La Ronde (1950)
Director: Max Ophüls
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Not one of the director's very greatest films on desire (see Letter from an Unknown Woman and Lola Montès for those), Ophüls' circular chain of love and seduction in 19th century Vienna is still irresistible. Embellishing Arthur Schnitzler's text with metaphors that are entirely his own (a carousel; an omniscient/omnipotent narrator/MC, with Walbrook at times actually seen splicing the celluloid stories together; and that perfect expression of the Ophülsian circle, the waltz), Ophüls almost manages to make you forget that the performances in the first half (Signoret, Reggiani, Simon, Gélin, Darrieux, Gravey) are much better than those in the second. And there are more than enough moments of cinematic magic to excuse the occasional longueurs of talkiness.Author: RM
Cast & crew
Director: Max Ophüls
Producer: Sacha Gordine
Cast: Anton Walbrook, Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani, Simone Simon, Daniel Gélin, Danielle Darrieux, Fernand Gravey, Odette Joyeux, Jean-Louis Barrault, Isa Miranda, Gérard Philipe full cast
Genre(s): Period/Swashbucklers
Duration: 97 mins
Most popular on this site
Features
Old-school house
Even in the age of the multiplex, a few old movie theaters continue to thrive in NYC.
Keeping the faith
Hope abounds in Spike Lee’s latest—as it does in the director himself.
Going the distance
TONY toughs out the Toronto International Film Festival, blow by blow.
Race you to the top
Tyler Perry doesn’t need critics—and may not need new audiences.
Spanish intuition
Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall flirt away an Iberian summer in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
To air is human
Man on Wire, a new doc about a surreal Manhattan morning, aims high.





What do you think?
Post your review now