French master Max Ophuls's most cherished work, The Earrings of Madame de . . . is an emotionally profound cinematographically adventurous tale of false opulence and tragic romance. When the aristocratic woman known only as Madame de (the extraordinary Danielle Darrieux) sells her earrings, unbeknownst to her husband (Charles Boyer), in order to pay personal debts, she sets off a chain reaction, the financial and carnal consequences of which can only end in despair. Ophuls adapts Louise de Vilmorin's incisive fin de siècle novella with virtuosic camera work so eloquent and precise it's been called the equal to that of Orson Welles.

Supplements Audio commentary featuring film scholars Susan White and Gaylyn Studlar Interviews with Ophuls collaborators Alain Jessua, Mar Frédérix, and Annette Wademant A visual analysis of The Earrings of Madame de . . . by film scholar Tag Gallagher Interview with novelist Louise de Vilmorin on Ophuls's adaptation of her story New and improved English subtitle translation PLUS: A new essay by Molly Haskell, Louise de Vilmorin's novella Madame de, upon which the film is based, and a reprinted essay by costume designer and longtime Ophuls collaborator Georges Annenkov

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