Has cinema ever known a character as vapid as this film's lead? Her decadence is sickening, yet Ophüls avoids blatant judgment by smartly immersing the audience in her bucolic wonderland, an opulent paradise where wealth and adulation (in her case, as a trophy wife) supposedly equal happiness. It's all very alluring on the surface; close examination reveals a social caste obsessed with appearances yet navigating with blinders on, subtly mocked by the help as the ridiculous fools they are.

Really smart. Like watching a master paint: confident and flawless.

As one can expect of Ophüls the camerawork is elegant. But I felt emotionally detached from the film, probably due to the love affair which seemed forced and was hard to believe.

Great camera movement and cool compressed-time montages (Ophuls really keeps things hopping)...but I guess I found the story itself a little artificial. Unfortunately, the film itself becomes a bit of a Doll's House.

Technically, there's nothing wrong with the film: well crafted and filled with beautiful, and at times ingenious, shots. The story is moderately engaging (though not as moving as "Le Plaisir"), yet the juxtaposed symbolism serves as the film's driving force. Love is misleading, artificial, contrived and Ophüls makes an admirable statement on how easily it can be broken. A worthy classic, and a definite must see.

Ophuls camera keeps moving, relentless and breathtaking in its beauty, as life moves these three characters to their heartbreaking destiny, and somehow this movement--despite astonishing coincidences and extraordinary folly--makes the rush toward tragedy seem inevitable. Yes, and beautiful too.

Good direction but I didn't really care for the story.

Technically amazing, but I've seen one too many French films at this point centered around the fissures of the rich.

#85

Once it starts it just feels like you are watching something great. I love how it avoids all judgment of every character and lets things unfold as they are. I love how it breaks down the glamor of the rich and reveals all the troubles that are happening under the surface. The leads are all excellent as well. One of the best movies I've seen in a long time.

Great directing but little feelings for the wife

Everything in this film is handled exceptionally well. I just can't say that I really love it.

The beautiful camerawork is alone worth the time. Ophuls never fails to dazzle with intricate tracking shots, complex use of space, and capturing the wonderful performances of his three leads. The tragic love story is filled with complicated emotions and reactions, leaving each of the main characters fully formed and thereby interesting to watch. Great film.

78

On the differences and consequences of competing world views or, spelled otherwise, philosophies. To this extent, there is room to say something about the relation between this movie and "The Thin Red Line." Or "Trigger Happy."

The sweeping and elegant camerawork in this film is fantastic, I can see why Kubrick was so fond of Ophuls.

One of the most graceful and elegant movies I've ever seen; the entire production drips with style and class. The performances are supremely dignified, the camerawork is outstanding, the set design and costuming are understatedly opulent and gorgeous. The romance is contrived as hell, but amazingly effective.

# 68

Max Ophuls is Da Man

I think I'm in love with this movie.

The camerawork is incredible, full of long, graceful, carefully choreographed tracking shots. The shot of the torn letters turning into snow is genius. And the use of the earrings as a symbol for the various relationships of love and deception among the characters is novel. It's an excellent film, but I'm afraid that it did not connect with me on a gut level. I cannot point to a particular flaw or provide an example of what I would have preferred to see. I simply wasn't swept off my feet by it.

# 73

A wonderful story with some great performances. The opulent sets are wonderful in setting the scene, but it's the wonderful script that kept my attention all the way to the excellent ending.

Max Ophuls knows how to work a camera. The tracking shots in this are absolutely amazing. The costumes and sets are great, and characters are extremely charming. Although the plot is extremely linear, it is thoroughly engaging. One weak aspect of the film was the romance, I found it to be extremely mushy, but the conclusion really makes up for it.

Transformed by Ophuls into his most opulent, overwrought masterpiece, the film displays a triumph of form over content.

78

I'll just repeat what everyone is saying - those perfect tracking shots alone make the film a must see. My personal experience also is that this is the film that proves to me that period pieces mustn't suck. I was amazed at how this film manages to use seemingly trivial details and manages to make them spectacular without really going deeper into characters or story.

Captivating classic. A knowing look at the effect of living a shallow, meaningless life. Masterfully acted and directed, with dazzling tracking shots.

Often confused me, but I guess it should since the title character is so fickle. While I can't see why Andrew Sarris called this the best film of all time, it is truly a deserving entry in Ophüls' legacy, and it's full of his famous, visually arresting tracking shots. I actually found Charles Boyer tolerable in this one - he normally annoys the hell out of me. And De Sica, who I don't like as a director.

Good Movie