dwij-44289 The film is paced well - not too fast, nor too slow - and is paired with a nice waltzy ballad, sung here by the ever brilliant Anton Walbrook.It is sometimes difficult to relate to the characters in this film; one questions whether such casual infidelities and flings were as common - as they are portrayed here - back in 1800s Vienna. Perhaps among aristocrats and the military. Less so the middle-class and less so Austria in this present century... When preparing to watch this film, the viewer must not expect a serious or bleak tale about dysfunctional relationships. For this one is an airy, flowing, winking ode to love in its many forms (if one can call it love), lost in its own romance....When I was watching 'La ronde', i was thinking how exciting it would have been if this story of interconnected tales of love included a man with a philandering wife who himself is in love with another man... Surely if the 1950s audience could view a film depicting polyamory in positive light, they should be cool with homosexuality (on a side note, 'Les enfants terribles' released the same year makes clear the male hero's love for another man). Perhaps it is my 21st century mind that makes me notice the heteronormativity of this film. Or how about, if the story includes a person seducing another person but the recipient does not respond to it, and instead gets together with somebody else, thus continuing the 'love circle'?And also i thought the film would come to a neat conclusion with the last 'lover' finally putting an end to this circle by settling down and committing to another, by marrying him/her and saying those vows while MEANING it. But maybe such an ending would have gone against Max Ophuls' message that the ring of various loves is never ending, and instead goes on and on until death....

dlee2012 Whilst an undoubtedly well-made film, La Ronde is almost completely lacking in depth. Based on a fin-de-siecle stage play, it purports to show how a series of love affairs (and, by implication, venereal diseases) span the divides between social classes. Unfortunately, the film does little more than that and, once this central theme is established, the narrative plays out tediously.Undoubtedly the original play would have been of interest due to its shock value when it was first staged and, likewise, this film version may still have had the power to titillate audiences somewhat in 1950 but today, lacking that power, there is little to sustain interest over its entire running length.One of those few things that does make the film interesting, however, is the opening sequence. The narrator is a compelling character and reminds the audience that they are watching a film, showing studio equipment at times. Modernist artistic techniques have seldom been used in films so it was refreshing to see them exploited here. The narrator appears at the end of each "round" of the dance, constantly reminding the audience that what they are watching is not reality but an acted series of events on a stage. Likewise, the "dance" or "ronde" motif is simple but it effectively conveys the empty, vacuous nature of the love affairs and how each participant is drifting from partner to partner.Ultimately, this is a technically-excellent film but without depth. Once it says what it has to say, it relies merely on (now-faded) shock value and the director's excellent grasp of technique and these are not enough to sustain a film of this length.

christopher-underwood This seems a little old fashioned even allowing for it's period setting. Perhaps it's the reluctance of the director to go beyond even the merest suggestion of congress that gives it an air of something made in the late thirties or forties. It certainly has charm though and Ophul's cameras twirl and glide like the carousel itself. Always looking sumptuous (perhaps it shouldn't) and always light-hearted (perhaps it should be more serious) it is a pleasant enough viewing. Oscar Strauss' music helps enormously and is in complete harmony with the visuals. Simon Signoret as the prostitute, seen at the start and finish is exemplary and Simone Simon shines most brightly as the seductive maid.

ngambi1 Yes, this movie is based on overt sexual tendencies; there is no argument there. What is so amazing about this movie is the cinematography. Ophuls created so many sweeping shots, so well, using only a camera on a track. This is an amazing feat. Also this movie echoes a lot of Freud. Remember, Ophuls is German and certainly read Freud during his life.One of Freud's greatest works involving psychoanalysis is parapraxes, or slips of the tongue. In La Ronde, parapraxes play a major role, for parapraxes also apply to misplacement of items (and people). For every love, there is another lover. Freud would say that no matter how much you love your partner, there is a better partner for you out there. A partner that the second you see, you will become instantly infatuated with. La Ronde does an excellent job of this.