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Belle de Jour (film)

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For other uses, see Belle de Jour (disambiguation).
Belle de Jour
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLuis Buñuel
Written byLuis Buñuel
Jean-Claude Carrière
Joseph Kessel
Produced byHenri Baum
Robert and Raymond Hakim
StarringCatherine Deneuve
Jean Sorel
Michel Piccoli
CinematographySacha Vierny
Edited byLouisette Hautecoeur
Distributed byValoria (France)
Allied Artists (USA)
Release dates
24 May 1967 (France)
10 April 1968 (USA)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryFrance/Italy
LanguagesFrench
Spanish
Box office$4,037,017

Belle de Jour is a 1967 French drama film directed by Luis Buñuel and starring Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, and Michel Piccoli. Based on the 1928 novel Belle de jour by Joseph Kessel, the film is about a young woman who decides to spend her midweek afternoons as a prostitute while her husband is at work.[1] The title is the French name of the daylily, meaning "daylight beauty", a flower that blooms only during the day, but also refers to a prostitute whose trade is conducted in daytime. American director Martin Scorsese promoted a 2002 release of the film on DVD. In 2006 the Portuguese director, Manoel de Oliveira released Belle Toujours, imagining a future encounter between two of the central characters from the original film. In 2010, the film was ranked #56 in Empire magazine's list, The 100 Best Films of World Cinema.[2] Belle de Jour won the Golden Lion and the Pasinetti Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival in 1967.[3] Many of Deneuve's costumes were designed by a then-little-known Yves St. Laurent.

Plot

Séverine Serizy (Catherine Deneuve), a young and beautiful housewife, is unable to share physical intimacy with her husband, Dr. Pierre Serizy (Jean Sorel), despite their love for each other. Her sexual life is restricted to elaborate fantasies involving domination, sadomasochism, and bondage. Although frustrated by his wife's frigidity toward him, he respects her wishes.

While visiting a ski resort, they meet two friends, Henri Husson (Michel Piccoli) and Renée (Macha Méril). Séverine does not like Husson's manner and the way he looks at her. Back in Paris, Séverine meets up with Renée and learns that a mutual friend, Henrietta, now works at a whorehouse. At her home, Séverine receives roses from Husson and is unsettled by the gesture. At the tennis courts, she meets Husson and they discuss Henrietta and whorehouses. Husson mentions a high-class brothel to Séverine at 11 Cite Jean de Saumer. He also confesses his desire for her, but Séverine rejects his advances.

Haunted by childhood memories involving her father, Séverine goes to the high-class brothel, which is run by Madame Anaïs (Geneviève Page). That afternoon Séverine services her first client. Reluctant at first, she responds to the "firm hand" of Madame Anaïs, who names her "Belle de Jour", and has sex with the stranger. After staying away for a week, Séverine returns to the brothel and begins working from two to five o'clock each day, returning to her unsuspecting husband in the evenings. One day Husson comes to visit her at home, but Séverine refuses to see him. Still she fantasizes about having sex with him in her husband's presence. Ironically, Séverine's physical relationship with her husband is improving and she begins sleeping with him.

Séverine becomes involved with a young gangster, Marcel (Pierre Clémenti), who offers her the kind of thrills and excitement of her fantasies. When Marcel becomes increasingly jealous and demanding, Séverine decides to leave the brothel, with Madame Anaïs' agreement. Séverine is also concerned about Husson who knows about her secret life at the brothel. One of Marcel's gangster associates follows Séverine to her home, and soon Marcel visits her and threatens to reveal her secret life to her husband. Séverine pleads with him to leave her home, and after some time he does.

Marcel waits downstairs for Pierre to return home and shoots him three times before escaping. He is eventually tracked down and shot dead by the police. Séverine's husband survives, but is left in a coma. The police are unable to find a motive for the attempted murder. Sometime later Séverine is at home taking care of Pierre who is now blind and in a wheelchair. Husson visits him and tells Pierre the truth about his wife's secret life; she does not try to stop him. Afterwards, Séverine dreams that her husband is healthy again and they are happy.

Cast

Production

Filming locations
  • 1 Square Albin-Cachot, Paris 13, Paris, France
  • 79 Champs Elysées, Paris 8, Paris, France
  • Chalet de la Grande Cascade, Bois de Boulogne, Paris 16, Paris, France
  • Champs Elysées, Paris 8, Paris, France
  • Rue de Messine, Paris 8, Paris, France (Serizy's home)[5]

Awards and nominations

See also

References

  1. ^ "Belle de Jour". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 29 April 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema". Empire. Retrieved 29 April 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b "Awards for Belle de Jour". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 29 April 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "Full cast and crew for Belle de Jour". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 29 April 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "Locations for Belle de Jour". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 29 April 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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