Presented in 35mm courtesy of the BFI

Shot entirely on a soundstage, Max Ophüls’s ecstatic adaptation of a scandalous play presents a merry-go-round of affairs among soldiers, prostitutes, poets, and aristocrats caught up in the social whirl of turn-of-the-century Vienna. Simone Signoret plays the small but key role of Léocadie, a lady of the evening who sets in motion the roundelay of interlocking encounters and brings it back full circle. Her appearance in La Ronde opened the way for leads in Casque d’Or, Diabolique, and an Oscar-winning performance in Room at the Top.