Based on the novel by Cecil Saint-Laurent, Lola Montes is the story of the life of the Irish dancer/courtesan who would embark on scandalous affairs with many men as she would later work for a circus where its ringmaster would tell her life story. Directed by Max Ophuls and screenplay by Ophuls and Annette Wademant with dialogue by Jeff Natanson, the film is the look of a woman’s journey as she tries to find herself in a decadent world as the titular character is played by Martine Carol. Also starring Peter Ustinov, Anton Walbrook, Will Quadflieg, Oskar Werner, Ivan Desny, and Henry Guisol. Lola Montes is a ravishing and elegant film from Max Ophuls.
Set during a circus performance in the mid-19th Century, the film is about the life of a courtesan who has become a circus performer that has her telling her many exploits with different men where she was once revered for her dancing and role in high society and then fall from grace due to scandal. The film is told in a reflective back-and-forth narrative where the main body of the story is set at a circus with the titular character thinking about her past exploits that added to not just her legend but also notoriety. The film’s screenplay by Max Ophuls and Annette Wademant takes this back-and-forth narrative that has Montes not just thinking about moments in her life but also having to display them in some kind of performance for the circus with the ringmaster (Peter Ustinov) is being a narrator of sorts for these exploits. Notably as it would involve the composer Franz Liszt (Will Quadflieg), her mother’s boyfriend in Lt. Thomas James (Ivan Desny), the famed conductor Claudio Pirotto (Claude Pinoteau), and King Ludwig I (Anton Walbrook).
Ophuls’ direction is definitely lavish and stylized in the way he presents the story of this woman’s exploits. Shot on various locations in Paris, Nice, and Munich with several scenes shot on studio soundstages, the film definitely play into this world of fantasy that is presented in the circus scenes that is mixed in with this reality that is full of elegance but also decadence. Ophuls’ precise usage of compositions whether it’s in the wide shots, medium shots, and close-ups help play into the attention of detail over not just the set pieces of the circus and what goes on behind the scenes. It’s also in the world that Montes had lived in where much of her journey has her riding in this spacious carriage with a couple of longtime servants as each journey and lover would represent a chapter in her life.
Ophuls’ direction also has him playing with aspect ratios throughout the course of the film though much of it is shot on a Cinemascope aspect ratio to get much attention to detail on the locations and much of the setting that Montes would be in. Particularly as the settings would play into not just Montes’ development as a person but also the realization that her presence would often cause a lot of problems. Particularly in the final story that involves King Ludwig I as it would cause scandal as well as a revolt where Ophuls would put some historical context into the story as Montes being a reason for the March Revolution of 1848. The direction also have Ophuls mirror the scenes of what Montes has experienced in terms of what she is about to perform though it does play into not just her decline in stature but also emotional as she becomes trapped into what she has become in the end. Overall, Ophuls creates a majestic and riveting film about the wild life of a courtesan in the mid-19th Century.
Cinematographer Christian Matras does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its gorgeous usage of colors to help set the mood for a scene as well as the lighting in some of the film’s circus scenes including a few moments backstage. Editor Madeleine Gug does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts to play into the drama. Production designer Jean d’Eaubonne and set decorator Robert Christides do amazing work with the set design from the look of the state sets at the circus to the places that Montes goes to including the palace of King Ludwig I and the interior of her carriage.
Costume designer Georges Annenkov does brilliant work with the costumes from the look of the clothes that the men wore as well as the stylish and lavish dresses that Montes wore throughout the course of the film. The sound work of Hans Endrulat, Jean Neny, and Antoine Petitjean do fantastic work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the circus as well as some of the tense sound of rioting during the film’s third act when rioters throw rocks at the palace. The film’s music by Georges Auric is superb for its rich and soaring orchestral score that ranges from being playful in some parts including scenes at the circus to some somber moments as it relates to the drama.
