Earrings of Madame De...

Buy This Item Earrings of Madame De... by Criterion Collection  Available from Amazon  $27.99  on 8-29-2008     French master Max Ophuls's most cherished work, The Earrings of Madame de . . . is an emotionally profound, cinematographically adventurous tale of false opulence and tragic romance. When the aristocratic woman known only as Madame de . . . (the extraordinary Danielle Darrieux) sells her earrings, unbeknownst to her husband (Charles Boyer), in order to pay personal debts, she sets off a chain reaction, the financial and carnal consequences of which can only end in despair. Ophuls adapts Louise de Vilmorin's incisive fin de siecle novella with virtuosic camera work so elegant and precise it's been called the equal to that of Orson Welles. SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New, restored high-definition digital transfer, Audio commentary featuring film scholars Susan White and Gaylyn Studlar , Interviews with Ophuls collaborators Alain Jessua, Marc Frederix, and Annette Wademant A visual analysis of The Earrings of Madame de . . . by film scholar Tag Gallagher, Interview with novelist Louise de Vilmorin on Ophuls's adaptation of her story, New and improved English subtitle translation PLUS: A new essay by Molly Haskell, Louise de Vilmorin's novella Madame de, upon which the film is based, and a reprinted essay by costume designer and longtime Ophuls collaborator George Annenkov Reader Reviews Let me start off like this....bear with me... I detest Hollywood chick flicks. They are simplistic, childish, silly, and completely unrealistic in their depiction of so-called romance. The term "romantic comedy" makes me nauseaous. Many friends and family members have come under the erroneous impression that I am not a romantic. Far from it. I prefer my romance of the old school, a deep, unshakeable romance, those feelings that if you're open to them, you cannot deny them at all. A love that comes with maturity, with passion and intelligence, one that is so deep, so knowing, so consuming, so happy yet sad at the same time. Many try and find this love in a superficial, uncaring world, and many are destroyed by it, others find it and die for it, yet they are the lucky ones. I see this in the films of Max Ophuls. The Earrings of Madame de... is one of Ophuls's greatest works. It's a magnificent film of deep style and even deeper substance, something that is rarely achieved by any filmmaker. Ophuls's mise en scene, with his incredibly camera work (especially for its time, before the invention of steadicams), beautiful performances, wonderful dialogue, and deep, deep wisdom about how men and women try and destroy each other, yet, must have one another as well. This film has a small plot thread about a set of earrings that set off a chain of events that spiral out of control and consume the protagonists, and that leads the film to its stunning, unforgettable conclusion. There's so much to Ophuls's films that it's almost impossible to do them justice in writing about them. Criterion has released this one and La Ronde, another magnificent work, so if you are a real romantic (not a Hollywood one), you must witness these films. They may change your life.

Earrings of Madame De... Available from Amazon Price: $27.99 Updated on 8-29-2008.

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