An all-knowing interlocutor guides us through a series of affairs in Vienna, 1900. A soldier meets an eager young lady of the evening. Later he has an affair with a young lady, who becomes a maid and does similarly with the young man of the house. The young man seduces a married woman. On and on, spinning on the gay carousel of life.
Direction
Ophüls' floating tracking shots are pure cinematic opium
Acting
Anton Walbrook's meta narrator breaks the fourth wall deliciously
Costume
Every corset and uniform screams fin-de-siècle fever dream
Director
Max Ophüls
Anton Walbrook
Raconteur - le meneur de jeu
Simone Signoret
Léocadie, la prostitutée
Serge Reggiani
Franz, le soldat
Simone Simon
Marie, la femme de chambre
Daniel Gélin
Alfred, le jeune homme
Fernand Gravey
Charles Breitkopf, son mari
Gérard Philipe
Le comte
Danielle Darrieux
Emma Breitkopf, la femme mariée
Jean-Louis Barrault
The Poet
Odette Joyeux
Anna, la grisette
Isa Miranda
Charlotte
Jean Clarieux
Le brigadier sur le banc (uncredited)
Paulette Frantz
(uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Banned in New York as 'immoral' — the same year Doris Day was America's sweetheart. The hypocrisy wrote itself.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
FR
