Directed by Sacha Guitry
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Criterion Eclipse)
Unexceptional telling of the history behind the pearls on the crown of England. Most of the film is narrated from the present day in flashback, as three heads of state, from England, France and Italy, manipulate family marriages, have numerous affairs and resort to murder to advance their own selfish desires. The pearls frequently exchange hands during all of this, eventually some end up on the crown but three are stolen. Back in the present day, three men are determined to track down the three missing pearls, leading to more flashbacks. Characters come and go at a lightning pace throughout, we hardly get to know one of them before another group is introduced. As a result, it's hard to care about any of them. Only the present day characters have any kind of continuity, and they are a wealthy, shallow group, obsessed with finding the pearls for no reason other than to make a movie about it.
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