The Earrings of Madame de… 1953

In the vibrant and elegant setting of Belle Époque Paris, the story revolves around a woman named Louise, who is portrayed by Danielle Darrieux. She is part of the aristocratic elite, married to André, a distinguished Charles Boyer, who holds the titles of count and general in the French army. While their relationship is marked by a sense of companionship, it lacks intimacy— they live in separate rooms, have no children, and André maintains a mistress named Lola, a character played by Lia Di Leo.

Louise’s character is depicted as a woman spoiled by her superficial lifestyle, which has led her into significant debt. To address her financial issues, she secretly sells a pair of valuable heart-shaped diamond earrings—a gift from André, which she secretly despises—disguising their disappearance by claiming to have lost them at the opera. This act of deception sets off a chain of events that intertwines their lives in unexpected ways. The missing earrings attract media attention, prompting Rémy, played by Jean Debucourt, a jeweler, to discreetly contact André with an offer to sell them back. André, who chooses to ignore the complexity of the situation, accepts effortlessly and, in a subtle act of delicacy, gives the earrings as a farewell gift to Lola when she departs for Constantinople.

The earrings then make their way to Constantinople, where Lola, during a losing streak at a casino roulette table, sells them to Baron Fabrizio Donati, an Italian diplomat played by Vittorio De Sica. Back in Paris, Donati becomes enchanted by Louise, and they begin to develop a romantic connection. Their relationship blossoms during a series of elegant balls, where they dance closely and share stolen moments, despite André being away on military maneuvers. The chemistry between them becomes palpable, with Louise’s feelings deepening beyond mere flirtation.

The situation takes a dramatic turn when Louise faints upon seeing Donati fall from his horse during a hunt, drawing unwanted attention. Embarrassed, she declares that she will take a holiday in the Italian lake district, hoping the trip will soothe her increasingly intense feelings for Donati. Before she departs, Donati visits her to give her the earrings he bought in Constantinople, unaware of their previous belonging to Louise. During her trip, they exchange letters—Donati’s filled with affection, and Louise’s responses she dares not send—further intensifying her emotional conflict. By the trip’s end, she realizes that her love for Donati surpasses that for her husband, and their affection leads to secret meetings. She confesses to him that she finds comfort in possession of the earrings, which she now associates more with Donati than with her husband.

Desperate to wear the earrings openly, Louise pretends to find them inside her glove during a grand ball. Her husband, Charles Boyer, notices her act but remains silent initially. Later, he confronts Donati during the ball, revealing the earrings’ history and subtly instructing him to sell them back to Rémy so that he can repurchase them for Louise. Donati, heartbroken and realizing the pain their relationship has caused, tells Louise he can no longer see her, expressing his sorrow over their forbidden love.

Louise, overwhelmed with despair, falls into a deep depression. André, seeing her distress, presents the earrings to her, which sparks an unexpected change in her. In a tearful gesture, she decides to give the earrings to a niece who recently had a child. The niece’s husband then sells the earrings to Rémy to settle debts. When Rémy is approached by André about buying them again, André angrily refuses, refusing to re-engage with the scandal. Driven by her remorse, Louise later visits Rémy to buy back the earrings by selling some of her jewelry and furs she had previously cherished more than the earrings.

As tensions peak, André challenges Donati to a duel, threatening to settle their dispute with pistols. Despite Louise’s desperate attempts to prevent the confrontation, Donati refuses to withdraw, and she races to the Church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont to pray before the shrine of St. Geneviève. She leaves the earrings as an offering, hoping for Donati’s safety. Approaching the scene of the duel just as André takes the first shot, she witnesses the tense moment unfold. When no second shot follows, indicating that Donati is unharmed, Louise collapses against a tree, with her maid rushing for help, screaming, “She’s dying!”

The story concludes with the earrings displayed at the church, symbolically alongside a plaque honoring Louise’s sacrifice. Her act of faith and regret underscores the tragic but enduring power of love, remorse, and the symbolic significance of the jewelry that had come to represent her complex emotions and forbidden longing.