Madame de...

I FINALLY watched The Earrings of Madame de....It’s my first Max Ophuls flick. I’ve been meaning to watch this one for many years. I first heard about Ophuls through Kubrick back in high school. Kubrick loved Ophuls. It’s pretty evident why that is. Madame de has wonderful cinematography. The camera is so fluid and vibrant, and the tracking shots are impeccable. Brandon, you had this at number two on your list for 1953 and called it a masterpiece. You’re absolutely right. It is a masterpiece. As a story, it is fantastic. A tragic look at marriage and infidelity (but it’s also entertaining and even humorous at parts). But the craft involved is what makes this perfect. The movement of the camera is glorious to behold. An absolute pleasure to watch it glide about. I’m going to check out Lola Montes next before they take it off NWI. I need to see more Ophuls immediately.

Also, Vittorio De Sica is in it! It’s awesome to watch him; he’s very charming and he does a very fine job. It’s fun to see great directors acting in other director’s movies, like Fritz Lang in Contempt, Cassavetes in Rosemary’s Baby, or Truffaut in Close Encounters. That would be an interesting list to make–top 10 director appearances in other director’s movies.

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Giving objects in films their due is a nice idea. The table set in Poltergeist is my favorite part of the movie (all in one shot–awesomeness). A friend of mine is eerily adept at pointing out interesting objects in films. He lived in Brazil for a year and would watch movies in Portuguese without knowing much of what was spoken. So he’d focus on little details like random objects instead of the movie itself and the habit stuck. Pretty neat. I wish I had that kind of attention for detail.

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Skipping movies is always justified; I agree. Life is too miserably short as it is; why waste your time on viewing experiences you know you will regret? To me, film is a hobby, a love, and a pleasure. I never want it to be a chore in my life. If I don’t want to watch something, I don’t watch it. I agree with you, John. Skippin’ a movie because it looks boring is a great reason to do so. I do it all the time.

A friend of mine hated Paul, as well. The trailer looks awful, despite some of the talent involved. From what you said, it’s definitely worthy of a skip.

Another friend saw Jane Eyre and loved it. She’s a fan of the book like me. I really would like to see it, but will probably wait until netflix because I'm a cheapskate.