Le Plaisir | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Max Ophüls |
Produced by | Max Ophüls M. Kieffer Édouard Harispuru |
Screenplay by |
Jacques Natanson Max Ophüls |
Story by | Guy de Maupassant |
Starring |
Claude Dauphin Jean Galland Gaby Morlay Madeleine Renaud Daniel Gélin Danielle Darrieux Simone Simon Jean Gabin |
Music by | Joe Hajos Maurice Yvain |
Cinematography |
Philippe Agostini Christian Matras |
Edited by | Leonide Azar |
Distributed by | Columbia |
Release date
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Running time
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97 minutes |
Country | France |
Language | French |
Le Plaisir (English title, House of Pleasure) is a 1952 French comedy-drama anthology film by German-born film director Max Ophüls (1902–1957) adapting three short stories by Guy de Maupassant — "Le Masque" (1889), "La Maison Tellier" (1881), and "Le Modèle" (1883).
Le Plaisir was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction (Max Ophüls).
A masked young dandy goes to an ornate dance hall, where he finds a young woman to be his dance partner. When he faints from the exertion, a doctor is called. He discovers that the dandy's mask hides his aged appearance. The doctor takes the old man home to his patient wife. She explains that her husband Ambroise used to attract the ladies who frequented the hairdresser salon where he worked, but in the space of two years, he lost his looks. He goes out in disguise in an attempt to recapture his youth.
Julia Tellier, the well-respected madam of a small-town whorehouse, takes her girls on an outing to her brother's village to attend the first communion of her niece. Her regular patrons are taken aback when they discover the whorehouse closed without explanation that Saturday night. One finally discovers a sign explaining the reason and is relieved. Julia's brother becomes infatuated with Rosa, one of her workers, and promises to visit next month.
An artist falls in love with his model. Things are idyllic at first, but after living together for a while, they begin to quarrel constantly. Finally, he moves in with his friend. She eventually finds him, but he wants no more to do with her. He ignores her threat to jump from a window, and is so guilt-ridden when she does so immediately that he marries her.