☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Madame
de… (1953) – M. Ophuls
A stylish and seemingly superficial
offering from Max Ophuls that is actually deceptively complex, deepening
dramatically as it progresses. Danielle
Darrieux is Madame de (no surname given, which is something of a running gag)
who decides to hock the earrings her husband the General (Charles Boyer) gave
to her on their wedding day to support her lavish lifestyle. Of course, her husband finds out (when Madame
decides to pretend they were stolen and the jeweller seeks to clear his
name). The earrings then make a
circuitous journey, full circle if you will, becoming imbued with an incredible
amount of emotion (more than they had originally). This is one of the fascinating insights of
Ophuls’ film – to see that any old object can become a fetish object. The alchemy involves true love or at least
that deep and exciting passionate attachment that can occur between two people (in
this case, Madame de and her Italian lover played superbly by Vittorio de Sica,
yes, the neorealist director), sometimes if only for a short while. However, Madame de is already married and the
film juxtaposes her marriage to her illicit love, a partnership of position and
appearances (and companionship) versus an intense and absorbing (those dances!)
mutual longing. Of course, one
relationship is right and one is wrong (or perhaps Ophuls is daring to question
this) and fate (or society) will have its way.
Top it all off with amazing tracking shots and set decoration and you
have a masterpiece.
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