The best picture ever made. - Madame de... (1954) Discussion

Not quite but certainly in the top 10.

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I went today to this great music/DVD/book store and they had the book "Madame de" by Louise de Vilmorin. I instantly remembered the movie, the theme song, the dialogues, the whole romantism that blew me away when I saw it at 7, the acting, the costumes, the ballroom scenes, the "je ne vous aime, je ne vous aime pas" scenes. I was so full of memories. When is it coming out in France on DVD?

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] meredith_37 17 years ago

Just saw this film at Film Forum with my husband and son and loved it. My son, a film student, just graduated from Tisch at NYU, works at Film Forum and although I've always been an indie and foreign film enthusiast, this film was just terrific! The cinematography is great...my favorite scene was the filming in the ballroom when the camera follows the characters through the room while time passes....wonderful! A must see for film buffs...

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[–] Frengers 17 years ago

You're right Meredith, the cinematography was exquisitely beautiful and artfully done. The whole atmosphere of this film was positively intoxicating.

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[–] Benedict_Cumberbatch 15 years ago

Ian, I just accidentally bumped into your comment here... I'm picking my screenings for the Green Mountain Film Festival, and this film is in the selection, plus I've wanted to be introduced to Ophuls' work for a while, and your praise for the film, made up my mind, I'm seeing it!

"I did cramps the way Meryl Streep did accents" - Calliope (Middlesex)

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[–] HarlowMGM 15 years ago

It's definately the best French film I've ever seen and that country has produced many a masterpiece. I do love a good dozen or more American films more but it is absolutely an extraordinary film.

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[–] zxtrueb 11 years ago

" "I did cramps the way Meryl Streep did accents" - Calliope (Middlesex) "

HEAR! Hear!

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[–] 11 years ago

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[–] freddynovello 17 years ago

I saw this recently at an NFT season in London and was strangely moved throughout. I saw a Renoir season last year and can see how Ophuls has echoed those beautiful movies. Everything about the movie is flawless, so much so that I would advise any aspiring film-maker who wanted to know how a film ought to be made to see it. The leads (especially de Sica), cinematography, script, pace. Thankfully the print was wonderful. Makes me feel like seeing it all over again...

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[–] rs114-1 17 years ago

I won't argue with that.

I'm still reeling from a big screen performance of it this evening:

http://detroitmoviepalaces.com/blog/2007/04/06/golden-earrings/

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[–] Frengers 17 years ago

One of my all-time favourites. Delicious and achingly romantic.

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[–] jayashurst 17 years ago

I still do not know how it ends! I saw up to the point where the General and De Sica are about to fight a duel but missed the last 10 minutes or so.Can anyone tell me what happened then?

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[–] MsGallant 15 years ago

I have my doubts that you would have known who died.

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[–] mac_alain 16 years ago

The best picture ever made.Simply

It's not as simple as that, I don't think. O.K., everybody has their favourite movie(s), but this is not the best picture ever made, not by a long shot, although, admittedly, it is a good movie.

BTW the best picture ever made is Voyna i Mir (War and Peace) directed by Sergei Bondarchuk in 1967: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063794/

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[–] Stan_wyck 15 years ago

I liked it, but I wouldn't go as far to say it's one of the best pictures ever made.

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[–] artihcus022 15 years ago

The best picture ever made.

Well...sure, why not. It's too perfect for me to come back with a witty retort. More perfect than Citizen Kane certainly.

"Ça va by me, madame...Ça va by me!" - The Red Shoes

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[–] Swill_Merchant 15 years ago

Well...sure, why not. It's too perfect for me to come back with a witty retort. More perfect than Citizen Kane certainly.

With all due respect to the works of Max Ophuls and Orson Welles, how can one thing be more perfect than other? Something is either perfect or it isn't, there can't be degrees of it.

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[–] 15 years ago

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