In the final analysis, Die Schöne Lügnerin is meant to show off the talents of Romy Schneider and in that regard it succeeds admirably. If you are not a Ms Schnieder fan, however, the movie still may have enough unique attractions to at least recommend one viewing. On the positive side, the film is just beautiful to look at. The colors, costumes and interior settings are grandiose to the extreme. The time period is during the Congress of Vienna, 1814-1815 and the garb of the Counts and Countess' is award material. And how many motion pictures showcase ballet? Well this one does, in two exquisite sequences. Do you like ballroom dancing? No doubt your appetite will be appeased here. In fact one almost wished that they would have went ahead and made this a full fledged musical. Unfortunately RS only has one song. And among the actors, long time veteran Hans Moser(1st film 1918) appears here as Romy's grandfather. And even at this late stage, a year shy of 80, his acting talents had not diminished. And last but not least, the great Marcel Marceau makes a brief but noteworthy appearance with an imitation of Napoleon. For dog enthusiasts, an English bulldog has two short scenes early on. There is a good transition scene to start off the movie as we watch a man outside showcasing to the crowd the effectiveness of his telescope in viewing the royalty inside. And as we get that view, scene 2 takes place in its entirety from the inside. For most transition scenes, the "dissolve" is used. The film does have a touch of Cinderella, as Romy's employment deals with lady's garments, a momentary scene shows her at work, but as such, admittance to the "grand ball" is denied her. Luckily her grandfather is going to be there as a musician, so she filches his drumsticks and dons male attire in order to make an unnoticed entrance. Once there, she acquires an expensive dress and is soon mistaken for a Countess by Alexander the 1st, played by Jean-Claude Pascal. Now Mr. Pascal, the actor, seems to be most fortuitous in his chosen co-stars. Besides RS, others include Brigitte Bardot, Anouk Aimee, Gina Lollobrigida and Annie Girardot. Anyway, from this point on the false Countess gets involved in political intrigue, jealousy, spies, a brief abduction, false statements, one kiss and plenty of dancing. The print quality of the video viewed was excellent as was the sound.
