Madame Bovary on AllMovie

A three-and-a-half hour epic adaptation of Flaubert's hallowed novel, Madame Bovary originally premiered in the UK as a BBC miniseries around fall 1975. Macbeth co-star Francesca Annis portrays the titular heroine, Emma Bovary, the sexually and romantically-charged young woman who fantasizes of a life fashioned from the stories spun in her favorite romance novels. It is a decision that yields only tragedy and despair, as she drifts from one vapid relationship to another, setting her up for an overwhelmingly tragic final act. Set in France, in the mid-1800s, Madame Bovary boasts elaborately detailed production design to recreate the period. The miniseries co-stars Tom Conti (Reuben, Reuben, Shirley Valentine).