In france of the late 19th century, the wife of a wealthy general, the countess louise, sells the earrings her husband gave her on their wedding day to pay off debts. Apr 04, 2007 the fickle madame louise danielle derrieux is eager to pawn off a pair of heartdesigned diamond earrings, and the jeweler who sold them to her husband, general andre charles boyer, is more. Andrew sarris called it the most perfect film ever made. Charles boyer heads a distinguished cast that works like a finely tuned string trio. By now, ophuls cinematic evolution was complete, his style a subtle but magisterial one. The boots worn by danielle darrieux can only be seen in a few shots, while mens shoes and. His use of camera movement to instruct us in the sorrows of his troubled central characters is perhaps the most sophisticated use of visual technique in the history of cinema. In 19thcentury vienna, the title characters husband, charles boyer, has gifted her diamond earrings, which she hocks for cash. 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. Ophuls said the storys construction attracted him, stating.
The film is considered a masterpiece of the 1950s french cinema. It glitters and dazzles, and beneath the artifice it creates a heart, and breaks it. Andre and louise boyer and darrieux are a general and his countess living in france sometime around the end of the 19th century. O ne of the greats, and in the opinion of many the greatest, has been restored. Most anything you need to know about human nature when it comes to love, jealousy, and the power of lust can be found within this most treasured of max ophuls works. The film is famous for its elaborate camera movements, its graceful style, its sets, its costumes and of course its jewelry. Somehow, the earrings always return to the socialite danielle darrieux who sells them at the start in order to pay off a. Metrograph is a new manhattan movie theater devoted to screening archivequality 35mm prints and new films in stateoftheart digital projection. The tracking shots are remarkable, as is the quality of the overall production. This film follows a pair of earrings as they change hands during a series of betrayals and romances. Feb 14, 2017 this feature is not available right now. After criterion gave the film a very strong dvd release i was excited to see what this bluray edition would offer only to find myself largely dissatisfied. A married woman reluctantly pawns her favourite diamond earrings to settle a longstanding debts, and consequently reignites her affair with a dashing diplomat.
When the general sees them in a shop, he secretly purchases them back for a woman he is having an affair with. An electric eye that was the conclusion of cinematographer gregg toland during a bull session with orson welles about the limitations of shooting on film. Feb 14, 20 o ne of the greats, and in the opinion of many the greatest, has been restored. A french general charles boyer presents his wife with the pricey jewelry, but she is forced to sell the earrings after she runs into financial trouble.
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