Ophuls Movies

 Lola Montes (1955) Ophuls Life of the infamous 19th century courtesan (Martine Carol) including her affairs with Franz Liszt and the King of Bavaria.Pros: Beautiful color photography Cons: Leading lady, story, Circus scenes. Analysis:. A disappointment after many good Ophuls films. Big flaw, the lead actress is wooden and not very beautiful - so her ability to seduce the rich and powerful is puzzling. Ophuls makes her even less engaging by avoiding close-ups, shooting her from a distance, and providing her little memorable dialogue. Other problems include a story with no substance and the annoying Peter Ustinov “Circus” scenes . A movie about Lola Montes should be exciting but Ophuls botches it.

Summary - Lovely to look at but boring.. Rating **

Madame De... (1953) - Max Ophuls. Elegant, sad story of a turn-of-the-century Contesse, a love triangle, and a pair of diamond earrings. An excellent movie, well acted (Charles Boyer is the male lead) and the characters seem real. Rating ***1/2

Le Pleisur (1952) - Max Ophuls. Based on 3 stories by Maupassant about the limits of spiritual and physical pleasure. Sent in 1900 France. The main story concerns a group of Prostitutes who close up the Brothel to attend a religious service in the country.. Excellent photography, camera work, acting, and set design. Like "Madame De.." the movie makes these historical figures come alive. Drags a little in the middle - but the movie is enjoyable if somewhat inconsequential. Rating ***

Ronde (1950) An amusing period piece set in turn-of-the-century Paris (or is it Vienna?) and based on the German Play Reigen We follow a ringmaster who shows us a series of love affairs, a soldier and a prostitute, the soldier and the maid, the maid and the young Bourgeoisie, etc. until it all leads back to the beginning. Some of vignettes are funny, others sad. Well acted and directed. Enjoyable like a piece of French pastry. Rating ***