(THE EARRINGS OF) MADAME DE

Charles Boyer and Danielle Darrieux

MADAME DE (1953/AKA The Earrings of Madame de). Director: Max Ophuls.

To pay off her debts, Comtesse Louise (Danielle Darrieux) pawns earrings that were given to her by her husband, General Andre (Charles Boyer), but they wind up being given back to her as a gift from the man she's fallen in love with, Baron Donati (Vittorio de Sica), causing mildly interesting complications. Ophuls' most famous film (made in Hollywood) is Letter from an Unknown Woman, which is vastly superior to the French-Italian co-production Madame de. The characters are not that dimensional, although the actors, especially a fine Boyer, do their best to put them over. Despite some of the emotions boiling under the surface, the story is slight and not handled with much dramatic flair. The modestly attractive Darrieux makes too ordinary a heroine. (She had a decidedly brief Hollywood career, appearing in The Rage of Paris in 1938.) I like de Sica better as a director than as an actor, although he is certainly not bad as Donati.

Verdict: A mere trifle all told. **.

THERESE RAQUIN

THERESE RAQUIN(1953). Director: Marcel Carne.

Therese (Simone Signoret) has a boring life married to her cousin, Camille (Jacques Duby), and waiting on him and his mother (Sylvie), when into their shop comes handsome truck driver Laurent (Raf Vallone) who is attracted to Therese even as she is struck by his virility. The two begin an affair, and wonder how they can have a life together when Camille is in the way. This adaptation of Emile Zola's novel plays more like cinematic James Cain, and while Carne is certainly no master of suspense, the film still holds the attention without ever really sizzling. Vallone, Duby and Sylvie offer very good performances -- the picture is nearly stolen by a blackmailing sailor -- while the icy-cold, passionless Signoret eventually heats up a bit near the conclusion. Overall, Therese Raquin is no better than Hollywood movies on the same theme and is probably not as dramatic or entertaining as some.

Verdict: Warmed over Zola with some appeal. **1/2.