Review of Belle de Jour (1967) by Martin S — 07 Feb 2009

It's awfully hard to imagine how earth-shattering a film like "Belle de Jour" was upon it's release. In 1967, it certainly wasn't common to see a film as erotic as this one, which could even make some modern movie-goers uncomfortable with it's depiction of shameless fetishes, such as a man who demands his women to step on, spit on, and verbally chastise him. The cliche "years ahead of it's time" has never been so appropriate - not only was this cutting edge for the time it was released, but by today's standards it still takes risks modern filmmakers don't even begin to bother with. Perhaps one of the most well known erotic films of all time, Luis Buñuel's "Belle de Jour" hasn't lost any of it's bite over 40 years after it's release.

The plot is simple enough. Séverine (French legend Catherine Deneuve) is in a seemingly happy marriage with a successful young surgeon. Under the covers, however, Séverine has masochistic fantasies - in the first scene of the film, she dreams of riding in a carriage lovingly with her husband until he orders the drivers to sexually assault her. A family friend, Henri (Michael Piccoli) tells Séverine of Paris brothels where housewives work while their husbands are at work. Séverine seems appalled at first, but sure enough the curiosity eventually drives her to the apartment that the operation is run out of.

She's greeted by Madame Anais (Genevieve Page) and two prostitutes. She runs away at first, and still continues her reluctance when she meets the first couple of clients. Later in the film, two gangsters walk into the apartment, one of whom has teeth of steel and a cane, Marcel (Pierre Clementi, who very much resembles Cillian Murphy). Séverine is so turned on by Marcel that she allows him her services free of charge, simply thrilled to be living out her sexual fantasies with a no-nonsense ruffian.

The film is incredibly surrealistic - such as the scene where a man lives out his fantasy by making Séverine pretend she's dead in a casket while he satisfies himself below. In another, and perhaps the most talked about of the film, a burly Chinese man reveals what's inside a box to the prostitutes. They act appalled, but all we hear is a buzzing noise. People say it's anything from a bumblebee to a vibrator - but the point is that it's his fantasy. Make of it what you will. Much of the film, especially the ending, is so off-putting that you wonder if the whole film was in the head of Séverine. It's certainly challenging material, but unlike anything you've ever seen.

The gorgeous Deneuve has a magnetic screen presence that captivates audiences to this day. That reason alone is reason enough to see "Belle de Jour" - her charisma goes virtually unmatched in film history and this is perhaps one of her most well known roles. I very much enjoyed this.