marți, 27 iunie 2017

The Earrings of Madame de…, based on the novel by Louise de Vilmorin, directed by Max Ophüls

The Earrings of Madame de…, based on the novel by Louise de Vilmorin, directed by Max Ophüls

A different version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:



This is a very good romantic comedy.
And you can find it on The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies ever Made List:


the director, Max Ophüls was one of the most acclaimed filmmakers…

-          Lola Montes, La Ronde, Le Plaisir and The Earrings of Madame de…are among the most appreciated movies

Charles Boyer is also a glorious actor.
He is sophisticated, majestic, at times flamboyant, aristocratic in manner, charismatic and able to play both sides.

He has been a perfect villain in the recently viewed and noted on Gaslight, but he can act in comedies perfectly:

-          Barefoot in the Park is the perfect testimony

As for his opponent in The Earrings of Madame de…, Viitorio de Sica is one of the Gods of cinema, with an impressive career as actor…
But he is also sure to be included in the history of motion pictures for the masterpieces that he has directed:

-          Bicycle thieves for instance is among the best movies ever made, perhaps among the best five
-          Two Women, The Gold of Naples, Umberto D., Shoeshine, The Garden of Finzi- Continis, Marriage Italian Style and others are also among the best ever made films!

Charles Boyer is Général André de... and he is married to the Comtesse Louise de…
In the first stages of the narrative, the Comtesse is trying to sell her earrings.

And as the title suggests, these jewels will be one of the important personages of the story and they will change hands.
The jeweler is offering a good sum, since they are not just diamonds, but have been bought from his own shop.

Nevertheless, he announces the baron, especially given the circumstances under which their loss has been announced.
Because they were a present from the general, the wife makes up a lie about their being lost on the way to the opera.

Given their immense value, a theft is not excluded and this is when the Jeweler thought it better to talk to the general.
The latter buys the earrings- again- and then he makes them a gift, but…not to his own wife, but to a mistress.

This one is departing from Istanbul, where she engages in roulette games where she loses everything and has to sell the jewels.
Enter the stage the Baron Fabrizio Donati, portrayed by Viitorio de Sica, the man who buys the earrings.

He meets the Comtesse Louise de… and is fascinated and a relationship is developing between the two.
She even faints at one hunting party, when she sees with binoculars that the baron has fallen from his horse.

It is also an amusing incident, for the husband is reproaching the duration of the faint, which was inappropriate:

-          Keep your lapses short my dear

Throughout the film, the parties involved act with incredible politeness and extraordinary restraint, up to when duel is in question.

This viewer was often tempted to quote:

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