Sorry people, but I really hated this movie. I found it dull and I found the characters incredibly banal. It's not unprecedented. I also disliked Ophuls La Ronde, made three years before this film. The next time I want to see a well made French romance, I'll go slumming with Rene Clair. And, people, the next time I say I want to see a movie, and you know that there is a climactic pistol duel, kindly tell me to avoid that one.
I have no sympathy for Madame de, none whatsoever. If I were her husband, I too would have cheated on her. I mean, we're supposed to judge him for having a mistress, but when Madame de cheats on her husband, we're supposed to find it romantic? Only in movie logic. She apparently goes off with Vittorio de Sica's character because she finds her husband boring and inattentive. Who would attend to her? She's utterly brainless herself? What does she have to offer? Nothing besides breasts. All of my negative judgement was concentrated on her, and, while I wasn't strictly allowed to sympathize with her husband, I tended to, anyway. I mean, yeah, Vittorio de Sica is a stud. I agree totally. He deserves a better mistress than Madame de. Think about it: if she were married to De Sica, life would be just as dull and she'd probably be cavorting with Monsier de. I can recognize the great camera work, and there are a couple of fantastic moments. A dance that fades into another dance, a letter torn to bits transforming into snowflakes. Beautiful moments. Too bad they were in the wrong movie. Someone should steal them. 4/10.
I have no sympathy for Madame de, none whatsoever. If I were her husband, I too would have cheated on her. I mean, we're supposed to judge him for having a mistress, but when Madame de cheats on her husband, we're supposed to find it romantic? Only in movie logic. She apparently goes off with Vittorio de Sica's character because she finds her husband boring and inattentive. Who would attend to her? She's utterly brainless herself? What does she have to offer? Nothing besides breasts. All of my negative judgement was concentrated on her, and, while I wasn't strictly allowed to sympathize with her husband, I tended to, anyway. I mean, yeah, Vittorio de Sica is a stud. I agree totally. He deserves a better mistress than Madame de. Think about it: if she were married to De Sica, life would be just as dull and she'd probably be cavorting with Monsier de. I can recognize the great camera work, and there are a couple of fantastic moments. A dance that fades into another dance, a letter torn to bits transforming into snowflakes. Beautiful moments. Too bad they were in the wrong movie. Someone should steal them. 4/10.