No Academy Award?
I can't believe that Ms George didn't win an Academy Award for this perormance.
Always the officiant, never the bride.
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Just re-watched it myself. Being a fan of Gladys George, I must agree with you, and if not a win, she should at least have gotten a nomination (so much better than Janet Gaynor's nomination for A Star is Born. Her scene when she first meets Henry Daniell as Laroque is the stuff that most Oscars are made of: She's naturalistic and totally believable - one of the best portrayals of an alcohol-induced depression you'll ever see, the voice, the speech, the subtle play of emotions on her face. George got her only nomination the year before in Valiant is the Word for Carrie, and it was much deserved and was much superior to Luise Rainer's winning performance (which is also quite good) in The Great Ziegfeld. By the way, Rainer also won in '37 for The Good Earth. George was overlooked by the Academy again in 1939 for her superior supporting work in The Roaring Twenties. She is, indeed, one of the great unsung actresses of her time.
"The answers to all of life's riddles can be found in the movies."
I just watched it for the first time. Natural is exactly what she was in the scene with Lerocle. She physically seemed to inhabit that part. Interesting that George died in 1954 almost as Madame X did. According to a 1954 newspaper clipping I just found, she died a recluse; the article about an autopsy being performed also implied it was a suicide. Sad. I'll have to check out 'Word For Carrie'.
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A big "Thank you" to TCM for showcasing Miss George this month!
I just caught MADAME X on TCM "On Demand," having always wanted to see this movie. I was not disappointed; she was excellent as always.