there is no other movie like this. except for citizen kane. but without the warm gooey chocolate center. even though it's a melodrama.

for a hugely budgeted, endlessly extravagant production that makes no claims to subtlety, it's surprisingly difficult to crack. it is mannered, has a terrible actress of a protagonist, and sometimes hurts your eyes.

it is one of the best movies I have ever seen.

So it's even better than Madame De...?

I have not had an opportunity to see this yet.

Madame might be better. Letters, too.

I wasn't such a big fan, though the ending is incredibly great!

it's weird. I think I watched it two more times since I first saw it ...and definitely was less than blown away. granted the first time was in the theater, which ever benefitted a movie, it was this one (it's wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide screen).

but yeah, it's a hard movie to deal with. on the one hand, it has some of the most undeniably awesome things ever caught by camera (well, at least before Avatar came around), but on the other, it has some really basic, really major problems. it certainly doesn't play like a great movie, but there's so much to love around the edges. idk.

too bad Ophuls's cut will never see the light of the day--seems it could resolve a lot of the narrative's frustrations. (I'm pretty sure Sarris' "best movie ever" and truffaut's similar praise were reactions to that original cut)

Yeah, cuz I was gonna say, Sarris lied to me! But there's a lot to appreciate, you're absolutely right snack. It's just so rough around the edges that it's hard for me to say I loved it. Madame de... and La ronde are way better!