La Ronde (1950)
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100% of critics liked it
(13 reviews) -
83% of users liked it
(730 ratings)
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… More 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, Rovi
- Directed By
- Max Ophüls
- Written By
- Max Ophüls
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1950 Limited
- Studio
- Criterion Collection
Critic Reviews
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Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm
In what it means to do - capture the first rush of attraction - La Ronde has few screen equals.
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
max Ophuls's merry-go-round narrative, based on Schnitzler's famous play, is exquistely directed and played by best actors of Frenhc cinema: Darriuex, Signoret, Barrault.
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Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
... a film of sparking wit, visual grace, continental sophistication and elegant poise.
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Dan Callahan, Slant Magazine
A somewhat disappointing package of a truly lovely film.
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Dan Callahan, Slant Magazine
Each vignette conforms to a tight, outgrowing pattern, so that they each have equal weight, even if Danielle Darrieux's first segment is the one that lingers in the mind.
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Cast
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Anton Walbrook
as The Master of Ceremonies
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Simone Signoret
as Leocadie the Prostitute
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Serge Reggiani
as Franz the Soldier
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Simone Simon
as Marie the Maid
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Daniel Gélin
as Alfred
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Danielle Darrieux
as Emma Breitkopf
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Fernand Gravey
as Charles Emma's Husband
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Odette Joyeux
as The Grisette
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Jean-Louis Barrault
as Robert Kuhlenkampf
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Isa Miranda
as The Actress
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Gérard Philipe
as The Count
- Jean Clarieux
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Robert Vattier
as Prof. Schuller
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Charles Vissiere
as The Concierge
