MADAME BOVARY (1949)

Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
Written by: Robert Ardrey
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Starring: Jennifer Jones, James Mason, Van Heflin, Louis Jordan
Rated: Not Rated

About the film:
French author Gustave Flaubert is on trial for indecency due to the publication of his book, Madame Bovary. In order to prove the moral lesson the story contains, he narrates the tale to the court. It is a story of an adulteress and the lives she destroyed.

Movie Quote:
“To declare that men have absolute power over truth is blasphemy – and the last illusion. Truth lives forever. Men do not.
Gustave Flaubert (James Mason) in Madame Bovary (1949)

Bible Quote:
“For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all the generations.”
Psalms 100:5 (NIV)

Commentary:
Whatever we may think of Flaubert, he speaks the truth. What we think and what we declare does not affect the permanence of truth. Truth is a reality that exists beyond the manipulations of man.

The truth is – truth cannot be controlled. It can be studied. It can be taught. It can be obeyed or it can be ignored. But the minute it starts being manipulated, it stops being truth.

Once God establishes truth, it endures whether we believe it or not. The key to receiving all the promises of God is not found in our futile attempts to squeeze the truth into our flawed or sinful lives but rather in our ability to change ourselves to line up with His eternal, unchanging truth.

For our benefit, God has committed His eternal truth to a written Word that we can study, apply or otherwise use as a standard or template for our lives. We may not have absolute power over truth… but when we are armed with the truth we are given a power that will always ensure us a victory.

Questions to consider while watching the film:
1. What is truth? How can we hope to gain an understanding of truth?
2. What is the relation between truth and morality? How does Madame Bovary’s story help to teach a moral principle of truth?

Michael Elliott
http://screensermon.blogspot.com