Review of Belle Toujours (2006) by Kevin W — 21 Jun 2009

If you found out that a sequel to Bunuel's classic 'Belle de Jour' had been made, you swear that the prospective director was batshit crazy. Talk about a hiding to nothing. Manoel de Oliveira's no hack.

In fact, he's the eldest film maker still working prolifically - 101 years young! 'Belle Toujours' reunites Henri and Severine from the original. He's still hung up about their past, she tries to avoid him though her need to discover what he told her husband about her former life as a prostitute forces a confrontation, in which Henri extracts revenge he's waited four decades for.

It's all rather slight, the pacing purposefully, rightfully slow as de Oliveira extracts the sense of growing old and the memories still harboured after all these years. The cinematography of Parisienne skylines or rain-soaked streets is superb and the two main performances are fine, though one wonders why Deneuve wasn't involved.