Madeline (1998)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Admirable film.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

The acting in this movie is really good.

This is an interesting take on a classic TV series of a young girl in a French school. It's interesting to take this as they expanded all the characters, like the the girls at the school having all different personalities. I do like Hatty Jones' take on Madaline (she does have a cute voice) as well as Nigel Hawthorne as Lord Covington, especially since he's played parts ranging from King George (in the Madness of King George) to Professor Porter (in Tarzan).I'm not going to give anything away (if you're looking at these reviews, wondering if you should watch this, I would recommend it for girls 10 upwards) but it is lovely. Good actors, good script, combining some of the elements of the original series with the new parts that they put in.Serioulsy, I would recommend it. It's sweet, but also gripping at times (not telling you when! That's cheating). However bad and girly you think it is, watch it. Then, if you still think the same... well, you can think what you think, I still like it!

I loved the Madeline picture books after reading them. They were so popular back at the 1930s it spawned an animated TV series that used to air on Playhouse Disney (it got cancelled a few years ago) with some of the episodes on video cassettes. Later, in 1998, Tristar Pictures tried adapting only four of the pictures on screen and did they succeeded in keeping true to the spirit? You're darn right they did.I was shocked to see that this got a 5.9 on this website and yet, the critics from Rottentomatoes gave it some positive reviews. I think that the rating on this website needs to be boosted up to a 7.3 because this happens to be, in my opinion, an underrated classic from my childhood back at 1998.The script was the only problem that I do have with this movie as it could've been better with much more depth. Everything else was great. The sets are amazing and the look of the Parisian skies were beautiful to look while capturing the essence of the setting from the books. The story has some dark serious tones including the death of Lady Covinton, Lord Covinton's wife after telling Madeline a secret about her carving on Madeline's bedroom and her real name was Marie Jean Pierre, but also has some heart to it.The strongest aspects, however, goes to the original music score (with pop songs including Louis Armstrong and Carly Simon), it's characters and how the actors looked like the ones from the books. The acting, on the whole, it's excellent. Frances McDormand did a fabulous job as Miss Clevel because she acted the part and sounded the part. Nigel Hawthorne did pretty good as Lord Covington due to his strict and emotional nature and Kristian De La Osa did fantastic as Pepito, the Spaniard troublemaker who became Madeline's enemy, but was kind to her near the end of the movie, but I think that Hatty Jones steals the show because she was just the right actress for the title character.Overall, Madeline is an underrated classic and my childhood favorite despite it's weak script and I think that some of the users on this website should always watch it no matter what the cost.Rating: 9.0/10

i hated to give this likable little movie only a seven, it's really very good, only i did'nt think it was about much except to be nice, congenial entertainment. the 'Madeline' books themselves, though lovely children's classics, are not really about much. they're not supposed to be. they are simple, and nice, and don't burden the child reader with too much message. that's good, since not every message suits every person.i remember reading the 'Madeline' books as a small child in second grade. i have'nt picked up a 'Madeline' book since then, but i seem to vividly remember them for some strange reason because they really are simple stories. but i remember all the characters and they are all here. Pepito, Genevieve the dog, the circus performers, i remember them all very fondly.it was a very cute little movie but as an adult, the selling point for me was the incredible Frances McDormand. she is such a great actress who never gives a bad performance. even when i think the movie is bad, she is always really good. this might not be one of her more demanding roles, but the performance is strong, smart, and sure. playing a nun is a fairly complicated thing to do, and she brings it off like a regular Debbie Reynolds. her performance is respectful, restraint, and never crass. i mean come'on folks, religious denominations are a touchy subject. but not here in this film.this film is perfect for all children and contains nothing offensive except for the word 'Damn'. and if you can't handle that, get the heck out of the kitchen dopey. the main thing that should be cautioned is the irresponsible use of fire crackers. sure, i thought the scene was hilarious, but throwing fire crackers under a person's feet can do serious harm, and parents should definitely talk to their kids about that one.all in all this was not a great film or a deep one. but it was awfully sweet and cute.

Not entirely captivating by all means, but very sweet and charming. While the story has some weak spots and the screenplay superficial at times, what saves it is how it is filmed and acted and how it keeps to the spirit of the picture books. I for one loved how it was filmed; I wasn't expecting another Wizard of Oz or Secret Garden, but the film is very nicely shot, with some dark serious tones but I particularly loved the shots of the Parisian skies. The music is beautiful as well and has a certain liveliness to it. The acting is very good; Hattie Jones has a very likable spunk and with her cute appearance the camera clearly loves her. Frances McDormond is perfectly cast as Miss Clavel, staying true to her character. Nigel Hawthorne is given less to do, but he does well with what he is given as Lord Covington(or Lord Cukooface as the girls call him). Overall, this is a charming and I think underrated film. 8/10 Bethany Cox