Madame Butterfly main backdrop
Madame Butterfly main poster

Madame Butterfly

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5.5/10 • 18

1932-12-301h 26m

Drama

Pinkerton marries Cho-Cho San in Japan, whilst on shore leave. When he leaves, she keeps his Japanese home as he left it. He returns three years later, having married again in America, and tells Cho-Cho that their affair is over. She has had a child in his absence, who is sent to her family, before she kills herself.

Directors
Marion Gering
Editors
Jane Loring

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Sylvia Sidney

    Sylvia Sidney

    Cho-Cho San

  2. Cary Grant

    Cary Grant

    Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton

  3. Charles Ruggles

    Charles Ruggles

    Lieutenant Barton

  4. Irving Pichel

    Irving Pichel

    Yamadori

  5. Helen Jerome Eddy

    Helen Jerome Eddy

    Cho-Cho's Mother

  6. Edmund Breese

    Edmund Breese

    Cho-Cho's Grandfather

  7. Louise Carter

    Louise Carter

    Suzuki

  8. Judith Vosselli

    Judith Vosselli

    Madame Goro

  9. Sándor Kállay

    Sándor Kállay

    Goro

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jul 14, 2024

6/10

Don't go looking for much Puccini in this adaptation of the rather sad tale of "Madame Butterfly". Sylvia Sidney picks up the fan as the young geisha girl who encounters American sailor "Pinkerton" (Cary Grant) after the war. Rather cynically, his pal "Barton" (Charles Ruggles) informs him that he can pretty much have his way with the girl so long as he "marries" her beforehand and then she automatically becomes divorced afterwards when he gets on with his life Stateside. "Pinkerton" isn't quite so nasty, but when assured that "Cho-Cho San" will also just get on with things too, then a night of fun and fancy ensues. His departing comments to the girl hearten/mislead her by saying he will be back before the robin builds it's next nest. Well a visit to the US consul after his sailing makes matters works for the girl as he tells her that happens in the US every three years. He meant well! It's around then that he returns to Japan with a new bride (Shiela Terry) with both completely oblivious to the fact that there is now also a child - "Suzuki". "Pinkerton" does want to go and see her but he is unaware that she has waited patiently for his return and, well, the story takes quite a tragic turn when truths are told. This is not the liveliest presentation of this story with the staccato accents not really helping; Grant doesn't really impose himself and the pacing is distinctly ponderous. That said, Sidney delivers a solid performance as a woman who readily elicits feelings of sympathy and pity as her life becomes subsumed in a dream of faux-expectations centred on a selfish and thoughtless man. It's all watchable enough, just not really that great.

Media

  • Madame Butterfly poster
  • Madame Butterfly poster
  • Madame Butterfly poster
  • Madame Butterfly poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
suicidegeishabased on play or musicalpromiseinterracial romancecultural differenceblack and whitepre-codeyellowface