The Earrings Of Madame De… (1953)

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The Earrings Of Madame De… (1953)
Topic Started: Oct 8 2008, 06:47 PM (168 Views)
Laughing Gravy	Oct 8 2008, 06:47 PM Post #1
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,069 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	*The Earrings of Madame de…* (Criterion, $39.99) I was originally planning to present nothing but sci-fi or horror reviews this month, but what th’ hell. Criterion has just released a trio of Max Ophuls films and I watched The Earrings of Madame de… and loved it so I may as well mention it. Danielle Darrieux finds herself in embarrassing financial straits due to her wasteful ways, so sells a pair of earrings that her husband (Charles Boyer) gave her for a wedding present; she considers them the possession she least cares about. For the first half of the film, the earrings are the star, as they make their way across Europe. Eventually, they come back to her as the most cherished things she owns. Gorgeously photographed and one of Criterion’s most distinguished packages, stuffed with bonus material and even the novella on which the film was made. One of the best DVDs of the year. Just a beautiful film.



The Batman	Oct 9 2008, 06:10 AM Post #2
Charter Member Posts: 5,570 Group: Members Member #17 Joined: September 4, 2005	Great to hear, LG, as I picked this one up, as well. I love when Criterion includes a book with the original story in their DVD releases. Speaking of DVD of the Year, my pick for the Criterion in that category has got to be VAMPYR. This is a beautiful, haunting vampire tale, with great bonus materials; and it includes a book that contains one of the original novels the film was based on and the script, too!



Black Tiger	Oct 9 2008, 09:39 PM Post #3
Charter Member Posts: 1,813 Group: Members Member #50 Joined: September 15, 2005	Madame De: This film is beautifully shot, but the story left me yawning and looking at my watch numerous times. Saw a number of other people in the audience nodding off too. Rates high on the snore-o-meter



panzer the great & terrible	Nov 22 2008, 02:44 PM Post #4
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,326 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	My experience with Ophuls is that people either love his movies or they don't. The ones who don't always say they were bored, which I don't understand. How can you be bored with so much going on? Of course, what's going on is mainly film technique, and that doesn't interest all of us.
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


The Batman	Feb 3 2009, 01:30 PM Post #5
Charter Member Posts: 5,570 Group: Members Member #17 Joined: September 4, 2005	panzer the great & terrible Nov 22 2008, 02:44 PM My experience with Ophuls is that people either love his movies or they don't. The ones who don't always say they were bored, which I don't understand. How can you be bored with so much going on? Of course, what's going on is mainly film technique, and that doesn't interest all of us. Finally had the chance to watch this one on the weekend and I have to agree with you, Mr. P. The film is a fascinating study in movie-making, as well as an entertaining little flick. This is my first, but definitely not my last, Max Ophuls experience.



panzer the great & terrible	Feb 5 2009, 08:37 PM Post #6
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,326 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	If you can find The Reckless Moment or The Exile, Bat, I recommend both. Moment is available from Amazon UK; Exile shows up on EBay sometimes. Letter From an Unknown Woman is my all-time favorite Ophuls movie and it's available on Region 1. I think Leibelei is going to come out soon. I haven't seen it but it's a pretty title and I'm optimistic. I haven't seen a bad Ophuls movie yet. They're all sorta slight, but they stay with you and grow as you think them over.
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


The Batman	Feb 6 2009, 06:26 AM Post #7
Charter Member Posts: 5,570 Group: Members Member #17 Joined: September 4, 2005	Thank you, Mr. P; I will definitely seek these titles out. A quick check of amazon.com shows there are two more Max Ophüls titles available from Criterion - Le Plaisir and La Ronde. A quick translation re-titles them as For Pleasure and The Round, respectively. Since these are not the two you have recommended; can you offer any review on either?



panzer the great & terrible	Feb 6 2009, 09:26 AM Post #8
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,326 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	Le Plaisir I saw too long ago to comment -- I remember it as one of those French comedies with city folks having amorous romps in the country. La Ronde is an unusual story -- A makes love to B, B to C, C to D, D to E, E to F, and then F to A, completing the circle. A sexy film with lots of beautiful people in it, from a fairly famous play by Arthur Schnitzler. Not Ophuls' best, maybe, but solid entertainment -- and in the light of AIDS, a movie that has changed its meaning and become more serious that it was meant to be. I think I'll watch it tonight. There's more Ophuls at Amazon UK, but you need to convert your DVD player to all-region. Here's how: Google "unlock code" plus the exact name of your player (i.e., Sony 607J), then follow directions. It won't work for every player, but it does no harm to try. Once your player is all-region you can get movies from France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and best of all, $2 movies from Hong Kong that give you access to all of Asian cinema, including anime, at a small investment.
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


The Batman	Feb 6 2009, 11:15 AM Post #9
Charter Member Posts: 5,570 Group: Members Member #17 Joined: September 4, 2005	Thanks, Mr. P. I think this is the director that is going to have me finally convert my DVD player to all-region. I will Google the make/model tonight, and see what happens. Either way, I will pick up Le Plaisir and La Ronde, on my next DVD trip.



panzer the great & terrible	Feb 6 2009, 03:29 PM Post #10
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,326 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	You can't go wrong with Ophuls. His movies feel light, but when you start thinking 'em over they go pretty close to the bone.
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


Laughing Gravy	Aug 17 2009, 05:12 AM Post #11
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,069 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	Mr. Panzer forgot I had this DVD!



panzer the great & terrible	Aug 17 2009, 07:29 PM Post #12
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,326 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	Just trying to start a conversation, Mr. Smarty.
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


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