The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Claude Pinoteau as the famed conductor Claudio Pirotto, Paulette Dubost as Montes’ maid Josephine, Henri Guisol as the carriage driver Maurice, Lise Delamare as Montes’ mother Mrs. Craigie, and Oskar Werner in a terrific small role as a young German soldier that Montes would meet on her way to Munich as he would later help her flee the city in the third act. Will Quadfieg is superb as the famed composer Franz Liszt who would be inspired by his affair with Montes to create music that would make him famous. Anton Walbrook is fantastic as King Ludwig I of Bavaria as the Bavarian king who is smitten by Montes in her beauty and work as a dancer unaware of what he’s doing to his own people.
Ivan Desney is brilliant as Lt. Thomas James as the lover of Montes’ mother who becomes concerned for Montes’ well-being only to marry her where it eventually becomes toxic. Peter Ustinov is excellent as the ringmaster who is the film’s narrator of sorts during the circus scenes as he tells Montes’ story while would also meet her in making an offer to join his circus. Finally, there’s Martine Carol in a radiant performance as the titular character where Carol brings this elegance and melancholia to the role as a woman who had been through so much adventure and was full of life during her time as she is a shell of her former self. It’s a performance that has Carol display charm and liveliness whenever she’s happy while being restrained in her sadness that includes that eerie moment in the film’s ending as it is an incredible performance from Carol.
Lola Montes is a phenomenal film from Max Ophuls that features a sensational performance from Martine Carol in the titular role. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, sprawling set design, complex storylines, and a luscious music score. It’s a film that is rich in its look but also this evocative story of a woman’s life that is full of wonder and sorrow as it’s told in style. In the end, Lola Montes is a spectacular film from Max Ophuls.
Max Ophuls Films: (The Bartered Bride) - (The Merry Heirs) - (Liebelei) - (A Love Story (1933 film)) - (Everybody’s Woman) - (The Tender Enemy) - (The Trouble with Money) - (Yoshiwara) - (The Novel of Werther) - (Sarajevo (1940 film)) - (The Exile) - (Letter from an Unknown Woman) - (Caught (1949 film)) - (The Reckless Moment) - La Ronde - Le Plaisir - The Earrings of Madame de... - (The Lovers of Montparnasse)
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the short stories of Guy de Maupassant, Le Plaisir is a film that tell three different stories of life in late 19th Century France involving ballrooms, a painter’s studio, a countryside retreat, and bordellos. Directed by Max Ophuls and screenplay by Ophuls and Jacques Natanson, the film revolves around the world of 19th Century France in all of its trials and tribulations. Starring Jean Gabin, Simone Simon, Danielle Darrieux, Daniel Gelin, Claude Dauphin, Gaby Morlay, Madeleine Renaud, Ginette Leclerc, Pierre Brasseur, and Jean Servais as the voice of Guy de Maupassant. Le Plaisir is an evocative and exuberant film from Max Ophuls.
Set in the late 19th Century just years before the 20th Century, the film tell three different stories all based on the theme of pleasure in all of its fallacies. While it is presented as an anthology film, they all play into that theme with the middle section in Le Maison Tellier being the most dominant of the three while the opening story Le Masque and the closing story Le Modele both are given smaller time yet manage to provide enough to play into its theme. Le Masque is set in the world of ballrooms where a man in a mask (Jean Galland) arrives to dance with a young woman (Gaby Bruyere) only to pass out as a doctor (Claude Dauphin) makes a discovery and wonders why this man wears a mask. Le Maison Tellier revolves around a bordello madam (Madeleine Renaud) who takes her fellow prostitutes to the country where her niece is having her first communion while her brother (Jean Gabin) falls for one of the prostitutes in Rosa (Danielle Darreiux). In Le Modele, an artist (Daniel Gelin) falls for a model (Simone Simon) who would be his muse as their relationship starts off as idyllic only to turn into total chaos.
