La Ronde
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Movie Reviews of La Ronde
Movie Review: classic french film
Summary: 5 Stars
Very interesting production of a play originally banned in Europe. The commentary is equally interesting. The language is cultured French vs. slangish style used by Truffaut and later filmmakers. The English subtitles are translated well.Movie Review: Cynical but realistic depiction of love/sex
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an immensely cynical movie that looks at sexual liasons through a very jaundiced eye. The idea is simple. We see several vignettes depicting men and women in fleeting sexual situations. One party in each encounter then goes on to feature in the subsequent vignette until the circle is complete.
The action is set in fin de siecle Vienna, although the setting is pretty irrelevant. The action is choerographed by a world-weary circus master played by Anton Walbrook. He introduces the guiding metaphor of a carousel -- which briefly breaks down when one of the male characters fails to perform in bed -- one of several witty moments.
The weird character angles and recurring images of bars express the social constraints which imprison all the characters. In one of the brief affairs, a young, spoiled rich boy seduces the willing maid. The camera is always looking down on him surrounded by bars as if he was a baby in a play pen. The other recurring image is of veils. The characters are constantly photographed through veils, suggesting their inability to truly connect.
Despite all these interesting features, modern viewers may find the depiction of women a little jarring. There is no attempt to depict women as equals. As wives they are possessions; as mistresses they are toys. Some of the women manage to level the playing field to some extent through their wit but still the battle of the sexes is by no means a fair fight.
Movie Review: Controversial and very entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.
La Ronde based on Arthur Schnitzler's controversial play, Reigen, is one of Max Ophüls best known films. It is based on a 1897 play that was derided as obscene by critics. The story has lost its raciness over the decades as standards have changed and the film had few problems, if any, with the censors.
The story is about people and having love affairs with each other. A soldier meets a woman at a dance ball and has a relationship with her and she in turn, later has an affair with another man who then sees another woman, and so on.
The DVD has some great special features also. They are
An interview with director Max Ophüls' son, Marcel, actor Daniel Gélin, and film scholar Alan Williams. Also included is the text of letters between Laurence Olivier and Arthur Schnitzler's son, Heinrich about the controversy surrounding the play, and audio commentary by the author of a book on Ophüls' films, Susan White.
This is an entertaining film that many will enjoy.
Movie Review: What goes around comes around
Summary: 4 Stars
Having seen the movie when it was first released, I was thrilled to find it available as a DVD. It is elegant, witty, but a little passe: Movies have come a long way since in "letting it all hang out". Some of the episodes are not fully developed and look more like first drafts. Still, watching skilled actors at work, especially Anton Walbrook as the master of ceremonies, is a delight.Movie Review: Not very deep but enjoyable enough
Summary: 4 Stars
The Bottom Line:
La Ronde consists of a series of romantic vignettes that tell a short story about love before moving on to the next set of characters; the merry-go-round of stories and characters fits together nicely at the end and I was pleased I watched this slight but fun piece of entertainment.
3/4