November 26, 2008
Superb.
Charles Boyer,
Danielle Darrieux,
Vittorio De Sica,
Jean Debucourt,
Mireille Perrey
... see more 
Max Ophüls' masterpiece stars Danielle Darrieux as the titular Madame Louise de..., who in the film's opening scenes is forced to discreetly sell a pair of earrings, a gift from her military officer h... read more
DVD Release Date: September 16, 2008
Stats: 138 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (138)
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February 17, 2012As the film opens, Madame Louise is looking through her things for something to sell, in order to have some extra spending money. In lieu of her furs or her diamond cross pendant, she takes out a pair of earrings. She sells them, then pretends to "lose" them at the opera one ni... read more
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November 16, 2011Max Ophuls' The 'Earrings of Madame de...' is a visually stunning, sparkling melodrama for adults. There is so much subtext in the script (most of what the characters say is not what they mean) that it requires an film goer with a fully engaged mind to appreciate the film. I t... read more
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November 21, 2008terribly romantic but don't let that stop u. ophuls is a master and this is movie magic. my fave of his films i have seen; intricate plot and amazing performances :D
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October 8, 2007[font=Century Gothic]In "The Earrings of Madame De...", short of funds, a countess(Danielle Darrieux) decies to sell back the earrings her husband(Charles Boyer), a general, gave to her for their wedding. At first, the jeweler(Jean Debucourt) hesitates but after she faints, he a... read more
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October 15, 2009even though it's too slow for the taste of today's movie-going audiences, it retains the lustre and the depth of Max Ophuls' expertise. You can't help but admire the cinematography, frame by frame- it's impeccable. Another very important classic in the history of film.
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February 17, 2012As the film opens, Madame Louise is looking through her things for something to sell, in order to have some extra spending money. In lieu of her furs or her diamond cross pendant, she takes out a pair of earrings. She sells them, then pretends to "lose" them at the opera one ni... read more
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August 12, 2009Elegant, full of that aristocratic cool superficiality, with characters almost constantly acting their respective roles in their surface level relations. Underneath all that pretense is a bored, unsuccessful marriage and one man's ill conceived response to realizing that his wife... read more
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February 10, 2009Excellent old (1953) French film. The filing is wonderful. I especially like the sequence when the ill-fated couple fall under their respective spells.
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November 30, 2008Oh my. Stumbled on this in a Criterion Collection e-mail and bought it on a whim, never having heard of Max Ophuls, but was interested in seeing Danielle Darrieux after having heard her in Persepolis. Amazing photography, lush sets and costumes and simply not a thing to disappo... read more
Critic Reviews
March 13, 2007
J. Hoberman, Village Voice
March 7, 2007
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Three good reasons you should see The Earrings of Madame de ... are the presence and performances of Danielle Darrieux, Charles Boyer and Vittorio De Sica. This celestial triangle has never been surpa... Full Review
May 20, 2003
A.H. Weiler, New York Times
Like its turn-of-the-century décor and costuming, it is elegant and filled with decorative but basically unnecessary little items, which give it gentility and a nostalgic mood, but nothing much more s... Full Review
November 24, 2001
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
One of the most mannered and contrived love movies ever filmed. It glitters and dazzles, and beneath the artifice it creates a heart, and breaks it. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Ophuls's camera style is famous for its physicalization of time, in which every fleeting moment is recorded and made palpable by the ceaseless tracking shots, yet his delineation of space is also subl... Full Review
August 21, 2009
Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt
The tracking shots effortlessly glide down corridors, into rooms, through gardens. They particularly shine during two dancing scenes, where the smooth movements of the partners are echoed by the grace... Full Review
September 27, 2008
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Ravisihing classic made at the height of Ophuls' career (La Ronde, Lola Montes), this much admired film is flawless in subtle narrative and lavish style as an indictment of socio-sexual mores of Europ... Full Review
September 20, 2008
Sean Axmaker, Parallax View
.. not just directed, not just choreographed, but sculpted in time and space, with actors and decor as the raw materials and the camera carving out the story. Full Review
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