Max Ophuls’ direction is definitely exquisite not just for the setting that he creates but also in the intricate camera work that approaches for all of the stories. The scenes in Le Maison starts off as very extravagant with everyone going into the ballroom but once the man in the mask faints and falls ill. The tone of the story changes where it becomes more intimate with Ophuls maintains an intimacy in the medium shots and close-ups as opposed to the more lavish scenes in the ballroom where Ophuls would use tracking shots and some crane shots to play into the grandness of the ballroom. For Le Maison Tellier, the segment starts off at night in the city where it’s raucous while the scenes in the country are quainter and peaceful which makes the madam and her prostitutes a little uneasy as well as the sense of purity during the community scene as it is too much for Rosa to bear.
Ophuls’ approach to the scenes are more intimate but also has a mixture of long tracking shots as well as some slanted camera angles. In Le Modele, Ophuls would return to broader compositions as it relates to the world of art but it also has some style as it relates to the world of the artist and the model as they’re at odds with each other. Ophuls’ usage of slanted angles and some wide shots play into the tension while the rest of the film would feature moments that are somber. Notably in Le Maison Tellier where bordello regulars learn that the bordello is closed for a small period of time as the men are in a park trying to figure out what to do or what to talk about. It’s a moment that is presented with a simplicity as Ophuls isn’t aiming for style except in the film’s narration by the voice of Guy de Maupassant who would voice his thoughts on the story from time to time. Overall, Ophuls creates a majestic yet compelling film about the lives of different people and their encounter with pleasure.
Cinematographers Christian Matras and Philippe Agostini do brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography with the latter shooting many of footage for Le Modele while the former would create some extravagant lighting for the ballroom scenes in Le Masque and the more naturalistic daytime exteriors in Le Maison Tellier. Editor Leonide Azar does excellent work with the editing as it is very straightforward where it doesn’t go for any kind of style with the exception of a few rhythmic cuts here and there. Production designer Jean d’Eaubonne and set decorator Robert Christides do fantastic work with the design of the ballroom as well as the bordello and the artist’s studio to play into the world of extravagance.
Costume designer Georges Annenkov does amazing work with the design of the costumes from the dresses that the women wear to the costume of the masked man. The sound work of Louis Haller is terrific for its simplicity as it plays to the raucous world of the ballrooms and bordello to the calm atmosphere of the church during the communion scene. The film’s music by Joe Hayos is wonderful for its orchestral-based score that is largely based on the music of the times including the music that people danced too at the time.
The film’s incredible ensemble cast an array of noteworthy performances with Jean Servais in a superb performance as the voice of Guy de Maupassant. From the Le Masque, the performances of Jean Galland as the masked man, Claude Dauphin as the doctor, Gaby Bruyere as the masked man's dance partner, and Gaby Morlay as an old woman taking care of the masked man are all great in displaying the anguish of youth and aging. From Le Modele, the performances of Daniel Gelin and Simone Simon in their respective roles as the artist and the model are remarkable in displaying a love affair that starts out right only to become tumultuous. Much of the film’s ensemble that appears in Le Maison Tellier are fantastic with the small performances from Jocelyne Jany as the madam’s niece, Antoine Balpetre as a patron at the bordello, Rene Blancard as a mayor who is also a regular patron at the bordello, and Henri Cremieux as another rich patron of the bordello.
In the role of some of the prostitutes, there’s Mathilde Casadesus, Ginette Leclerc, Mila Parely in wonderful performances as a trio of prostitutes who have a hard time with the air of silence during the night during their country stay. Pierre Brasseur is very funny as a traveling salesman who tries to sell garments to the prostitutes where he does something very wrong. Jean Gabin is brilliant as the madam’s brother who falls for a young prostitute as he tries to deal with getting his daughter’s first communion to go well. Danielle Darrieux is sublime as Madame Rosa as a young prostitute who is in love with her boss’ brother as she becomes moved by the communion procession as well as the sense of purity in the country. Finally, there’s Madeleine Renaud in a radiant performance as Julia Tellier as a brothel madam who goes to the country to see her niece’s first communion as she doesn’t just cope with life in the country but also how her prostitutes react to a very different environment.
