Lola Montès is a visually ravishing, narratively daring dramatization of the life of the notorious courtesan and showgirl, played by Martine Carol.

Renowned for his long takes and impossibly intricate staging, Max Ophüls was a master of the mobile camera. Lola Montès—his final film—is a sumptuous, musical feast of color and elliptic structural design. Reinstating what the studio cut out, this 2008 reconstruction touches the sublime.