La Ronde

I'm not sure where I read it, but it seems that Max Ophuls is something of a touchstone or inspiration for many contemporary film makers. So I've been waiting to see some of his films to understand his inspiration and influence on contemporary film makers. La Ronde (1950). This is a an adaptation of a scandalous play by Austrian playwright Arthur Shnizitler. And this film is revolutionary or at least ahead of its time with a film about the romantic couplings of a range of people from ordinary folk to the elite in 1900 Vienna. The progressive aspect of the film is an all seeing narrator/voyeur Jacques Natanson, an unnamed, godlike figure, played by Anton Walbrook, who tells the story and sometimes intervenes such as when a particular character has trouble completing his seduction. The broken fourth wall by this character seems very much ahead of its time-I am interested in seeing more of Ophuls' films.