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The Earrings of Madame de...

It was her vanity that destroyed her.

1953 · 1h 45m · Not Rated Drama, Romance
Directed by Max Ophüls

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Overview

In late 19th century France, the Countess Louise, wife of a wealthy general, sells the earrings her husband gave her on their wedding day to pay off her secret debts, then claims to have lost them. Her husband quickly learns of the deceit, which is the beginning of many tragic misunderstandings, all involving the earrings, the general, the countess, and her new lover, the Italian Baron Donati.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
97%
Tomatometer
Fresh

Slighter and more emotionally distant than Ophuls's masterpiece 'Letter from an Unknown Woman', but filled with a similar mood of romantic despair and desperation.

Ben Kenigsberg, Time Out
Fresh

On one hand, Madame De . . . is all surface and style; on the other, it conveys real loss.

J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Fresh

Three good reasons you should see The Earrings of Madame de ... are the presence and performances of Danielle Darrieux, Charles Boyer and Vittorio De Sica. This celestial triangle has never been surpassed in grace, charm and, yes, wit and humor.

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Fresh

Ophuls' penultimate film.

Derek Adams, Time Out
Fresh

Like its turn-of-the-century decor and costuming, it is elegant and filled with decorative but basically unnecessary little items, which give it gentility and a nostalgic mood, but nothing much more substantial.

A.H. Weiler, New York Times

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