Tuesday, May 09, 2006
SINNER
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was
Max Ophül's account of the 'most sinful woman in the world" at that time ca. 1845. That's her on the left.
I am sure that Lola has been outdone since then but it would still be unusual to have had as many lovers, young and old, rich and poor, as she is said to have had.
Ophüls uses the circus as both plot device and metaphor. That is where Lola ended up. The wages of sin and all.
The film is in Cinemascope which makes it kind of funny shaped and the restoration is a bit lame but you can see what he had in mind. It must have been spectacular in the theater.
I am not sure about some of it; yawning. Other parts were great fun.
Martine Carol is kinda wooden. The French are no different than their Hollywood cousins in placing a lot of makeup on women where and when it does not belong and dressing them higher than could be possible in the situation.
There is the young Peter Ustinov! Not clowning here but as a weasel. And the part with the King of Bavaria is choice.
So it is a mixed review. Some high 5's and some terrible 2's which make it come out to a wavering 4 out of Netflix5 because of the solidity of the vision and how it is carried out.