Le Plaisir is a sensational film from Max Ophuls. Featuring a great ensemble cast, amazing camerawork, dazzling art direction, and captivating stories on life’s pleasures and their flaws. It’s an intriguing film that tell three different stories of late 19th Century life and the many complexities of what people will do to find happiness. In the end, Le Plaisir is an incredible film from Max Ophuls.
Max Ophuls Films: (The Bartered Bride) - (The Merry Heirs) - (Liebelei) - (A Love Story (1933 film)) - (Everybody’s Woman) - (The Tender Enemy) - (The Trouble with Money) - (Yoshiwara) - (The Novel of Werther) - (Sarajevo (1940 film)) - (The Exile) - (Letter from an Unknown Woman) - (Caught (1949 film)) - (The Reckless Moment) - La Ronde - The Earrings of Madame de... - Lola Montes - (The Lovers of Montparnasse)
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the play by Arthur Schnitzler, La Ronde is a collection of stories involving infidelity where one person meets this person and that person meets another person. Directed by Max Ophuls and screenplay by Ophuls and Jacques Natanson, the film is an exploration into what makes people fall in love and commit adultery in the most whimsical of ways. Starring Anton Walbrook, Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani, Simone Simon, Daniel Gelin, Danielle Darrieux, Fernand Gravey, Odette Joyeux, Jean-Louis Barrault, Isa Miranda, and Gerard Philipe. La Ronde is a witty and delightful film from Max Ophuls.
Set in 1900 Vienna, the film follows a series of infidelities where a man meets a woman and that woman meets another man who would be with this woman who would be with this man and so on. It’s a film with a simple premise as it’s largely told by a narrator (Anton Walbrook) from the modern world who would tell these stories involving people falling in love. Among them is a soldier who meets a prostitute as he would later fall for this chambermaid who falls for the son of the people she’s working for as he would have an affair with a married woman. That is the narrative in a nutshell as it is largely told by this narrator who would often break down the fourth wall or appear in a story as a supporting character. It’s a very unique approach to the narrative as it covers one affair after the other as the characters that are in this merry-go-round of love affairs prove to be very interesting and why people would fall in love with this person or that person.
Max Ophuls’ direction is definitely intoxicating to watch from the way he recreates 1900 Vienna as well as not be afraid to break the fourth wall. Shot largely in a soundstage as Vienna, Ophuls would use the setting to create some intricate camerawork with the tracking shots and some crane shots where it would often last for minutes rather than shoot something for less than a minute. Ophuls’ usage of close-ups and medium shots would maintain an intimacy for much of the film while he would also use some slanted camera angles for stylish reasons to play into a character that is in a transition from one lover to another. There are some wide shots in the film as it’s more about the romances and relationships while the narrator would often be seen driving a merry-go-round or do something that relates to the story where he would hold a reel of film and cut it out and back to a certain part of the story. Overall, Ophuls creates a whimsical yet splendid about people falling in love with this person and that person.
Cinematographer Christian Matras does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its usage of shades and shadows for some of the interiors along with some unique lighting for some of the exterior scenes set at night. Editor Leonide Azar does excellent work by creating some unique cutting styles including a few transitional wipes and some rhythmic cuts to play into some of the comedy and conversations. Production designer Jean d’Eaubonne does fantastic work with the set design from the different homes of some of the characters to the design of the merry-go-round. The costumes of Georges Annenkov are wonderful for its stylish look in the dresses the women wear as well as the suits that the men wear. The sound work of Pierre-Louis Calvet is superb for the natural elements of the sound as it doesn’t try to go for anything artificial. The film’s music by Oscar Strauss is amazing as it is this very lively orchestral score that play into the humor and romance with some songs sung by the narrator.
