The Earrings of Madame de... (1953)

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By Jeffrey M. Anderson

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The German-born Max Ophuls made films in five different languages over the course of his career, but he found his stride during his final, French period. The black-and-white The Earrings of Madame de... is of a piece with its predecessors, La Ronde (1950) and Le Plaisir (1952), but most consider it the best of the three. It still has Ophuls' skillful lightness and many amusing little moments -- it's far from somber -- but this film comes with its own unique emotional weight, mainly stemming from the middle-aged characters. The title character, sometimes called "Louise" (Danielle Darrieux), sells her beloved diamond earrings, a gift from her husband. As with La Ronde, the diamonds travel a circular route throughout the narrative, slipping in and out of the hands of several characters. Louise's husband, a general (Charles Boyer), gives the earrings to his lover, and they wind up with an Italian diplomat (the film director Vittorio De Sica), who begins an affair with Louise. Unlike La Ronde, which keeps a sense of whimsy throughout, Ophuls here allows the tragic implications of all this careless, clandestine behavior to eventually seep in. It's powerful stuff, but Ophuls' graceful, gliding camera movements provide a sense of beautiful inevitability. The film received a single Oscar nomination, for Best Costume Design.

Starring: Charles Boyer, Danielle Darrieux, Vittorio De Sica, Jean Debucourt, Jean Galland, Mireille Perrey, Paul Azaïs, Josselin, Hubert Noël, Lia Di Leo
Written by: Marcel Achard, Max Ophüls, Annette Wademant, Marcel Achard, based on a novel by Louise de Vilmorin
Directed by: Max Ophüls
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Language: French with English subtitles
Running Time: 105 minutes
Date: March 22, 2007