La Ronde (1950)

 Max Ophuls' "La Ronde"

After shooting his last U.S. film "The Reckless Moment," Max Ophuls returned to Europe. He did not, however, go back to Germany, where he started his career. Instead, he entered the French film industry, an industry that was becoming known for producing far more creative and artistic ventures than its American counterpart. There, he and writer Jacques Natanson adapted the 1897 stage play "La Ronde" by Arthur Schnitzler into a feature length film.

"La Ronde" is an anthology of stories all introduced to the viewer by a 'master of ceremonies.' We are told by this master of ceremonies that the stories we are seeing all center around love. We are shown various episodes, whereby one of the lovers from the previous episodes has another lover in the next. This goes all the way around until we end up on the Simone Signoret character we started from. As the master of ceremonies says, we've spun around 'la ronde,' or 'the wheel.' 

What is important to note is that all the characters around this 'wheel of love' are all indicative of the various social and economic classes. We begin the film with a street prostitute, then soldier, chambermaid, the son of a wealthy family, the young wife of a businessman, the businessman, a young woman, a poet, an actress, and a count. All elevation of the economic ladder are present. Despite their varied social standing, they are have a deep sense of desire. They all seem like people who just want to connect. As we journey through this wheel, we see characters who are all alike in the same way and yet all different in their class or circumstance.

Overall, I really enjoyed the film. I felt as though the themes and its analogy weren't very complex or intricate. What I was fascinated by most was the metatextual character of the Master of Ceremonies acting as the filmmaker himself. As far as all the romances of the film, I felt the sense of loneliness, desire, and connection of all the characters fully. This wasn't a film that I would consider something in grand terms, but it did entice me, it did entertain me, it did make me muse about class and social dynamics, and it did make me satisfied I watched. What more can you ask for.