It may be, as the proverb states, that inside every fat person there is a thin one trying to get out, but it is likely not true that inside every great novel there is a fine film struggling to be made. A case in point, and not for the first time, is "Madame Bovary." Numerous filmmakers, including such titans as Jean Renoir, Vincente Minnelli and Claude Chabrol, have taken a crack at Gustave Flaubert's landmark 19th century novel without noticeable effect. Now it is Sophie Barthes' turn, and although her "Madame Bovary" is certainly well made, it is a hard film to work up any enthusiasm for. Barthes, whose first feature was the very...
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