The film’s incredible ensemble cast feature performance that are just fun to watch starting with Anton Walbrook as the film’s narrator/game master who leads the audience to the story and break the fourth wall at times while taking on small supporting roles as an outsider as he’s a joy to watch. From the side of the men, we have Gerard Philipe in a superb performance as a young count who is in love with the actress while he would lament over his own love affairs. Jean-Louis Barrault is terrific as a poet who is in love with a young grisette named Anna as well as the actress while Daniel Gelin is excellent as a young man who would have an affair with a maid and a married woman. In the role of the young soldier, Serge Reggiani is fantastic as the soldier who would start things off in his tryst with a prostitute and later the maid. Fernand Gravey is excellent as the husband of the cheating wife who is having a relationship with a young grisette as he laments over his marriage.
From the women, we have Isa Miranda in a wonderful performance as a stage actress who is having an affair with a poet and a young count while Odette Joyeux is brilliant as a young grisette who spends her time with this married man but is in love with this poet. Danielle Darrieux is amazing as this married woman who is in love with this young man that she’s having an affair with yet still has love for her husband despite their passionless marriage. Simone Simon is radiant as a young maid who is dating this young soldier yet manages to fall for this man whose parents she works for while Simone Signoret is great as a prostitute who starts the entire story with her brief liaison with a soldier as she would start a chain of affairs for everyone involved.
La Ronde is a phenomenal film from Max Ophuls. Featuring a great ensemble cast, a witty story about infidelity, and an unconventional approach to its narrative. It’s a film that manages to be something fun as well as provide some unique ideas about infidelity in a humorous way. In the end, La Ronde is a spectacular film from Max Ophuls.
Max Ophuls Films: (The Bartered Bride) - (The Merry Heirs) - (Liebelei) - (A Love Story (1933 film)) - (Everybody’s Woman) - (The Tender Enemy) - (The Trouble with Money) - (Yoshiwara) - (The Novel of Werther) - (Sarajevo (1940 film)) - (The Exile) - (Letter from an Unknown Woman) - (Caught (1949 film)) - (The Reckless Moment) - Le Plaisir - The Earrings of Madame de... - Lola Montes - (The Lovers of Montparnasse)
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the novel by Louise Leveque de Vilmorin, The Earrings of Madame de… is the story of a countess who sells her earrings to pay off some debts only to cause some trouble in her lavish yet empty lifestyle. Directed by Max Ophuls and screenplay by Ophuls, Marcel Archad, and Annette Wadement, the film is an exploration of the life of a woman as her lavish lifestyle starts to crumble as she also begins to question her own marriage. Starring Danielle Darrieux, Charles Boyer, and Vittorio de Sica. The Earrings of Madame de… is a rich and evocative film from Max Ophuls.
Set in late 19th Century France, the film revolves around a pair of very expensive earrings where a countess tries to sell them off to pay some debts only to set off a chain of events that would trouble her once lavish lifestyle as well as what she wants in her own life. All of which would involve her dealing with a loveless marriage to a general as she falls for an Italian baron who would buy those earrings as it would add more trouble into a very complicated love triangle. It’s a film that plays into the ideas of a woman coping with the life she had as well as the earrings itself as they would be the cause of all sorts of trouble. The film’s screenplay explores the journey that these earrings would take as it would create a lot of these consequences that occur in the film. Especially in the life its countess whose first name is Louise (Danielle Darrieux) who lived a life of great wealth but it’s a shallow one that has her unaware of how loveless her marriage to Andre (Charles Boyer) is. Especially when Andre has a mistress who would take those earrings and later sell them playing to those chain of events.
It would then play into study of these three characters that would include the baron Donati (Vittorio de Sica) who is in the middle of this turmoil as he is just a good man that is in love with Louise. He would buy the earrings and later reveal the cracks in this marriage between Louise and Andre that is starting to show for these two. Especially as Louise would have her own realizations about her life and lifestyle where her affair with Donati would be more fulfilling but also an anguished affair because she is married as Andre is someone that has a lot of pull and can do some very terrifying things. Even as the affair is eventually discovered by Andre where his reaction is very unique for the fact that he kind of knew something was happening. All of which would lead to those earrings once again which is this interesting MacGuffin that really drives the story and the fate of these characters.
