A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND

The Earrings of Madame De...

Ask any rabid cinephile: Max Ophüls’ The Earrings of Madame de… is a masterpiece of film form. A solemn romance set in early 20th century Paris, the story is tame and elegant, but Ophüls tells it with marvelous panache—all sweeping cameras and majestic mise-en-scene. I don’t buy Andrew Sarris’ assertion that this is “the greatest film of all time,” but its lyricism surely deserves attention: Earrings recounts tragedy with sincere attention to each of its characters. Nobody wins in the end, and you feel bad for everyone. But Ophüls combines an immersive atmosphere with fierce moral dilemmas so that the experience stays richly rewarding throughout.

Read the rest of the review in the New York Press...