Le Plaisir (1952)
(Max Ophüls, France 1952, 97 min., 35mm)
It is hard to tell what exactly changed Max Ophüls’s reputation from a director of obscure, elegant little films to one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Perhaps it is the incredible blend of sensuality and purity in his films that attracts audiences and filmmakers alike (the directors of the French New Wave, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson being just a few of his devout followers). Many admire his astounding tracking shots and the poetry of his sets and costumes. Others praise his profound compassion for women, sometimes calling him one of the first feminist filmmakers. Le Plaisir has all of that. An omnibus film based on three short stories by Guy de Maupassant, it shuffles genres, atmospheres, acting styles (the cast includes Jean Gabin, Danielle Darrieux, Pierre Brasseur, and Simone Simon), refined sets (it received an Academy Award nomination for Best Art Direction) and the beautiful spontaneity of locations (“location-shock”, as Ophüls once called it), with a remarkable ease and harmony. A limited number of films may claim the right of belonging to pure cinema—this is one of them.
Introduction by Peter Bagrov, Curator in Charge, Moving Image Department