A character analysis of Madame, the filles and the ethos of the speech in "Le Plaisir" by Max Ophuls

Abstract

In Le Plaisir, Max Ophuls proposes an adaptation of three texts by Guy de Maupassant. Although the discursive representation in the film is similar to the literary texts in some respects, Ophuls presents a less realistic and naturalistic portrait of the characters, in particular of the prostitutes. The most important divergences between the film and the literary texts is the inclusion of an intermediate narrator, Maupassant, in the film. In this sense, Ophuls’ point of view could be considered a form of cinematic voyeurism, based in movement. In consequence, the narrator Maupassant could also be perceived as an anticipation of Nouvelle Vague’s camera.