Summary
An enigmatic, all-knowing raconteur guides us through a series of brief love affairs that
take place in Vienna of 1900. The journey begins with a young soldier who is unwillingly
seduced by a prostitute. A short while later the soldier has an amorous outing with
a young lady, who then becomes a house maid to a young aristocrat who, in turn,
seduces her. The cycle continues through several similar rencontres until
it finally comes full circle, ending with the prostitute who began the merry-go-round
of love.
Review
Through a series of dove-tailing love vignettes, Max Ophüls offers us an enchanting
film replete with some of the greatest acting talent French cinema has known. The
brevity of the individual segments of the film does not impair the quality of the characterisation
or acting performance, and there are some very impressive moments, particularly the scenes
with Jean-Louis Barrault (best know for his role in Les
Enfants du Paradis) and Simone Signoret (Les Diaboliques and Casque d’Or).
The film is surprisingly – for a film of its age – pretty explicit about the sexual proclivities
of the aristocracy and military men. That a middle-aged married woman should seek
an amorous adventure with a man half her age, whilst her wealthy husband carries on with
a young woman barely out of her teens most probably caused a few raised eyebrows when
the film was released in 1950 – particularly when the film is very much in the velvet-lined
mould of the traditional pre-war French romantic film.
The most impressive aspect of the film, above the great acting and splendid direction,
is its humour. This is a film that is unable to take itself seriously. The
mysterious raconteur (superbly played by Anton Walbrook) endeavours to keep the
merry-go-round of love happily on its course, but has a few technical problems on the
way.
Another strong point is Oscar Straus’s musical score, particularly the raconteur’s merry-go-round
ballad which accompanies the film throughout, not unlike the cheery music of a real merry-go-round
in a fairground.
La Ronde is a mesmerising piece of cinematic art - a fanciful waltz across the
never-ending ballroom of ephemeral love.
© James Travers 2001
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