Max Ophüls fled Germany as early as 1933, became French in 1938, then spent nine years in the United States, where Hollywood let him shoot while always denying him the means he asked for. Back in France, he delivered four masterpieces in five years. What is taught of him is his camera work: shots that follow the characters through staircases and mirrors, until movement itself becomes the subject.
The story
Maximilian Oppenheimer, known as Max Ophüls, was born in Saarbrücken on 6 May 1902. A man of the theatre turned film-maker, he shot “Liebelei” in 1932: a Viennese film with the elegance that would be his signature.
A Jew, he fled Germany in 1933, became a French citizen in 1938, then took exile in the United States from 1941 to 1950 — Hollywood let him make a handful of films and never gave him the means he asked for.
His return to France produced four masterpieces in five years: “La Ronde” in 1950, “Le Plaisir” in 1952, “The Earrings of Madame de…” in 1953, “Lola Montès” in 1955. The last was whistled off the screen and is held today for a summit of the art.
What is taught of him is his camera movement: shots that follow the characters through staircases, ballrooms and mirrors without a cut, until the movement itself becomes the subject of the film.
He died of rheumatic heart disease in Hamburg on 26 March 1957, at fifty-four. His ashes are in the columbarium, niche 6,219. His son Marcel would sign “The Sorrow and the Pity” in 1969.
On site, do not miss
Niche 6,219 of the columbarium — and, in the same building, six other names from this guide.
Visitors' questions
Where is Max Ophüls's grave?
In the Père-Lachaise columbarium, Division 87, niche 6,219 — these are his ashes, not a grave. The same building holds the niches of Jules Guesde, Paul Dukas, Georges Perec and Isadora Duncan.
Paul DukasWhat are his most famous films?
“La Ronde” in 1950, “Le Plaisir” in 1952, “Madame de…” in 1953 and “Lola Montès” in 1955 — four films in five years after his return from exile. The last, booed on its release, is now regarded as a masterpiece.
Claude ChabrolWhy did he leave Germany?
Because he was Jewish: he fled as early as 1933, the year the Nazis came to power. Naturalised French in 1938, he spent the war in the United States, where he made a few films, and did not return until 1950.
Max ErnstWhat is the Ophüls style?
Camera movement: shots that follow the characters through staircases, ballrooms and mirrors without ever cutting, until movement itself becomes the subject of the film. It is still taught in film schools.
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