Belle de Jour
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Movie Reviews of Belle de Jour
Movie Review: a stunning performance
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie is one of the very few masterpieces of film history. A brilliant performance by a 24 year old Catherine Deneuve! To buyers who are not familiar with European movies: Try not to analyse this one too much! Watch and enjoy - think about it but don't look for a meaning where there might not be one! It would help to read the book by Joseph Kessler.... (Bunuel once said that Catherine Deneuve is "as innocent as virtue and as dangerous as sin" - and he proved it with that movie!)Glad to have got it on DVD. The reason I gave only four stars is that, unlike advertised by amazon.com, it does NOT come with an interview with Catherine Deneuve. Suggest that amazon.com takes this part out of the description. It is misleading!
Movie Review: Great Film, but don't blame Criterion
Summary: 4 Stars
Several people have posted here blaming Criterion for a lousy job on the DVD transfer. They're right that it's not a great job, but blame Mirimax. Criterion had nothing to do with this release (Criterion *has* released three other Bunuel films: "That Obscure Object of Desire" "Diary of a Chambermaid" and best of all "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" in a deluxe edition).Movie Review: Belle de Jour
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie was very avante garde for it's time. There is no denying Catherine Deneuve's timeless beauty. The movie still has an edge to it that transcends 40 years. Quirky characters portray a passionate theme with guarded passionless expertise. This is a thought provoking film worthy of discussion on many levels. Cinematography and costuming are superlative.Movie Review: Some people are uninformed
Summary: 4 Stars
Erotica? Please. Some shoppers should not be allowed to have credit cards.Movie Review: The directors dead-pan delivery may be the films Achilles heal...
Summary: 3 Stars
I had very high hopes for this film. I have recently become enamored with Catherine Deneuve (since watching her stunning performance in `Le Dernier Metro') and have been wanting to familiarize myself with her resume. When you think of the actress that is Catherine Deneuve one of the first thoughts that comes to you mind is `Belle de Jour', even if you have not seen the film. Her name has become synonymous with the films title since this is really one of her most recognizable roles.
Aside from the films star, the synopsis intrigued me and laid bare promise for a remarkable character study.
The film tells us of Severine Serizy, a young a beautiful bride who just cannot give herself fully to her husband. She loves him, but the idea of consummating their marriage is something she cannot grapple. Surprisingly her husband is okay with this, for as much as he wants to enjoy his wife in every way he loves her enough to wait until she is ready. I don't know what man would wait a full year but that is beside the point. The problem is though, that Severine is lusting for something and she is looking for an avenue in which to give herself over to her constant erotic daydreams. When a family friend (who happens to have eyes for Severine) nonchalantly mentions a house of ill repute, she finds herself approaching Madame Anais for a job. Through her newfound profession Severine is able to indulge herself without giving into her husbands requests for intimacy.
The issue I have with the film is its lack of time spent on burrowing beneath Severine's motives. One can easily draw conclusions as to why Severine refuses her husband (maintaining an image of purity) yet falls so easily into the arms of strange men (no emotional connection). In fact when a client falls for Severine it becomes apparent that she is not interested in his advances outside of the bedroom. But this is not embellished the way that it could have, and quite frankly should have been. I was really hoping that this film would transcend the boundaries of controversy and really lay it out there as to the relationship between love, lust and our inner person. It lays the foundation for an enlightening look at the power of our bodies but it never builds on that foundation the way I would have liked it to.
Severine is a very intriguing character, and Catherine Deneuve is stunning in her role. She plays to her characters weaknesses flawlessly, approaching her every action with this fragile naivity that adds layers to the motives that are not always made clear by the script. A wise may once said "when a script hands you one note, ADD NOTES!" Deneuve adds those notes. I was also very impressed with Genevieve Page's performance as the insightful and caring Madame Anais. She gives a very quiet yet profound and commanding performance.
In the end I cannot say that this was entirely satisfying. If I wasn't expecting greatness I may be more lenient, but this film had all the potential in the world, and there are times when you can see it reaching for that potential, but in the end it winds up falling short due to underdevelopment. It appears as if that consistence ambiguity may have been the directors intent, but it is an intent I feel strips the film of its central purpose thus causing it to be less than it could have been.