The Earrings of Madame de... (1953)

So much for my earlier decision not to see this. Eh, I have changed some in seven years. Anyway, yes, that is the entire title, tho it's just Madam de... in the original French. Whenever her surname would be given, it is completely drowned out, interrupted, or visually blocked. I still don't know the purpose -- maybe trying to convey that all sorts of women are like her? At least we know her first name, and the significance of her jewelry becomes apparent almost immediately.

In what I take to be the 19th century, Louise (Danielle Darieux) has been so profligate in her Parisian decadence that she sees fit to sell the earrings her husband, André (Charles Boyer), gave her for their wedding. To save face, she claims to have lost them, but the jeweler (Jean Debucourt) sells them back to André, who gives them to his mistress (Lia Di Leo), who sells them to pay off her own debts. Their next buyer, Fabrizio (Vittorio De Sica), just happens to run into Louise and fall for her....

All This, and Heaven Too (1940)

Since my last Bette Davis viewing, I've received several IMDb suggestions for more. I gave priority to one with Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture.

Based on a Rachel Field novel based on a true story, it takes a more personal look at the scandal that eventually led to the French Revolution of 1848. Henriette Deluzy-Desportes (Davis), a former governess to the four children of the Duc de Praslin (Charles Boyer, the only actor with a French accent), finds that ugly rumors have followed her across the English Channel, so she tells her disrespecting French class her side of the story. As we see in extensive flashback, Duchesse Frances (Barbara O'Neil) had lost her husband's love as well as her children's before Henriette showed up, yet she accuses Henriette of stealing them. While Henriette and "Theo" never even kiss, they do indeed develop feelings and must decide how best to minimize negative publicity. Theo...does not choose well....