BELLE DE JOUR
A film review by Christopher Null
Copyright 1995 Christopher Null
Martin Scorcese has done us all a great service by reviving the little-seen classic, BELLE DE JOUR, Luis Bunuel's darkly comic and disturbing 1967 tale of Siverine (Catherine Deneuve), a woman who lives a double life. By evening she is the steadfast, almost-frigid wife of a famed French doctor (Jean Sorel). By day, she is "Belle de Jour"--her new "stage name" at an exclusive Parisian brothel.
Bunuel weaves masterfully through scenes of Siverine's hum-drum existence with her cold husband, her surreal day job as a wanton prostitute, flashbacks to her childhood, and bizarre daydreams of her humiliation, bondage, rape, and torture. Deneuve is exquisite, playing one of the most difficult roles imaginable with her characteristic grace. I find it incredible that this film has gone unnoticed for so long.
At the heart of BELLE is the question of how our selfish actions affect those around us. While Siverine's infidelity first seems incomprehensible, it soon becomes a vital part of her being and, eventually, degenerates into an inevitable nightmare which brings her world crashing down.
The sheer force that builds up behind the film's first scene had me thunderstruck for its entire 100 minutes. Deeply compelling, while remaining tasteful and never approaching pornographic, the film is an eerie exposi of the haunting desires that lie within us all. You truly have to see it for yourself.
The only problems with the film were some poor post-production values. First was the difficulty of a scratchy print with some skipped frames, especially noticeable during the imagery-filled daydream sequences. More troubling were the incomplete subtitles, which often left out seemingly important snippets of dialogue. Maybe they weren't important after all, but it was enough to break the fragile mood.
Regardless, BELLE DE JOUR tells a story that desperately needs to be heard and which is even more relevant today than when it was made 28 years ago. A true classic worthy of its highest praises, I urge you to see it.
RATING: ****1/2
|* Unquestionably awful | |** Sub-par on many levels | |*** Average, hits and misses | |**** Good, memorable film | |***** Perfection |
-Christopher Null / null@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu -Film Critic, Screenwriter, Novelist (Mailing list available)
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