mark.waltz The middle of the avenue rating is based upon my feeling that this deserves to be seen as a curious piece of bad taste of the early years of talking films, Cecil B. DeMille's attempt to do the kind of films he was famous for doing during the silent era. The first half of the film is a gruelish bore; Wife Kay Johnson attempts to keep her marriage intact even though husband Reginald Denny turning to the vampish Lillian Roth. Kay is basically a placid character, too sweet to hate and definitely too boring to have wifely feelings for. The film goes down the whole "A Fool There Was" frame of mind with Kay turning herself into the vampish Madam Satan to win Denny back from slutty Roth, showing up at the most outlandish party that any metropolis has seen. In fact, much of this sequence (A party aboard a zeppelin) looks like the silent film "Metropolis" and becomes one of the most outrageous examples of pretentious audaciousness, throwing in some antique looking musical numbers that had showed up in such early movie musicals as "Sunny Side Up" and "Just Imagine".Having seen the Lunts do this much better in "The Guardsman" and Norma Shearer changing her own image in the less creaky "Let Us Be Gay", it is surprising that Louis B. Mayer didn't see that this was a retread of stuff already on the production schedule. It's the perfect example of a need for "less is more", that the garishness of the sets and costumes (most likely recycled from some of the movie musicals which MGM had already made, and much better) make this a pictorial reference to what bad taste in 1930 would look at. The whole plot really makes no sense when you put the two halves together as one, and it at times seems like two totally different films. When the zeppelin explodes threatening to kill everybody aboard, I rolled my eyes so far back I could almost see into the past. Fortunately, DeMille would tone things down slightly, making his historical epics at Paramount so much better than what came out of this. Had it not made me laugh at it so much I surely would consider this one of the greatest bombs ever to flatten out the Culver City lot. This is where Leo almost roared "the end"!

Derutterj-1 A terrible, lavish, early talkie from Cecil B. DeMille, that I couldn't make heads or tails of until I saw his 1925 melodrama The Golden Bed. Madame Satan in reality was DeMille's last foray into domestic comedy-drama among the very rich, a theme he had been doing pretty consistently since 1918. Film buffs tend to overlook that genre—speaking for myself, it all seems too gauche and mediocre to take time evaluating—and look at the big epics. But there they are: gobs of money made titillating naïve Jazz Age audiences with supposed glimpses into the foibles and follies of spoiled wives, their mogul husbands, frivolous friends and treacherous roué-hangers-on. There is the fixation on overbuilt, ludicrous, luxury bathrooms and wild parties. Very hard to swallow for a contemporary viewer; this throwing onto the screen of high-living and consumer greed, redeemed by unctuous moralistic retribution, was a creature strictly of 1920s America.Madame Satan was DeMille's attempt to extend this theme into the talkie period, but the extreme artificiality of this type of film only became intensified with the addition of sound. Normally I would say, as others have, to sit through the build-up, such as described above, to the thrilling disaster movie climax aboard the stricken party dirigible. But don't. If you can see the climax in a compilation film or fast forward to it at home, okay, but do not bother with any other part of Madame Satan at all. The talents of Denny, Johnson and Young, and the great MGM sets notwithstanding: it's just not worth it. You won't be able to get away from the silly, plodding, unfunny thud the first part of this movie makes as it shuffles through your mind.

