La Ronde (1950)

The first word that came to my mind while watching Max Ophüls' 'La Ronde' is fascinating. The opening shot is a 5 minute long take which instantly establishes the tone and vibe of the film. The narrator played by the great Anton Wolbrook walks onto a stage(the screenplay written by Jacques Natanson and Ophüls is based on the play by Arthur Schnitzler), he then talks about who he is and what role he is supposed to carry out in the plot, he then interestingly steps down from the stage and we suddenly see the studio lights and then he walks into a set meant to simulate the look of 19th century Vienna with precise lighting to simulate sunrise and ambient noises of birds chirping in the distance. Through this opening sequence, Ophüls quickly establishes the distinction between the stage and cinema(which is relevant considering the source material for the film), he also establishes how film creates the veil of illusion that entraps and engrosses the viewer and from then on pretty much through to the end of the film, he plays around with this concept of cinematic illusion. 'La Ronde' was 'meta' before being meta was cool.The only other Max Ophüls film that I had seen before this was 'Letter from an Unknown Woman'. It really is interesting to analyse 'La Ronde' with regards to 'Letter from an Unknown Woman'. In 'Letter from an Unknown Woman', I very quickly understood that Ophüls was interested in the precise execution of the formal elements of filmmaking. The symmetry in the staging of specific scenes and sequences, precise placement of camera to call back to earlier scenes for ironic effect,etc., there are a number of examples of these technical elements in 'Letter from an Unknown Woman'. But along with that there was an intense and melancholic exploration of a woman's failed romance. Ophüls made us really care about Lisa in that film. In 'La Ronde', Ophüls continues to explore failed romance and the mysteries of sexual attraction. The film ventures into territories of exploring the causes and reasons behind an attraction between two people. Some may just be desperate to be with someone of the opposite sex, someone might seek company out of sheer boredom or for being in a bland and lifeless marriage, some might get attracted to specific individuals who might remind them of a loved one or a forgotten moment in the past,etc. But having said all of that, it becomes very clear that Ophüls is more interested in tweaking and maneuvering these themes to underline the plot machinations and forced interceptions that a director engages in during the process of making a film. The film doesn't dig deep into the characters and make us care for them, but intentionally so. For me, the character played by Anton Walbrook is supposed to be the surrogate for the director. The film is divided into a number of separate episodes. Walbrook makes his way into almost each episode to ensure that one character from that particular episode makes his/her way into the next episode to make sure the film keeps moving forward smoothly and the figurative merry-go-round keeps rotating. The camera movements are again as precise as they were in 'Letter from an Unknown Woman'.Due to restricted and limited access to the characters, we don't to really attach ourselves to any particular actor, but the acting is stellar from pretty much everyone involved, specially Anton Walbrook and Danielle Darrieux. I also have to mention that the song 'La Ronde de l'amour' and the tune adds to charm of the film exponentially. 'La Ronde' is a film about the magic that a filmmaker can create out of the illusion of cinema. Ophüls constantly uses self-reflexive scenes of Wolbrook breaking the 4th wall or Wolbrook walking in an area where the studio equipments are clearly visible or him changing the course of the characters to ensure the plot progresses in a specific way or even scenes of Wolbrook censoring and editing out chunks of the film. This is a very mature, artistic yet immensely mischievous exploration the process of filmmaking. Is it at the basic level, a gimmick film? Yes, but when a gimmick is executed in such a marvelous way by a master director, it becomes impossible not to admire it.

This seems a little old fashioned even allowing for it's period setting. Perhaps it's the reluctance of the director to go beyond even the merest suggestion of congress that gives it an air of something made in the late thirties or forties. It certainly has charm though and Ophul's cameras twirl and glide like the carousel itself. Always looking sumptuous (perhaps it shouldn't) and always light-hearted (perhaps it should be more serious) it is a pleasant enough viewing. Oscar Strauss' music helps enormously and is in complete harmony with the visuals. Simon Signoret as the prostitute, seen at the start and finish is exemplary and Simone Simon shines most brightly as the seductive maid.

In recent years, most French films I have seen seems to have been sexually obsessed. This is interesting and may account for some of the reason Americans and Frenchmen often don't seem to see eye to eye. American films are many times sexually obsessed as well, though not as apparently often and not in films from the 1930s to the 1960s. However, sex, not love, was the focus in many French films from this same period--such as The Rules of the Game (1939) and La Ronde (1950). Now I am NOT making a blanket indictment of French films--I LOVE many of them and have great respect for the work. However, it's a real shame, as I began watching many more French films in recent months so I could find some good and acceptable French films for students in our school's French classes and I have been FAR less successful than I'd hoped.In the case of La Ronde, the stories, though well presented, do not center on love but sex and STDs. The movie opens with a wonderful narrator (sort of like a cupid who likes to encourage and set up sexual encounters--not making the couples fall head over heals in love). The first is a rather surly soldier who gets a "quickie" under the bridge with a prostitute (this is certainly NOT a romance) and goes from there to various adulterous affairs involving unfaithful wives as well as husbands. We are also told that "love" is very fleeting and NEVER lasts. Perhaps this is true with prostitutes and mistresses, but saying all love is fleeting is a very sad message indeed.If the movie had instead focused on real love and not solely the glandular type, this could have been a VERY sweet and well-crafted movie. As it is, it is a smarmy and still well-crafted movie.The comment made by writers_reign about this movie was brilliant and undoubtedly true. In light of STD transmission, this puts the movie in a new light and makes a lot of sense. Still, is THAT really what you want to see?! YUCK!

La Ronde is undoubtedly a great film! I've only seen it once, years ago, but it made a big impression on me. I've always been very fond of old black & white classics, and this one has beautiful settings and light. The story may not be something entirely new, but is told with elegant wit, and the list of actors involved is a who's who of French cinema of the 40's/50's. The wonderful Simone Signoret is particularly good as the prostitute, and my own personal favourite is Gérard Philipe, though his role isn't terribly meaty and also seems a bit stilted. So, the verdict is: a great original by Max Ophüls! And it will seem even better if compared with Roger Vadim's lacklustre and obvious remake! I don't recall the title of Vadim's remake, but it was boring and totally without the charm and ease of the original. A waste of time! Do yourself a favour, ignore the remake and go watch the original...