Friday Spotlight: The Earrings of Madame de...

After the month-long immersion in spookiness that was The 31 Days of Horror, I needed to take a breather with something altogether different. Max Ophuls' The Earrings of Madame de... (1953) fit the bill perfectly.

The film about a high society love triangle set into motion by a pair of earrings is deceptively simple, beginning light as a Parisian breeze, only to slowly become absolutely engrossing as the emotional melodrama unfolds. And unfold it does, ingeniously building and shedding intricate layers of deceit, romance and circumstance--all captured by Ophul's pioneering roving camera.

Leads Charles Boyer and Vittorio de Sica are ace, but the film belongs to Danielle Darrieux as the beautiful, manipulative Madame. I challenge anyone to see this film and not fall for her charms.

*Note: the clip contains a mess of spoilers. It's in French, though, so only half the battle is lost.


-Phil Morehart