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The Earrings of Madame De...

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

MADAME DE... is set in the glittering world of Paris high society in the dizzy days before World War One. Madame de...(it is one of the films running jokes that we never learn her name) is played by Danielle Darrieux, a beautiful, charming woman married to Andre (Charles Boyer) a worldly Army General. She is pursued by numerous men in hope of an illicit affair. She doesn't say yes, but never quite says no, preferring, as her suitor Baron Fabrizio (Vittorio De Sica) says, "torture by hope."

When she takes off the earrings her husband gave her and sells them in order to pay off a debt, the jeweler sells them back to the General, who gives them to his mistress, who gambles them away. They are unknowingly purchased by Baron Fabrizio, who gives them to Madame de... as a sign of his love. But to wear them she must lie to her husband about how she got them back and to her lover about where they came from. Here, as in LETTER FROM AN UKNOWN WOMAN, Ophls shows his skill in depicting the world of European society. His sense of staging and camera movement perfectly capture not just the mood and feel of the time, but also the emotions of the characters.
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): CC1767
Credits

Charles Boyer, Vittorio De Sica, Vittorio DeSica, Danielle Darrieux, Jean Debucourt
Critic Reviews

"...An elegant, visually opulent piece of work....One of the high points of French romantic cinema as well as a sublime piece of filmmaking..."
Los Angeles Times
"...It glitters and dazzles....The film is famous for its elaborate camera movements, its graceful style, its sets, its costumes....We sit in admiration of Ophuls' visual display, so fluid and intricate..."
Chicago Sun-Times
"...This elegant, ironic and wise romantic tragedy has quite a cult..."
USA Today
"[T]his 1953 study of obsessive love shows Max Ophuls at the height of his directorial powers."
Uncut
"A socialite hocks her diamonds to pay her shopping debts, sparking a series of lies, heartbreak, and tragedy....Savage and mesmerizing..." -- Grade: A
Entertainment Weekly