I tried to watch this movie on VHS years ago, but found it too boring to get through. I decided to give it another chance in a real theater, because I'd heard that it's such a classic. It definitely improved on the big screen (well, not that big), but the good things about the movie are undercut by the unsatisfactory story. The film starts out like a biting social comedy, on the order of "La Ronde", but strangely changes tone partway through, turning much darker. But because of the light opening, the characters are not three-dimensional enough to support a serious story. The actors, especially Darrieux, are good enough that they almost make it work, but they needed a better script. The abrupt, unexplained ending was especially frustrating to me.
The film is beautifully shot, but the camera-work was a little too hyper for me in places--a dance sequence made me literally dizzy. (Probably most people wouldn't have a problem with that.) Also, the rich, somewhat claustrophobic production design showed a few too many 1950's influences for my taste.
On the positive side, I admired the way Ophuls created (on the surface) a believable world of the rich, and yet had an awareness of the poorer people that surrounded it. That was something I did not expect.
The film is beautifully shot, but the camera-work was a little too hyper for me in places--a dance sequence made me literally dizzy. (Probably most people wouldn't have a problem with that.) Also, the rich, somewhat claustrophobic production design showed a few too many 1950's influences for my taste.
On the positive side, I admired the way Ophuls created (on the surface) a believable world of the rich, and yet had an awareness of the poorer people that surrounded it. That was something I did not expect.