Madame deย has been called ยthe most perfect film ever made.ย Thatยs heady but well-deserved praise for Max Ophรผlsยs 1953 classic (also known as The Earrings of Madame deย ). The black-and-white film follows a countess (Danielle Darrieux) in early 20th-century Paris. Trapped in a loveless marriage, sheยs unhappy and in debt. Pretending to lose a pair of diamond earrings that had been a wedding gift from her husband (Charles Boyer), she secretly sells the jewels. But like an unlucky amulet, the earrings make their way back and forth between the countess, her new lover (Vittorio De Sica), her husband and his mistress, bringing everyone unhappiness and eventually despair. Moving from a superficial story of the mannered rich to a discrete examination of love, class and social obligation, Madame deย is outstanding. In French with English subtitles.
This article appears in Aug 9-15, 2007.