Max Ophüls, 1952, France, 93min
Starring Claude Dauphin, Jean Galland, Gaby Morlay, Madeleine Renaud, Daniel Gélin, Danielle Darrieux, Simone Simon, Jean Gabin

Kind of like a neglected middle child, Le Plaisir, made between Max Ophuls’s two most beloved works, is less heralded but equally worthy. The film turned to the oft-adapted Guy de Maupassant for inspiration, with the author (voiced by Jean Servais) guiding audiences through three of his short stories. An extended, more joyous center segment bookends briefer, melancholic tales addressing the pitfalls of pleasure that can accompany aging, distance, boredom, and obsession. Lush and visually divine, the film was Oscar-nominated for Art Direction/Set Decoration and features a cast of French acting royalty, all wondrously captured by the director’s characteristically ever-roaming camera. It’s no wonder it was a favorite of Kubrick’s.

Imported 35mm print courtesy of Institut Français.