Max Ophuls’ direction is very exquisite in not just his approach to compositions but in also how to use the earrings as something more than just a plot device. Especially as there’s so much attention towards these earrings as they would be shifted from one character to another and then back to a character that previously owned these earrings. There’s a sense of precision and movement in Ophuls’ direction where his use of medium shots, close-ups, and tracking shots are truly hypnotic. Most notably a sequence where Donati and Louise would dance as the camera would swirl around to showcase the evolution of their relationship as they’re in different costumes as it is told with such style.
Ophuls also creates these intense moments in the drama for the scenes where Louise and Donati are in the same room but they feel like they’re in different worlds due to the presence of Andre. Ophuls maintains an intimacy that can be very discomforting due to Andre’s presence as well as some wide shots as it relates to how detached he is from Louise. It would lead to this climax that is filled with a lot of ambiguities but also in how much damage these earrings have caused for these three people. Overall, Ophuls creates a very intoxicating and captivating film about a woman who sets off a chain of events that would lead to the unraveling of the lifestyle that she was once a part of.
Cinematographer Christian Matras does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to play into the elegance of the film‘s interior and exterior settings with its unique approach to lighting as well as setting moods for those lights. Editor Borys Lewin does excellent work with the editing with its stylish use of dissolves and rhythmic cuts as well as dance sequence with its montage-editing approach. Set designer Jean d’Eaubonne does fantastic work with the set pieces from the home that Andre and Louise lived in to the other places as it showcased its sense of extravagance and elegance.
Costume designers Georges Annenkov and Rosine Delamare do amazing work with the costumes from the look of the dresses that Louise wore to the suits and uniforms the men wear. The sound work of Antoine Petitjean is terrific for its approach to sparse sounds as well the way things are heard for dramatic effect. The film’s music by Oscar Straus and Georges van Parys is wonderful for its lush orchestral score that plays to the period of the times with its usage of piano-based music and operatic pieces as it plays to the romantic and dramatic tone of the film.
The film’s phenomenal cast include notable small performances from Lia Di Leo as Andre’s mistress Lola, Mirielle Perrey as Louise’s caretaker, Jean Galland as an associate of Andre, and Jean Debucourt as the jeweler Monsieur Remy. Vittorio de Sica is incredible as Baron Fabrizio Donati as this man who is an old friend of Andre as he falls for Louise as he also deals with the secrecy of their affair and Andre’s cruelty. Charles Boyer is marvelous as General Andre as this man who likes to keep things secret including his own extramarital affairs while he learns that his wife is lying as he tries to regain control of everything he has. Finally, there’s Danielle Darrieux in a radiant performance as Countess Louise as this woman whose life unravels all by the act of selling her earrings to settle some debts as Darrieux maintains a sense of elegance in her character despite the trials and tribulations she would have as it’s an iconic performance from Darrieux.
The Earrings of Madame de… is an astoundingly enchanting film from Max Ophuls. Armed with a great cast and a compelling premise, it’s a film that is definitely rich in its images but also in the way it explores a world that is changing as well as attitudes and behaviors. In the end, The Earrings of Madame de… is an exquisitely sensational film from Max Ophuls.
Max Ophuls Films: (The Bartered Bride) - (The Merry Heirs) - (Liebelei) - (A Love Story (1933 film)) - (Everybody’s Woman) - (The Tender Enemy) - (The Trouble with Money) - (Yoshiwara) - (The Novel of Werther) - (Sarajevo (1940 film)) - (The Exile) - (Letter from an Unknown Woman) - (Caught (1949 film)) - (The Reckless Moment) - La Ronde (1950 film) - Le Plaisir - Lola Montes - (The Lovers of Montparnasse)
© thevoid99 2015
