Madeline (1998 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Madeline
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Daisy von Scherler Mayer
Produced by	Saul Cooper Pancho Kohner Allyn Stewart
Screenplay by	Mark Levin Jennifer Flackett
Story by	Malia Scotch Marmo Mark Levin Jennifer Flackett
Starring	Frances McDormand Nigel Hawthorne Hatty Jones
Music by	Michel Legrand
Cinematography	Pierre Aïm
Editing by	Jeffrey Wolf
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date(s)	July 10, 1998 (1998-07-10)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	France United States
Language	English French Spanish
Money made	$30 million

Madeline is a fun family comedy movie from 1998. It's based on the popular Madeline children's book series and the animated TV show. The movie stars Hatty Jones as Madeline, a brave and adventurous girl. Famous actors Frances McDormand plays Miss Clavel, and Nigel Hawthorne plays Lord Covington. This film brings together stories from four different Madeline books. TriStar Pictures released it on July 10, 1998.

Story of Madeline

In 1956, in Paris, France, a young orphan girl named Madeline lives at a Catholic boarding school. She shares her days with eleven other girls. Their teacher is the kind but strict nun, Miss Clavel. Hélène, the chef, makes delicious meals. Even though Madeline doesn't have a family or much money, she is always cheerful and a bit mischievous.

One night, Madeline gets sick with appendicitis. She has to go to the hospital for an operation. While she is recovering, Madeline becomes friends with Lady Covington. Lady Covington is the wife of Lord Covington, who helps run the school. Lady Covington used to go to the same school when she was a girl. She loves the school and the girls very much. She tells Madeline that she carved her name, Marie-Gilberte, into one of the dorm beds. She asks Madeline to see if it's still there. A few days later, Madeline leaves the hospital. She learns that Lady Covington has sadly passed away. Madeline keeps her promise and finds Lady Covington's name. She then adds her own name next to it.

Later, the Spanish ambassador buys the house next to the school. He moves in with his family. The other girls are very impressed by his son, Pepito. But Madeline finds Pepito annoying because he rides his Vespa loudly. She calls him a "Bad Hat." Soon after, Lord Covington announces that he will close the school. He plans to sell the building because his wife has died. Miss Clavel tries to make peace with Pepito. She gives his tutor, Leopold, a toolbox for him. But it doesn't work. Pepito even steals Madeline's drawing pad and ruins it during a field trip.

Pepito invites the girls to his birthday party. He scares them by showing a mouse and joking about hurting it. Madeline gets very angry. She fights with Pepito and lets all his mice go. This makes the girls' visit end early. Miss Clavel punishes all the girls by making them write lines. Later, Madeline is on a walk and accidentally falls into the Seine river. A stray Labrador Retriever dog rescues her. Madeline names the dog Genevieve. Genevieve follows Madeline back to the school. The girls convince Miss Clavel, who is allergic to dogs, to let them keep her.

Madeline wants to save the school from closing. She asks Pepito to help her stop Lord Covington from selling the property. During this time, Madeline and Pepito become friends. But Lord Covington finds out about their plans. He first blames Miss Clavel. Madeline tries to take responsibility for her actions. But Lord Covington is still upset. He gets even more annoyed when Madeline accidentally calls him "Lord Cucuface." After leaving, he sees Genevieve. To get back at the girls, he lets Genevieve loose into the night.

Miss Clavel takes the girls to a circus to cheer them up. Madeline is sad about losing Genevieve. She also worries about where she will go if the school closes. She decides to join the circus to find a new home and friends. She tells her best friend, Aggie, about her plan and makes her promise not to tell. Madeline leaves the group. She accidentally finds Leopold and three clowns trying to kidnap Pepito. They want to get money for him. When Madeline tries to help, she is also taken. Aggie tells Miss Clavel that Madeline ran away. Pepito's parents also discover he is missing.

Madeline and Pepito manage to escape. They find a motorcycle. Madeline uses her hair clip to start it, and Pepito drives them away. He uses his experience with his Vespa. Leopold and the clowns chase them. But Miss Clavel, who is driving to find Madeline (and picks up Genevieve along the way), causes the clowns to crash into a lake. The police arrive and arrest the kidnappers. Miss Clavel, Madeline, Pepito, and Genevieve all go back to the school.

Soon after Madeline returns, Lord Covington arrives. He says he has sold the school to the ambassador of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. Madeline realizes he wants to sell the school because it reminds him of his wife. She tells him about losing her own family. She assures him that Lady Covington is still with him and the school. Miss Clavel promises Madeline that they will stay together no matter what. Lord Covington is touched by Madeline's words. But he says he can't do anything because he already sold the property. In a happy surprise, the ambassador is also moved by Madeline. He decides not to buy the school. This allows the girls to keep their home. The movie ends with the girls, Miss Clavel, and Genevieve at a fair. The song "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong plays. The film then changes back to the book setting as the word "Fin" appears.

Cast of Characters

Children

Adults

Making the Movie

How the Story Was Written

The movie Madeline is mostly based on the original book series. It uses storylines from three of the picture books. However, some parts of the characters' backgrounds were changed. For example, Madeline is an orphan in the movie. But in the books, she has both her parents and siblings. She even gets a dollhouse from her father.

The people who designed the costumes for Madeline used some artistic freedom. They changed the time period from the 1930s to the 1950s. They also chose bright blue and red colors for the students' uniforms. They wanted the uniforms to look real but also colorful. They decided not to use grey because it seemed too sad. Similar choices were made for Frances McDormand's character, Miss Clavel. A real novice nun would have worn a short black habit. But the filmmakers used a softer blue habit, like the one Miss Clavel wears in the books.

Filming Locations

The main filming for Madeline happened in Paris, France. It took place from September 1997 to January 1998. Hatty Jones, an English actress who was 8 or 9 years old, played Madeline. The movie is set in 1956, not 1939 like the books. Many famous places from the books appear in the film. However, some places were too busy with modern traffic to be used for filming.

See also

In Spanish: Madeline (película de 1998) para niños