La Ronde (1950)
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An exercise in style, La Ronde was one of the few films of the 1950s to contain overtly sexual themes. The story is a series of character vignettes, set in Vienna in the early 1900s and held together by a narrator (Anton Walbrook). As the title implies, both the story and the film's visual motifs are circular. Director Max Ophuls uses an old-fashioned merry-go-round to foreshadow the film's events, in which each segment introduces a new character, who has an affair with a character from the previous scene. The film demands that the audience pay attention to the structure, to the interplay among the characters, and to the opulent visual elements; and the effect is synergistic delight, in which the viewer is engaged both visually and intellectually. Because it was filmed in black-and-white, La Ronde does not have the garish look of some of Ophuls' other films, notably Lola Montès. La Ronde is among the few foreign language films to receive multiple Oscar nominations, for Black & White Art Direction and Best Adapted Screenplay. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide
Complete Cast:
- Anton Walbrook - The Master of Ceremonies
- Serge Reggiani - Franz, the Soldier
- Daniel Gélin - Alfred
- Fernand Gravey - Charles, Emma's Husband
- Jean-Louis Barrault - Robert Kuhlenkampf
- Gérard Philipe - The Count
- Robert Vattier - Prof. Schuller
- Simone Signoret - Leocadie, the Prostitute
- Simone Simon - Marie, the Maid
- Danielle Darrieux - Emma Breitkopf
- Odette Joyeux - The Grisette
- Isa Miranda - The Actress
- Charles Vissieres - The Concierge
- Director(s):
- Max Ophüls
- Writer(s):
- Max Ophüls, Jacques Natanson
- Producer(s):
- Sacha Gordine
- Closed Captioning:
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- Subtitles:
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- 1951 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Film - Any Source