lugonian MADAM Satan (MGM, 1930), directed by Cecil B. DeMille, marked the famed director's second of three features under the MGM banner, and one of his most unusual, or in the most common terms, bizarre. In spite of it not becoming a box office success in its initial release, MADAM Satan needs to be seen a few times in order to get the full concept of the continuity. Once getting through some dull stretches taking place during its initial 50 minutes, the movie delivers during its final portion to this 115 minute production with its one of the most oddest costume parties and inane production numbers ever captured on film. The plot, which could very well be THE GUARDSMAN (1931, with Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne) or THE CHOCOLATE SOLDIER (1941, with Nelson Eddy and Rise Stevens, which in turn is based on "The Guardsman") in reverse, focuses on Angela (Kay Johnson), a boring but cultured New York City society woman married to the prominent but fun loving Bob Brooks (Reginald Denny). Her casual evening at home stirs some excitement after reading in a newspaper that she, along with Bob and his best friend, Jim Wade (Roland Young) were taken to night court for speeding. Wanting to learn more about what her husband has been doing, and who the woman masquerading as her husband's wife is, Angela's suspicions are soon realized when she finds a calling card in Bob's pocket signed by a Trixie. Feeling her marriage dissolved because of Bob's lack of interest in her, Angela decides to follow the advice of Martha, her maid (Elsa Peterson) to go out and recapture her own husband by fascinating him. During Jim Wade's elaborate costume party, which takes place in a gigantic airship, Angela enters the social scene disguised as the masked woman who calls herself "Madam Satan." Categorized as a musical, the production numbers set during the masquerade party are of more interest than the songs that accompany them. With the music and lyrics credited to Clifford Grey, Herbert Stothart, Elsie Janis and Jack Grey, the songs featured include: "Live and Love Today" (sung by Elsa Peterson); "Low Down" (sung by Lillian Roth); "We're Going Somewhere" (sung by party guests as they enter dirigible); "The Cat Walk" (performed by guests); "Ballet Electrique" (performed by Theodore Kosloff as Electricity, surrounded by costumed dancers in an electrical ballet stimulating everything from spark plugs to lightning bolts); "What Am I Bid?/Auction Number" (recited by Roland Young); "Madame" (sung by Kay Johnson); "All I Know is You Are in My Arms" (sung and danced by Reginald Denny and Kay Johnson); "Low Down" (reprise by Lillian Roth, later sung by Kay Johnson); and "Madame" (reprise by Kay Johnson).Not the usual Cecil B. DeMillion dollar spectacle for which he is most famous, but like his better known Biblical epics, this modern-day story has enough costumes to go around, especially the ones worn at the masquerade party. After repeated viewing, MADAM Satan comes across like a typical Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery drawing room comedy or something directed by George Cukor. At other times it leaves to the imagination of an Ernst Lubitsch sex comedy, but nearly fails on all counts. What saves this from becoming a total disaster is the oddball costume party. Without seeing his name on the credits, it would be hard to imagine MADAM Satan directed by DeMille, best known for religious epics, but it should be known that DeMille did specialized in this sort of comedy in the silent era with those starring Gloria Swanson, some years before director Ernst Lubitsch set the standard. MADAM Satan might have succeeded had the story been shortened and vocalizing dubbed for Kay Johnson. Because Johnson at times resembles or plays like a slightly mature Irene Dunne, a movie like MADAM SATIN would have called for the likeness of Dunne, both actress and singer, then under contract to RKO Radio. Lillian Roth's performance as the fun-loving other woman does spark some life into her character, which is no different from the roles she performed at her home lot of Paramount at the time. On the whole, the one who comes off best and memorably in MADAM Satan is Roland Young as Jim, who assumes some of the film's witty one liners (Tyler Brooke: "I've never repented a sin," Young: "I've never repeated one,") and funnier actions. First to try to pass off Trixie (Roth) as his wife to Angela, who knows her husband's friend is only making the pretense to cover up for her husband's infidelity. The pretense reaches an amusing climax when Jim has to undress and get in bed with "his wife," with Angela's constant intrusions. Following the airship disaster where all the party guests must parachute from the dirigible, all landing around Central Park ranging from inside a convertible with another couple smooching in the front seat to the reservoir. As for Young's character, he lands on a tree branch inside a lion's cage in the zoo. Below he watches the lions roaring up at him. He then observes a sign that reads when the next feeding time is for the lions will be. He then slowly looks at his watch. Regardless of slow pacing, the redeeming quality goes to Young, who even has the final closing rather than the leading players. MADAM Satan was distributed on video cassette in the 1990s, and can be seen occasionally during the late night hours on Turner Classic Movies. Movies dealing with wives putting their unsuspecting husbands to the test are usually fun to see, but while MADAM Satan might be categorized as one of the weakest of the lot, it does propose some redeeming qualities that make this one of the most unusual production by either or both DeMille and MGM. (**)

preppy-3 Bob (Reginald Deny) and Angela (Kay Johnson) are married...but not happily. Bob is cheating on his wife with Trixie (Lillian Roth). But Angela is determined to get him back. At a costume party held on a zeppelin (don't ask) she comes in disguise as Madam Satan to win him back. The plot is conventional at first. It starts off as a very poor, unfunny comedy drama with Angela discovering Bob is cheating and confronting Trixie. This is the entire first hour--chock full on horrendous dialogue, bad acting (Roth SCREAMS every line) and some of the worst comedy ever captured on film.I was ready to turn it off when the costume party started. It starts off with some VERY elaborate costumes (I wish this film had been made in color) and a strange musical number. Then Angela shows up as Satan and we get MORE wooden dialogue and silly lines between her Bob. It all ends with the zeppelin being hit by lightning and everybody having to parachute out.Sounds fun--but it's not. There are musical numbers sprinkled throughout the film--and all of them are bad. And this party aboard a zeppelin??? Is that a joke or are we supposed to take it seriously? But, most of all, this movie is just plain dull. The few good points are: a good performance by Johnson; Deny isn't bad either and he's tall, handsome and muscular; the costumes ARE incredible; the special effects aren't bad and this is one of the few films Lillian Roth made (too bad she's lousy).Worth seeing for film buffs--but nobody else.