Belle de jour

With their second collaboration, Buñuel and Carrière set out to explore a still relatively uncharted territory. Their case study on the issue of female masochism stands out thanks to the seriousness with which they approach the subject and the degree of understanding expressed for the protagonist. The depiction of Séverine, an outwardly respectable and loving wife who in reality is a woman longing to liberate her sexuality through more than just fantasies, fits in with Buñuel’s other portraits of bourgeois hypocrisy, but it is not caustic. The lack of imagination as the main sign of bourgeois stagnation does not apply to the protagonist – she can dream and thus untie herself from the role for which she was destined. The irony lies only in the fact that she desires the same thing in both her marriage and in her sex life, namely submissiveness. In all of her daydreams, she is the one who is bound, not the one who binds (i.e. she’s not a dominatrix). For her, the key to liberation is the essentially surrealistic crossing of the boundary between the imaginary world and the real world. These two worlds necessarily have to blend together in the partially dreamlike ending. Despite the extraordinary seriousness of the approach, (Jacques Lacan himself reportedly showed Belle de Jour as explicative material in his lectures), the film doesn’t suffer from academic rigidity. Buñuel remains faithful to his economical style, with fetishistic shots of legs, well-chosen colours and well-placed objects. And, of course, with a bit of mischief aimed at viewers (we are not told what is in the black box, but we are made aware of our own voyeurism through Séverine). This bold film about what women truly desire is still impressive today as more than just a demonstration of the young Catherine Deneuve’s beauty and the peak work of Yves Saint Laurent. 85% (12.11.2012)

Whenever Catherine Deneuve is in a film, it's essentially a guarantee of quality because she's just an incredible actress, although it's true that Polanski, and in this case, Buñuel, used her a bit monotonously, and at times, she comes across as somewhat repetitive. But it's evident that it's for the sake of the film, which has amazingly absurd moments that only underline the sense of the whole story, which surprises already with its opening scene. (12.06.2015)

Luis Buñuel simply couldn't let go of the dream world, even though it actually makes his films all the more interesting. Lots of flashbacks, many visions between dream and reality and the beautiful, fragile and charming Catherine Deneuve. This is the Belle de Jour, who through her desires comes to contentment and detachment from sadomasochistic fantasies. Or is it?! Whatever the director's intentions, on the whole it looks really artistic, engaging and interesting. In short, a film that each of us can grasp in our own way. (10.02.2012)

Probably the only Buñuel film I really liked. I am now reading Kessel's novel and I am enjoying it. Strangely enough, I don't even wish Buñuel had attempted a period film in this case, because he would have had a hard time creating a believable 1920s in the 1960s. Thus the machined fashion in which Deneuve looks as if she is constantly walking down the catwalk makes sense, which ideally corresponds to her character, who has only a minimal perception of the reality in which she exists. The unexpected cuts to dreams within dreams, and the general theme of prostitution to cement romantic love, combine to make a very successful body for an interesting viewing experience. (24.05.2017)

Belle de Jour was allegedly Buñuel's most commercially successful film. It is no wonder, as it deals with a spicy storyline and the director also came up with an effective lure by casting the charming Catherine Deneuve in the main role. Buñuel had several motifs in his work that he obsessively returned to, and the most frequently used one was criticism of bourgeois morality stemming from a bigotedly experienced Christianity and dogmatic ideas about human sexuality, which were deeply rooted in the 19th century. A materially well-off bourgeois lady, living in such an exemplary marriage that it could represent a dream historical ideal for many, seemingly lacks nothing. However, she feels increasingly dissatisfied, and bored, and the conflict between her strict Catholic upbringing and obligations to her social status on one hand, and unsatisfied sexual urges and a desire for adventure on the other, is tearing her apart more and more intensely. Outwardly conservative, the woman starts living a double life and finds escape in the occupation of a luxury prostitute. Buñuel satirizes religious resistance to eroticism and sexual desire, as well as attacking the traditional model of family, which refuses to see women as anything more than mothers and housewives. He also perceives sexual intercourse primarily, if not exclusively, as a means of reproduction. With the passage of time, Belle de Jour can be seen as a typical representative of the socially critical intellectual movement in European cinema of the 1960s and 1970s. In today's fast-paced times, which prefer shortcuts and overt displays, Buñuel's refinement, his restraint, and his ability to merely suggest, which may be unattractive to some, are highly appreciated by me. Overall impression: 90%. (22.10.2014)