Movie review: 'The Earrings of Madame de ...'

Article by: Colin Covert , Star Tribune
Updated: November 15, 2007 - 3:08 PM

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You needn't be a fan of period costume drama to adore "The Earrings of Madame de ... " (****, in French with English subtitles). Certainly the 19th-century Parisian finery and lavish settings contribute to this tragic love triangle's sensuous atmosphere, but the concerns of Max Ophuls' 1953 masterpiece are timeless and universal.

The film is about possessions, a theme established in the sweeping opening shot, which follows a general's wife (Danielle Darrieux, pictured) through her wardrobe, overstuffed with furs and jewelry. She's the beautiful possession of her stern, distant husband (Charles Boyer).

She deceitfully gives herself away to lovers much as she settles a humiliating debt by selling a spectacular set of earrings bestowed upon her by the general, then claims to have lost them. The jewels pass from owner to owner and return to Madame through her latest lover, a cool, dashing Italian count (Vittorio De Sica), and the stiff-backed general provokes an unrelated argument with the count so he can seek a gentleman's satisfaction. The camera glides like a ballerina through this world of glittering surfaces and private deception, while the scenario presents us with three deeply flawed characters and wins our sympathy for each of them. (7:15 and 9:15 p.m. today through Tues., plus 5:15 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Oak Street Cinema, 309 SE. Oak St., Mpls.)