La Ronde (1950)

Vignettes revolving around a circle of interconnected love.

Director:

Max Ophüls (as Max Ophuls)

Writers:

Arthur Schnitzler (play), Jacques Natanson (adaptation)

Stars:

Anton Walbrook, Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Anton Walbrook	...	Raconteur
Simone Signoret	...	Léocadie
Serge Reggiani	...	Franz
Simone Simon	...	Marie
Daniel Gélin	...	Alfred (as Daniel Gelin)
Danielle Darrieux	...	Emma Breitkopf
Fernand Gravey	...	Charles Breitkopf
Odette Joyeux	...	Anna
Jean-Louis Barrault	...	Robert Kuhlenkampf
Isa Miranda	...	Charlotte
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 | infidelity | sexual desire | interlinked stories | period drama | 

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Taglines:

Ten Top Continental Stars to Delight You!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Max Ophüls' son Marcel, the film was increasingly booed during its three last segments at its premiere.

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Goofs

Around 01:08:47, the woman is sitting at left of the piano. Around 01:09:18, she's sitting front of it.

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Quotes

Raconteur: The sun is out. It's Spring. You can tell from the scent in the air that love is just around the corner, can't you?

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Alternate Versions

The Criterion DVD issued in 2008 is 1:33. This is the version shown on TCM.

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Connections

Version of Ringlek (1982)

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Soundtracks

Der Reigen/La Ronde de l'amour
(uncredited)
Music by Oscar Straus
Lyrics by Kurt Feltz
French Lyrics by Louis Ducreux
Sung by Anton Walbrook

User Reviews

Clever and daring, for 1950

I love the concept of this film and its lightness. In presenting these ten little vignettes of love (or more often just sex), each related to the last by one of its characters, it unabashedly touches on prostitution, sex in public, seduction, infidelity, the double standard, an age gap, mirrors over the bed, a couple of slaps leading to sex, and male impotence (the narrator's merry go round humorously grinding to a halt the first time the last one happens). Nothing's shown but it's quite risqué for 1950, and not surprising that conservatives in America initially banned it. The cast is quite deep and filled with charming leading ladies - Simone Signoret, Simone Simon (I just love typing those two names together), Danielle Darrieux, Odette Joyeux, and Isa Miranda.

It seems to be from a male perspective though, as the women are a little too passive, maybe with the exception of Miranda's character at the end. In one creepy moment a middle aged man (whose just had sex with a tipsy 19 year old shopgirl in their private booth at a restaurant) tells her "When two young people like each other, there's no need to drug the champagne, I assure you," implying that there are occasions when he's done so, and it's something she just smiles over. The film is also a tad uneven as it glides along, though coming full circle was pretty clever. It's also remarkably accepting of sex as being natural, and for people to go from one relationship to another in their lives. I like what it was going for, especially for the period in which it was made.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French Italian

Release Date:

20 September 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

La Ronde

Filming Locations:

Franstudio, Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$852

Company Credits

Production Co:

Films Sacha Gordine

Technical Specs

Runtime:

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

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1