La Ronde (1950)
"La ronde" (original title)

An all-knowing interlocutor guides us through a series of affairs in Vienna, 1900. A soldier meets an eager young lady of the evening. Later he has an affair with a young lady, who becomes ... See full summary »

Director:

Max Ophüls

Writers:

Arthur Schnitzler (play), Jacques Natanson (adaptation),

Stars:

Anton Walbrook, Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Anton Walbrook	...	Raconteur - le meneur de jeu
Simone Signoret	...	Léocadie, la prostitutée
Serge Reggiani	...	Franz, le soldat
Simone Simon	...	Marie, la femme de chambre
Daniel Gélin	...	Alfred, le jeune homme
Danielle Darrieux	...	Emma Breitkopf, la femme mariée
Fernand Gravey	...	Charles Breitkopf, son mari
Odette Joyeux	...	Anna, la grisette
Jean-Louis Barrault	...	Robert Kuhlenkampf, le poète
Isa Miranda	...	Charlotte, le comédienne
Gérard Philipe	...	Le comte

Storyline

An all-knowing interlocutor guides us through a series of affairs in Vienna, 1900. A soldier meets an eager young lady of the evening. Later he has an affair with a young lady, who becomes a maid and does similarly with the young man of the house. The young man seduces a married woman. On and on, spinning on the gay carousel of life.

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Plot Keywords:

carousel | soldier | 1900s | maid | interlinked stories | 

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Taglines:

A Wonderful Merry-Go-Round of Love With Eleven Stars

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

16 March 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

La Ronde

Company Credits

Production Co:

Films Sacha Gordine

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 110 min (1989 restored) 89 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Max Ophuls shot the picture entirely in the studio.

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Connections

Version of Circle of Love (1964)

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Soundtracks

"Der Reigen"
Music by Oscar Straus
Lyrics by Kurt Feltz
French Lyrics by Louis Ducreux
Sung by Anton Walbrook (as Adolf Wohlbrück)

User Reviews

A fanciful waltz through the ephemeral ballroom of love

Through a series of dove-tailing love vignettes, Max Ophüls offers us an enchanting film replete with some of the greatest acting talent French cinema has known. The brevity of the individual segments of the film does not greatly impair the quality of the characterisation or acting performance, and there are some very impressive moments, particularly the scenes with Jean-Louis Barrault (best know for his role in Les Enfants du Paradis) and Simone Signoret (Les Diaboliques and Casque d'Or).

The film is surprisingly - for a film of its age - pretty explicit about the sexual proclivities of the aristocracy and military men. That a respectable middle-aged married woman should seek an amorous adventure with a man half her age, whilst her wealthy husband carries on with a young woman barely out of her teens most probably caused a few raised eyebrows when the film was released in 1950 - particularly when the film is very much in the velvet-lined mould of the traditional pre-war French romantic film.

The most impressive aspect of the film, above the great acting and splendid direction, is its humour. This is a film that is unable to take itself seriously. The mysterious raconteur (superbly played by Anton Walbrook) endeavours to keep the merry-go-round of love happily on its course, but has a few technical problems on the way. It's reassuring to know that even all-knowing deities have their off-days.

Another strong point is Oscar Straus's musical score, particularly the raconteur's merry-go-round ballad which accompanies the film throughout, not unlike the cheery music of a real merry-go-round in a fairground.

This has all the ingredients of a great film. It is a fanciful waltz across the ephemeral ballroom of love, and it succeeds admirably.