The Earrings of Madame De... (1953)

The diamond earrings of a French aristocrat, a wedding gift from her husband, cause a series of conflicts as they change hands repeatedly.

Director:

Max Ophüls

Writers:

Louise de Vilmorin (novel), Marcel Achard (screenplay)

Stars:

Charles Boyer, Danielle Darrieux, Vittorio De Sica

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Boyer	...	Général André de...
Danielle Darrieux	...	Comtesse Louise de...
Vittorio De Sica	...	Baron Fabrizio Donati
Jean Debucourt	...	Monsieur Rémy
Jean Galland	...	Monsieur de Bernac
Mireille Perrey	...	La Nourrice
Paul Azaïs	...	Le premier cocher
Josselin
Hubert Noël	...	Henri de Maleville
Lia Di Leo	...	Lola

Storyline

In the Paris of the late 19th century, Louise, wife of a general, sells the earrings her husband gave her as a wedding gift: she needs money to cover her debts. The general secretly buys the earrings again and gives them to his mistress, Lola, leaving to go to Constantinople. Where an Italian diplomat, Baron Donati, buys them. Back to Paris, Donati meets Louise... So now Louise discovers love and becomes much less frivolous.

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Plot Keywords:

earring | italian | debt | countess | diplomat | 

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Taglines:

It was her vanity that destroyed her.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French Turkish

Release Date:

19 July 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Earrings of Madame De...

Filming Locations:

Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, Place Sainte-Geneviève, Paris 5, Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Franco London Films,Indusfilms,Rizzoli Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vittorio De Sica was a huge fan of Max Ophüls and wanted Jean Gabin's role in Le Plaisir (1952). Ophüls told him no, but that he would find him a dignifying role in another film. The role of the Baron was written with him in mind for this film.

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Goofs

When the general gives the earrings to Lola on the train, she is crying and has her little bag on her lap. In the next cut, the bag is on the table.

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Quotes

Général André de...: I'm not angry. I simply pity you. You're ill. You're not seeing clearly. You're trying to tun remorse into memories.

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Connections

Featured in Saint Laurent (2014)

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Soundtracks

Einmal im Leben ...(L'amour m'emporte)
music: Oscar Straus
lyrics: Robert Gilbert & Armin Robinson

User Reviews

The images, the images, the images...

Unlike Letter From an Unknown Woman, the only other film by Ophuls that i have seen, this one doesn't have much emotion, and it's harder to like the characters (for me, at least). Probably because of that, the title character is not as interesting as she could be; the men, whoever, are, probably more due to the great performances by Charles Boyer and the maverick director Vittorio de Sica. But any problems are forgivable due to the irreproachable costumes and art direction, the marvelous cinematography, and the very elaborate and rich camera work. It's the most beautiful film to look at that i have seen in a long time. Stanley Kubrick (like he said himself) owns much of his visual style to the German filmmaker. It's one of those unforgettable films, not because of the performers, or the plot, or the message, but the images; Vittorio de Sica and Danielle Darrieux dancing elegantly through the nights of Paris is one of the most remarkable moments in the history of cinema.