Review of Belle Toujours (2006) by James S — 13 Oct 2007
One great master of cinema pays homage to another in Belle Toujours, Manoel de Oliveira's pseudo-sequel to Luis Bunuel's classic Belle de Jour. Thankfully, De Oliveira doesn't attempt to replicate Bunuel's original film--Bunuel's and de Oliveira's respective styles are too singular and too disparate from one another for such an exercise to succeed--so much as add a footnote to it.
As a result, Belle Toujours is a meditation on the past and the present and the inability to reconcile the two, and as such fits in well with de Oliveira's other films of late. Michel Piccoli commands the screen in the same roll he essayed 40 years ago, while Bulle Ogier steps into Catherine Deneuve's shoes and acquits herself admirably.
De Oliveira has crafted an intriguing little film that, while occassionally frustrating, is ultimately served better by its differences from its forebear.
This review of Belle Toujours (2006) was written by James S on 13 Oct 2007.
Belle Toujours has generally received mixed reviews.
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