Madame X (1929 film)

Madame X is a 1929 American pre-Code drama film directed by Lionel Barrymore and starring Ruth Chatterton as a fallen woman who longs to be reunited with her son.

Jacqueline Floriot is thrown into the street without any money by her jealous husband Louis when he discovers that she had been involved in an affair.

[1] Barrymore consciously avoided the song-and-dance formula that dominated early sound pictures, treating Madame X as a dramatic play.

To emphasize the film's credentials as a serious drama and avoid any music-hall associations, MGM premiered the film in New York City's Sam H. Harris Theater, a legitimate stage venue that was rented for the occasion.

[1] Critics praised the film as "the most intelligent, original, and absorbing talking picture yet made,"[2] with Ruth Chatterton getting special commendation.