La Ronde

1950 1h 35m FR

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 148

RomanceComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

France Channel Amazon ChannelSubscription

Cast

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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Max Ophüls
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

76 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Max Ophüls, shot by Christian Matras. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

AWARDS

Did you know

Original score by Oscar Straus. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Léonide Azar shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Anton Walbrook and Simone Signoret and Serge Reggiani carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0042906 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Max Ophüls directs. Christian Matras behind the camera. Oscar Straus scores. Léonide Azar cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

176 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Max Ophüls, shot by Christian Matras. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Oscar Straus. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Léonide Azar shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Anton Walbrook and Simone Signoret and Serge Reggiani carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0042906 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Christian Matras
Original score: Oscar Straus
Editing: Léonide Azar
Production design: Jean d'Eaubonne
Costume design: Georges Annenkov
Makeup / hair: Carmen Brel
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: La Ronde (1950)

Also by

Max Ophüls

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-10-22
★ 7/10
The hugely charismatic Anton Walbrook takes on the role of our guide - using a carousel quite effectively as his prop - through this charming tale of sex. Delicately delivered - nothing graphic, vulgar or sleazy, but it's essentially a story of sex - with or without love! Aside from underpinning the narrative, Walbrook also portrays half a dozen ancillary characters as we embark on a Viennese Waltz with a difference. Initially, it's the gorgeous lady of the night "Léocadie" (Simone Signoret) who ensnares the poverty stricken soldier "Franz" (Serge Reggiani) and then like a 4x400m relay race, he in turn has a dalliance with "Marie" (Simone Simon) who meets "Alfred" (Daniel Gélin) who himself has his own cougar in the form of "Emma" (Danielle Darrieux) who is married to the wealthy "Charles" (Fernand Gravey) who has his own regular assignation with... Ultimately it all comes full circle with poor old "Léocadie" again! There's an inevitability to the story, I suppose, but somehow that doesn't really matter. It's quite a potent, sometimes honest sometimes idealistic, sometimes just plain daft - series of delightfully delivered vignettes that depict human nature in quite a natural way. Those that want, want to have; those that have are always the ones who want more, or don't know what they want - the grass is always greener? The writing allows the talented array of actors assembled here to each shine (or even glow) in their own way and Christian Matras has created a clever accompaniment to our peccadillo-strewn adventures that partnered with the sagely interventions of Walbrook add up to a thoroughly enjoyable ninety minutes from Max Ophuls that looks great, makes us smile - and probably rings at least a little true for all of us.

Production companies