The Earrings of Madame de... (French title: Madame de...) is a 1953 drama film directed by Max Ophüls. It was adapted from Louise Leveque de Vilmorin's period novel by Ophüls, Marcel Archard and Annette Wadement. This film is considered as a masterpiece of the 1950s French cinema. Andrew Sarris once called it "the most perfect film ever made". Ophüls said that the story's construction attracted him to the project, stating "there is always the same axis around which the action continually turns like a carousel. A tiny, scarcely visible axis: a pair of earrings." The film was released in the UK as Madame de... and in the USA as The Earrings of Madame de.... The film opens with the titular Madame, Louise (Danielle Darrieux), whose surname is never given. She is a spoiled woman married to a General, André (Charles Boyer), who has amassed considerable debts due to her lifestyle. To settle them, she chooses to sell her large diamond earrings, a wedding present from her husband. It is hin...