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

Director: Max Oph?ls, Max Ophuls

Overview

Max Oph?ls' masterpiece stars Danielle Darrieux as the titular Madame Louise de..., who in the film's opening scenes is forced to discreetly sell a pair of earrings, a gift from her military officer husband Andre (Charles Boyer), in order to make good on her debts. After she claims the earrings to be lost, the story of their possible theft hits the newspapers, prompting the jeweler who bought them (Jean Debucourt) to secretly sell them back to Andre, who then gives him to his mistress Lola (Lia Di Leo) as she prepares to leave for a holiday in Constantinople. There, the earrings again change hands as Lola pawns them to cover her gambling losses. They are then purchased by Donati, an Italian diplomat (Vittorio de Sica) on his way to France to meet with Andre. Of course, the earrings soon find their way back to Louise.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/06/2013
UPC:	0715515108812
Original Release:	1953
Rating:	NR
Source:	CRITERION
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	1:40:00
Sales rank:	12,313

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 Fr?d?rix; 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	G?n?ral Andr? De
Danielle Darrieux	Comtesse Louise de
Vittorio de Sica	Baron Fabrizio Donati
Jean Debucourt	Monsieur R?my
Jean Galland	Monsieur de Bernac
Paul Aza?s	Actor
Mireille Perrey	Mme. de. . .'s Nurse
Paul Az?is	Actor
Madeleine Barbul?e	Mme. de . . .'s Friend
Lea di Lea	Lola, general's mistress
Lia Di Leo	Lola
Guy Favieres	Julien
Serge Lecointe	Jerome
Hubert No?l	Henri de Maleville
Leon Walther	Theater manager
Oscar Straus	Composer
Georges Van Parys	Composer

Technical Credits

Max Oph?ls

Annette Wademant

Marcel Achard

Max Oph?ls	Screenwriter,Producer
Annette Wademant	Screenwriter
Ralph Baum	Producer
Antoine Petitjean	Sound/Sound Designer
Marcel Achard	Screenwriter

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.