La Ronde – Blu-ray

Set in 1900s Vienna, this double Academy Award-nominated and Bafta winning film presents an amazing series of interconnected romantic entanglements, a merry-go-round of life and love. Narrated by an omniscient and enigmatic Master of Ceremonies (Anton Walbrook - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The Red Shoes), the movie has a large cast including Leocadie (Simone Signoret - Les Diaboliques, Room at the Top), the prostitute who meets up with Franz (Serge Reggiani - II Gattopardo) a soldier, who in turn becomes involved with Marie (Simone Simon - Cat People), the housemaid. After each of the ten encounters, one of the two participants forms a liaison with the next person, resulted in an unbroken "circle" (ronde) by the end. With the elegance of a Viennese Waltz, Max Ophuls (Letter from an Unknown Woman, Lola Montes) directs this adaptation of the Arthur Schnitzler (Eyes Wide Shut) play with great style and elan. The breath-taking use of long takes and the beautiful fluid camera moves make this film a cinematic masterpiece.