when it comes to Cary Grant, my favorite Hollywood male star and actor (besides I am very keen on the lovely Sylvia Sidney). I had read bad reviews about this film, but……I was completely moved, touched and impressed by Sylvia Sidney’s sweet and honest performance.

Ms. Sidney was of Central-European or Russian ancestry, don’t recall well, but she was very exotic, so she was believable as a beautiful, unique Japanese woman. She captured Cio Cio San’s loving essence and this film is entirely hers. To me, she was the only character of real importance. Cary Grant is quite dashing in his thankless role and he is agreeable, but I did not care for Charlie Ruggles shenanigans. This is a romantic tragedy and comic relief seemed out of a
place to me.

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