Synopsis: After fleeing anti-Semitic persecution in Germany, Max Ophüls made LA SIGNORA DI TUTTI, his only Italian film. Taken from a novel by Salvatore Grotta, this is the story of a beautiful woman, Gabriella (Isa Miranda), making her way in a world controlled by men. Ophüls would later explore the... After fleeing anti-Semitic persecution in Germany, Max Ophüls made LA SIGNORA DI TUTTI, his only Italian film. Taken from a novel by Salvatore Grotta, this is the story of a beautiful woman, Gabriella (Isa Miranda), making her way in a world controlled by men. Ophüls would later explore the same theme, using a similar structure with lots of flashbacks, in LOLA MONTES. Set in the 1930s, the Italian Gabriella transforms herself into Gaby Doriot, a French film star, but the tragedy of her personal life compels her to attempt suicide. On the operating table, as she is being anesthetized to be saved from death, an on-screen title tells the audience that what follows is her "dream state" memory of her life. Given that, the film is no more dreamy than Ophüls' usual work. Gabriella was the daughter of a strict father who virtually imprisoned her at home after her music teacher committed suicide over her unrequited love. Finally, her father allows to go to a ball with a rich young man, Roberto (Friedrich Benfer), and she soon joins his household as a companion to his invalid mother. When both Roberto and his father, Leonardo (Memo Benassi) fall in love with her, the tragic consequences cause her to flee to France where she becomes an adored film star. Although removed from the 19th Century settings Ophüls often used in his films about female sexuality, his always-emotive camerawork is perfectly suited for this story which can not help but remind the viewer of the tragic life of Marilyn Monroe. [More]