Madness of the Heart
| Madness of the Heart | |
|---|---|
Original British quad poster
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| Directed by | Charles Bennett |
| Produced by | Richard Wainwright executive J. Arthur Rank |
| Screenplay by | Charles Bennett |
| Based on |
Madness of the Heart by Flora Sandström |
| Starring |
Margaret Lockwood Paul Dupuis Kathleen Byron |
| Music by | Allan Gray |
| Cinematography | Desmond Dickinson |
| Edited by | Helga Cranston |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Universal Pictures (USA) |
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Release date
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October 1950 (USA) |
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Running time
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75 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $800,000 |
Madness of the Heart is a 1949 British drama film directed by Charles Bennett and starring Margaret Lockwood, Paul Dupuis and Kathleen Byron.
Lydia Garth meets Paul de Vandiere, a French nobleman, but their romance is plagued by Lydia's complaint of recurring spells of blurred vision. Paul leaves for France, promising to return and marry Lydia, but she loses her sight while he is gone. Given no hope of recovery, she enters a convent and quickly finds that she has no vocation for life in a nunnery. She finally marries Paul, but encounters strong opposition from Verite Faimont, a neighbor who is very fond of Paul. The latter constantly plots against Lydia and is successful in temporarily breaking up the marriage, but can a miracle of restored vision be seen?
The film was based on a novel by Flora Sandström published in 1941.
Charles Bennett was meant to make his directorial debut with a story about the murderous Madeleine Smith, Madeleine (1950); however he was replaced on that project by David Lean and given Madness of the Heart instead. Lockwood's casting was announced in August 1948.
Bennett claimed he "didn't even read" the script "until I was on my way back across the Atlantic to direct it, and then I wanted to throw up. But I had to make it. Margaret Lockwood was my star – a very good actress. And I had a fifty-five day shooting schedule. Everything was right about it except the story which was awful."
The film was shot over 12 weeks in early 1949 from January in April. Filming took place at Denham Studios in London and on location in the south of France in Aix-en-Provence at a castle belonging to the de Sabran family. Location filming was completed without the role of Lockwood's male lead being cast. Eventually French-Canadian actor Paul Dupuis was given the role.
Lockwood reportedly wore 28 different gowns created especially for the film. She also wore a borrowed diamond necklace worth ₤6,000.
Kathleen Byron was cast on the strength of her performance in Black Narcissus. She later recalled enjoying the filming but said it was hard work:
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Wikipedia