Blu-ray Review: Beautiful Criterion Edition of ‘The Earrings of Madame De...’

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CHICAGO – French films from the ’50s can be a tough sell to a modern audience and Max Ophuls’ “The Earrings of Madame De…” recently upgraded by Criterion to a gorgeous Blu-ray edition and re-released on DVD, hasn’t gotten the critical attention it deserves over the years and so it’s not as instantly recognizable as “something that should be seen” as some of the other films of its era. Trust me. This is “something that should be seen” by everyone. Don’t believe me? P.T. Anderson (“Boogie Nights,” “There Will Be Blood,” “The Master”), a candidate for the title of best living director offers an “introduction” to the film on the Criterion Blu-ray. It’s more than a mere introduction. It’s a mini-class, a semi-commentary over 15 minutes of the film. Anderson helps illuminate what’s so great about “Madame” and Ophuls’ work in general. However, once you watch the film, you’ll be able to see its genius for yourself.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

“The Earrings of Madame De…” is well-known for its director’s mastery of tracking shots and a legendary montage over a series of waltzes between two characters about to get caught up in infidelity but I think the film’s visual marvels can easily bury the other elements of the film that truly work: The stunning use of reflections (Ophuls apparently wanted to shoot the film entirely through mirrored images at one point); the stellar performances throughout, especially the leads; and the true gem of a script, one that uses the titular possession as a tool to comment on class, social standing, power, and the futility of love. It’s a great film and it’s accompanied by stellar special features (the commentary is excellent, in no small part because the two experts don’t always agree on how the film should be interpreted) on the Criterion Blu-ray. “The Earrings of Madame De…” is a film that I don’t believe has ever gotten the credit it deserves (I knew of “Lola Montes” well before seeing it but had barely heard of this one). A release this spectacular will hopefully bring this lost classic to a larger audience.

The Earrings of Madame De… was released on Criterion Blu-ray and re-released on Criterion DVD on August 6, 2013
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection

Synopsis:
The most cherished work from French master Max Ophuls, The Earrings Of Madame De… is a profoundly emotional, cinematographically adventurous tale of deceptive opulence and tragic romance. When an aristocratic woman known only as Madame de… (Danielle Darrieux) sells a pair of earrings given to her by her husband (Charles Boyer) in order to pay some debts, she sets off a chain reaction of financial and carnal consequences that can end only in despair. Ophul’s adaptation of Louise de Vilmorin’s incisive fin de siecle novel employs to ravishing effects the elegant and precise camera work for which the director is so justly renowned.

Special Features:
o Audio commentary Featuring Film Scholars Susan White and Gaylyn Studlar
o Introduction By Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson
o Interviews With Ophuls Collaborators Alain Jessua, Marc Frederix, And Annette Wademant
o Visual Essay By Film Scholar Tag Gallagher
o Interview With Writer Louise De Vilmorin About Ophuls’s Adaptation Of Her Novel
o 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

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com