The Earrings of Madame de…

The Earrings of Madame de… (1953) is a French-Italian period romantic drama directed by Max Ophüls, starring Danielle Darrieux, Charles Boyer, and Vittorio De Sica. Initially met with mixed reviews, it is now acclaimed as a masterpiece of 1950s French cinema, and the main character’s surname is never revealed.

Plot: In Belle Époque Paris, the vain aristocrat Louise secretly sells the diamond earrings her husband, General André, gave her to pay off debts. André quietly buys them back and gives them to his mistress Lola, who sells them in Constantinople, where they are bought by Italian diplomat Baron Donati. Donati and Louise fall in love, and he gives her the earrings, unaware of their history. André discovers the truth, forces Donati to end the affair, and takes the earrings away, but Louise keeps finding ways to get them back. When André challenges Donati to a duel, Louise leaves the earrings as an offering at a church shrine and races to the duel. After André fires the first shot, no second shot comes, and Louise collapses, seemingly dying. The earrings are put on display at the church.