The Earrings of Madame De... [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Max Ophüls, Max Ophuls Max Ophüls

Overview

Max Ophuls's swirling camera and lush romantic atmosphere imbues this witty and wry roundelay concerning a pair of earrings that change hands from lover to lover. The film begins as Countess Louise de ... (Danielle Darrireux) is rummaging through her belongings, looking for something to sell to pay off gambling debts. She comes across a pair of earrings given to her as a wedding present by her husband, General Andre de ... (Charles Boyer), and sells them to a jeweler (Jean Debucourt). She then tells General Andre that the earrings have been stolen, causing newspapers to print loud stories about the theft. The jeweler, wary about the transaction, secretly sells the earrings back to Andre, who then gives them to his mistress Lola (Lia de Leo). Lola incurs her own gambling debts to Baron Donati (Vittorio De Sica), who takes the rings as payment. When Baron Donati returns to Paris, planning to meet with Andre, he casts his eyes on the Countess Louise and instantly falls in love. The Baron is so enamored of the Countess he feels he must express his affection to her, and the best way he knows how is to give the Countess a token of his esteem ... a pair of earrings he has just acquired.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/06/2013
UPC:	0715515108812
Original Release:	1953
Rating:	NR
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	1:40:00
Sales rank:	11,869

Special Features

Audio Commentary featuring film scholars Susan White and Gaylyn Studlar; Introduction by filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson; Interviews with Ophuls collaborators Alain Jessua; Mark Frédérix; Annette Wademant; Visual essay by film scholar Tag Gallagher; Interview with writer Louise de Vilmorin about Ophuls's adaptation of her novel; Plus: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Molly Haskell, an excerpt from Costume Designer Georges Annenkov's 1962 book Max Ophuls, and Vilmorin's 1951 source novel, Madame de

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Charles Boyer	Général André De
Danielle Darrieux	Comtesse Louise de
Vittorio de Sica	Baron Fabrizio Donati
Jean Debucourt	Monsieur Rémy
Jean Galland	Monsieur de Bernac
Paul Azaïs	Actor
Mireille Perrey	Mme. de. . .'s Nurse
Paul Azäis	Actor
Madeleine Barbulée	Mme. de . . .'s Friend
Lea di Lea	Lola, general's mistress
Lia Di Leo	Lola
Guy Favieres	Julien
Serge Lecointe	Jerome
Hubert Noël	Henri de Maleville
Leon Walther	Theater manager
Oscar Straus	Composer
Georges Van Parys	Composer

Technical Credits

Max Ophüls

Annette Wademant

Marcel Achard

Max Ophüls	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Annette Wademant	Screenwriter
Ralph Baum	Producer
Antoine Petitjean	Sound/Sound Designer
Marcel Achard	Screenwriter
Max Ophuls	Director

Editorial Reviews

A wonderful companion piece to director Max Ophüls' La Ronde, Madame de... spins a similar tale of serial affairs among the rich and idle. But its darker tone has rightfully earned its status as the filmmaker's great triumph. A minority camp would give the nod to Lola Montès. The pair of earrings which pass from hand to hand come to symbolize deception and greed, pawns in silly games of love. Ophüls connects his characters with a camera (directed by his frequent collaborator Christian Matras) which glides in and out of well-appointed rooms, suggesting that there are no degrees of separation in this world. Few filmmakers could match Ophüls' talent for exposing the need among the wealthy and titled to keep up appearances.

All Movie Guide - Tom Wiener