The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)

(On Cable TV, March 2022) Holy melodrama! There’s nothing so shameless as a Hollywood director trying to get their audience to cry, and The Sin of Madelon Claudet provides quite an early-sound-era example of the form. Tracking the life of a woman trying to raise her son despite the abrupt disappearance of her boyfriend and an incredible run of bad luck, the film spares no effort in going over-the-top. There’s a better-than-average reason for this, though: Initially put together as The Lullaby, the film went back for significant reshoots that added a framing device, several scenes not found in the original, and even more opportunities from lead actress Helen Hayes (who’s actually quite good) to make audiences bawl their eyes out in a final scene meant to bring the house down. Hayes aside, though, there isn’t all that much worth watching in The Sin of Madelon Claudet unless you’re a sucker for old-fashioned weepers. This being said, it’s fun to see that while Hollywood has become more sophisticated over the decades, the old barker tricks have a long, long history.