From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Sin of Madelon Claudet Videotape cover Directed by Edgar Selwyn Produced by Irving Thalberg Written by Charles MacArthur Ben Hecht (uncredited) Based on Lullaby by Edward Knoblock Starring Helen Hayes Lewis Stone Jean Hersholt Robert Young Cinematography Oliver T. Marsh Editing by Tom Held Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Release date(s) October 24, 1931 Running time 75 minutes Country United States Language English The Sin of Madelon Claudet is a 1931 American drama film directed by Edgar Selwyn and starring Helen Hayes. The screenplay by Charles MacArthur and Ben Hecht was adapted from the play The Lullaby by Edward Knoblock. It tells the story of a wrongly imprisoned woman who turns to theft and prostitution in order to support her son.