''La Ronde'' is a 1950 French film directed by
Max Ophüls and based on
Arthur Schnitzler
Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist.
Biography
Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...
's 1897 play ''
La Ronde''.
Set in
Vienna
en, Viennese
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, registration_plate = W
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, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
in 1900, it shows ten amorous encounters across the social spectrum, from a street prostitute to a nobleman, with each scene involving one character from the previous episode. The French term 'La Ronde' can mean any of the following: circling around, doing the rounds, a round of drinks, a circular dance.
The film won the
BAFTA award for Best Film
The BAFTA Award for Best Film is given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. It has been given since the 1st BAFTA Awards, representing the best films of 1947, but until 1 ...
and was nominated for two
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
; for
Best Writing and
Best Art Direction.
Plot
The master of ceremonies opens proceedings by telling the audience that they will see various episodes in the endless waltz of love. A prostitute takes a soldier under a bridge. The soldier picks up a chambermaid at a dance hall. The chambermaid willingly succumbs to the son of her employers. The young man starts an affair with the young wife of an older businessman. She then has an edgy discussion in bed with her husband. The husband takes a shopgirl to a private dining room and gets her drunk. The shopgirl falls for a poet, who is pursuing an affair with an actress. The actress invites a count to visit her in bed next morning. That evening, he gets drunk and ends up in the bed of the prostitute, so completing the circle.
Cast
In order of appearance:
*
Anton Walbrook as the Master of Ceremonies
*
Simone Signoret as Léocadie, the Prostitute
*
Serge Reggiani as Franz, the Soldier
*
Simone Simon
Simone Thérèse Fernande Simon (23 April 1910 or 1911 – 22 February 2005) was a French film actress who began her film career in 1931.
Early life
Born in Marseille, France, she was the daughter of Henri Louis Firmin Clair Simon, a French J ...
as Marie, the Chambermaid
*
Daniel Gélin as Alfred, the Young Master
*
Danielle Darrieux
Danielle Yvonne Marie Antoinette Darrieux (; 1 May 1917 – 17 October 2017) was a French actress of stage, television and film, as well as a singer and dancer.
Beginning in 1931, she appeared in more than 110 films. She was one of France's g ...
as Emma, the Wife
*
Fernand Gravey
Fernand Gravey (25 December 1905 in Ixelles (Belgium) – 2 November 1970 in Paris, France),Death certificate # 8/445/1970 also known as Fernand Gravet in the United States, was the son of actors Georges Mertens and Fernande Depernay, who a ...
as Charles, the Husband
*
Odette Joyeux as Anna, the Shopgirl
*
Jean-Louis Barrault as Robert, the Poet
*
Isa Miranda as Charlotte, the Actress
*
Gérard Philipe as the Count
Production
Although at the time of production, Schnitzler's son was still enforcing his father's stipulation that the play — ''Reigen'' (or ''La Ronde'') — should never be performed or adapted, Ophuls was able to secure the rights to it because of Schnitzler's additional stipulation that his French-language translator was to own the rights to the French version.
Censorship
The film was classified by New York film censors as "immoral" and therefore unacceptable for public screenings. At the end of 1953, the film's producers appealed to the
U.S. Supreme Court and, in 1954, ''La Ronde'' was approved for exhibition in New York without any cuts.
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 8.21/10.
See also
* ''
La Ronde'', a film made in 1964, directed by
Roger Vadim, based on the same play
References
External links
*
*
*
''La ronde: Vicious Circle''an essay by
Terrence Rafferty
Terrence Rafferty is a film critic who wrote regularly for ''The New Yorker'' during the 1990s. His writing has also appeared in '' Slate'', ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ''The Village Voice'', ''The Nation'', and ''The New York Times''. For a number ...
at the
Criterion Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ronde, La
1950 films
1950 drama films
Adultery in films
French anthology films
Films about prostitution in Austria
French films based on plays
Films based on works by Arthur Schnitzler
Films directed by Max Ophüls
Films set in the 1890s
Films set in Vienna
French drama films
French romantic comedy films
Best Film BAFTA Award winners
Films scored by Oscar Straus
French black-and-white films
1950s French films