The Earrings of Madame de...

The Earrings of Madame de... (1953)

Directed by: Max Ophuls from a novel by Louis de Vilmorin

Although this film was mentioned in one of our top tens, I wanted to elaborate more and try and give you a better understanding in why I chose this film as one of my favorites. So if we do more of these "reviews" we will try and pick different ones.

This wonderful film from the great French director, Max Ophuls, is undoubtedly his masterpiece. One thing that really makes this movie stand out is the camera work. Other directors like, Sam Fuller, and more recently Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson have emulated this masters elaborate movements with the camera, but to really justify this please put this in perspective. The cameras he used during that period were huge and to move the camera like he did was pretty amazing. Stanley Kubrick once said that his cameras could move through walls and he was right. There is moment in the film where the lead actress, Danielle Darriuex, is caught in one of her infamous lies and Ophuls camera catches the emotion with one tracking shot.

Besides his terrific camerawork,Ophuls always picked great actors. Danielle Darriuex, who was a regular for Ophuls and two men who may be some of the most underrated actors in cinema, Charles Boyer and Vittorio de Sica, the famous Italian director with films such as The Bicylce Thief and Umberto D. They both give great performences and with Darriuex leading them it makes for a great story. The story revolves aroud Louis de.., played by Darriuex(her last name isn't revealed and niether is Boyers'), Louis, who is struggling with a huge amount of debt, searches around her lavish home for expensive items in order to pay it off. She comes across earrings that were given to her as a gift by her husband. After she sells the earrings back to the jewelry shop that they were originally purchased, the store owner declines and Darrieux gives one of her notorious fainting spells. As Darrieux and her husband, Boyer, attend an opera. Louise pretends that she has lost her earrings. Boyer, being the intelligent he is, knows that she wasn't wearing them that evening. But reluctant as he is, he believes his wife. This incident evolves into a small scandal, where after reading a article in the paper, the store owner, gives the earrings back to the general and explains the situation. Without telling his wife, Boyer, plays with her and catches her in one of her lies. Since the earrings are technically forgotten, Boyer gives them to a mistress of his as a farewell gift. His mistress, a supposedly compulsive gambler, cashes the earrings in for money. And then somehow they have fallen into the hands of Vittorio de Sica. And at the train station, this is where the two lovers meet. Like other Ophuls films, the story goes in a circular motion, much like his camerawork. This is a tragic story that doesn't really end well. And it's kind of hard to have any sympathy for Loiuse, but with Ophuls direction and the acting of Darrieux, you can't help but feel for her.