Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Cortechba Overrated

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Claudio Carvalho In the end of the Nineteenth Century, in Paris, the futile Countess Louise (Danielle Darrieux) is spending too much money and decides to sell the valuable earrings her wealthy husband, General André (Charles Boyer), gave to her in their wedding to the jeweler Mr. Rémy (Jean Debucourt) to pay her debts. Then she lies to her husband telling that she has lost them in the theater. When the general resolves to call the police, Mr. Rémy visits his client and discloses the truth about the earrings. General André secretly buys the earrings again and gives to his mistress Lola (Lia Di Leo) that is moving to Constantinople. Lola gambles and loses, and needs to sell the earrings. The Italian diplomat Baron Fabrizio Donati (Vittorio De Sica) sees the earrings in a window of a pawn shop, he buys them. Donati travels to Paris and meets Louise, and they become lovers. He gives the earrings to Louise and she tells another lie to her husband, telling that she found them in her drawer. Her little lies lead the lovers to a tragedy. "The Earrings of Madame de..." is a beautiful and stylish romance directed by Max Ophüls where a pair of earrings is the pivot for romantic but also tragic situations. The production is impressive, with wonderful locations and set decoration, elegant costumes and magnificent black and white cinematography. The story of a passionate woman that uses to lie and finds her true love is tense, with great performances. I saw this movie for the first time on 24 June 2001 and I have just seen it again. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Desejos Proibidos" ("Forbidden Desires")

dlee2012 Like La Ronde, Madame De is an Ophuls film that deals with vice and how it affects people of different classes, with particular emphasis on the aristocracy.A well-constructed film with polished cinematography and a superb performance from the evergreen Danielle Darrieux, the piece suffers from a tedious story. The characters are vain and vacuous and the superficiality of their world is reflected in the script. Unfortunately, their boredom with life translates to a monotonous narrative. There is little change in tempo throughout to breathe life into the film and the petty dramas of these aristocrats are not enough to hold one's attention for the duration of the film.Whilst the film does offer some interesting commentary on the hollowness of a materialistic ethos, the story is simply too banal. The dramas these characters face are largely of their own doing and, thus, one feels little empathy for them, even when tragedy strikes. Ultimately, this is an immaculately made film about trivial subject matter.

Boba_Fett1138 Never knew that Max Ophüls directed so many French movies through his career. I have only seen some of his English movies so far but as it appears he actually worked in lots of countries, making movies there in their native languages. I like his movies quite a lot, so no big surprise that I also liked this French production, directed by him.Like lots of French genre pieces, this one kicks against the bourgeoisie world and shows it as something far from perfect, with lying and cheating characters. Like basically all Max Ophüls movies, it picks a woman's perspective. It also shows all of the characters are far from perfect creatures, each with their own shortcomings and realistic emotions and feelings. You don't have to expect an usual and predictable Hollywood period drama with Max Ophüls at the helm. It's what makes him an unique director and it makes his movies often a real treat.It's also a really well shot movie, that is great looking. It's in black & white, which suits a genre period piece like this one and it has some impressive looking sets and equal camera-work. Its costume design even got nominated for an Oscar.Besides, it's a very compelling movie, due to its well written story, that got based on a novel by French writer Louise de Vilmorin. It's a story that progresses nicely and takes its time to set up the story and its characters. It has drama, romance, basically everything you would expect from a movie like this, only brought to you in a non-formulaic way by Max Ophüls.A compelling French period piece from Max Ophüls.8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

blanche-2 I keep wondering where these amazing treasures, such as "The Earrings of Madame De..." have been all my life. This 1953 Max Ophuls film is magnificent in every respect - direction, acting, script, photography, with just the right touch of humor for what is, in essence, a tragic love story.It is 19th Century France. Danielle Darrieux is "Comtesse Louise De..." who in the beginning of the film sells a pair of heart-shaped earrings given to her by her husband, General Andre De... (Charles Boyer), as she has some expenses that she must meet. She trusts the jeweler's confidentiality. During a production of "Orfeo e Euridice," she announces to Andre that she's left her earrings somewhere. However, the jeweler tells Andre about the sale; Andre buys back the earrings and gives them to his girlfriend, whom he's dumping. When she needs gambling money, she sells them, and they are purchased by Baron Donati (Vittorio di Sica) as a gift for his new girlfriend - the Comtesse Louise! The earrings are a symbol of fate, the volatility of love, and the meaning of possession. The General is a possessive man, but he wants to have his cake and eat it, too, presenting these beautiful earrings to two women. The Comtesse doesn't want the earrings when they're from her husband; when they're from her lover, she's desperate to find a way that she can wear them and resorts to manipulation in order to do so. For Donati, they're a symbol of romantic love, but when he realizes that his beloved is flesh and blood and not totally truthful, he becomes disillusioned.All of this is done with looks, a word, a suggestion, a dance, the placement of furniture (the General and Comtesse sleep in the same room, miles apart) - nothing too overt. The delicacy and subtlety of the film is magical.The beautiful Danielle Darrieux, now 92 and with a film coming out next year, does a beautiful job as the flirtatious Louise, who becomes more involved than she planned - she goes from flirty to passionate and finally to desperate. DeSica is a handsome and charming suitor; and Boyer has just the right amount of edge on his performance. He's not the monster of "Gaslight," but an authoritative Frenchman who doesn't want a scandal and becomes annoyed when he sees that his wife's romance has gone a little too far.With its fluid photography, pace, and romance, "The Earrings of Madame de..." is a true gem. No other way to describe it.