The opening shot of “The Earrings of Madame de…” is of the earrings and not the eponymous character. In fact the first glimpse we get of the nameless Countess played by Danielle Darrieux is her reflection in her mirror. Like all the clothes and luxurious jewelry she lingers over, she is an object. She has no name, and yet the two men in her life have a desperate attachment to her. She is one of their belongings, and Max Ophuls film is about the identity and choices we are allowed when we become so attached to others, and how those same people have the power to mold and manipulate us to make us their own.
“The Earrings of Madame de…” is a curiously simple film about identity and our choices. Today a film considering these themes would be an elaborate sci-fi, but this one works just as well with a love-triangle plot. A woman sells a pair of earrings given to her as a wedding present by her husband, and the earrings eventually end up in the hands of a baron trying to court her. This results in a tapestry of lies that carefully and stylishly unravels. Continue reading “Rapid Response: The Earrings of Madame de…”