La Ronde (1950) La ronde (original title)

Director:

Max Ophüls

Writers:

Arthur Schnitzler (play)
Jacques Natanson (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

16 March 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

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

Plot:

An all-knowing interlocutor guides us through a series of affairs in Vienna, 1900. A soldier meets an eager young lady of the evening...

Plot Keywords:

Carousel | Soldier | 1900s | Maid | Interlinked Stories

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins

Cast

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean Clarieux	...	Le brigadier sur le banc (uncredited)
Paulette Frantz	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Jean Landier	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
René Marjac	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Marcel Mérovée	...	Toni (uncredited)
Jean Ozenne	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Robert Vattier	...	Le professeur Schüller (uncredited)
Jacques Vertan	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Charles Vissière	...	Le concierge du théatre (uncredited)

Directed by
Max Ophüls

Writing credits
Arthur Schnitzler		(play "Reigen")
Jacques Natanson		(adaptation) and
Max Ophüls		(adaptation)
Jacques Natanson		(dialogue)

Produced by
Ralph Baum	....	producer
Sacha Gordine	....	producer

Original Music by
Oscar Straus		(as Oscar Strauss)

Cinematography by
Christian Matras

Film Editing by
Léonide Azar

Production Design by
Jean d'Eaubonne

Costume Design by
Georges Annenkov

Makeup Department
Carmen Brel	....	makeup artist (as Carmen Brelle)

Production Management
Renée Bardon	....	unit production manager
Ralph Baum	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tony Aboyantz	....	assistant director
Paul Feyder	....	assistant director

Art Department
Marc Frédérix	....	assistant production designer
Alfred Marpaux	....	assistant production designer
Charles Merangel	....	set designer
Henri Vergnes	....	set designer (as Vergne)

Sound Department
Pierre-Louis Calvet	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Ernest Bourreaud	....	assistant camera (as E. Bourreuad)
Jean-François Clair	....	still photographer
Alain Douarinou	....	camera operator
Sam Levin	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marie Gromtseff	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Suzanne Rondeau	....	assistant editor (as S. Rondeau)

Music Department
Joe Hajos	....	music adaptor

Other crew
Grégoire Geftmann	....	administration director
Lucie Lichtig	....	script girl
Noel Mouton	....	production secretary (as Noèle Mouton)

Production Companies

• Films Sacha Gordine

Distributors

• Svanfilm (1950) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Union Film Vertrieb (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Commercial Pictures (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Nelson Entertainment (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Second Sight Films (2006) (UK) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Gaumont DVD (2009) (France) (DVD) (box-set)
• New Star (2012) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Criterion Collection, The (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

"La ronde" - France (original title)

Runtime:

97 min | 110 min (1989 restored version) | West Germany:89 min (video)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Iceland:12 | UK:A (1982) | UK:PG (1990) | UK:X (1951) (cut) | West Germany:18 (f) | Australia:PG | USA:Not Rated

Company:

Films Sacha Gordine

Trivia:

Max Ophuls and his co-scenarist, Jacques Natanson, added one more character to the ten in Schnitzler's play: an unnamed, godlike figure, played by Anton Walbrook.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Max par Marcel (2009)

Soundtrack:

Der Reigen

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.