Blu-Ray Review – The Discreet Charm of The Bourgeoisie
To celebrate it’s 40th Anniversary, Studiocanal have released a remastered blu-ray of the Luis Buñuel classic, The Discreet Charm of the bourgeoisie, Scott takes a look.
Luis Buñuel’s films have a firm and distinctive surrealist stamp on them, and this is a perfect example of his style. The film follows an odd group of upper middle class folk as they try to escape their diminishing and constrictive world by the way of their dreams.
Similar to the director’s Tristana and Belle de Jour, Buñuel flips between reality and fantasy of the characters. Buñuel does this with such confidence that he manages to weave a perfect spell with the camera by showing factual hallucinations to illustrate his group of Bourgeoisie’s wish fulfillment.
The Ambassador of Miranda, and his two business partners, Mr. Thevenot and Mr. Senechal lead a double life, with drug smuggling hidden behind their everyday jobs. Also the Ambassador is having an affair with Tevenot’s wife. Whenever they all try to get together for a dinner party, they are interrupted. This leads to a series of repetitions of the same events with different outcomes. In one version they sit down to dinner and a curtain raises behind them to reveal an audience that’s highly amused by them, another is interrupted by an army troop that smokes Cannabis.
Buñuel chose a fantastic cast for this strange and amusing film, Delphine Seyrig is brilliant with her satirical swipes of middle class life. Fernando Rey is perfect as the unflappable Ambassador.
The Discreet Charm of The Bourgeoisie is a mix of the nature of man and a thick satirical assault on the self-righteous social class. It works perfectly and is technically brilliant, and surprisingly accessible.
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is released for the first time on Blu-ray, and also on DVD, on 16th July to celebrate the film’s 40th Anniversary
About The Author – Scott Lawlor
Chief Editor of FRC. A self confessed geek with an unhealthy thirst for all things Home Cinema. Whether it is the latest Action film or Subwoofer. Check out his home set up HERE
Are you a fan of Buñuel? Have you seen this film? Comment below
Scott Lawlor
Yep I definitely need to see this!
You do matey, it is certainly a strange one, but very funny too
I love this movie so much. It’s top 20 for me.
WOW John, really?
I enjoyed it, but sureealism is never a strong point for me…. ever
I think I might be in your camp, matey.
Wonderful that you saw this. I picked this as my favourite movie of the seventies, and it’s also my favourite Bunuel movie. The man is so damn clever and outrageous. I absolutely love how he fucks with the middle and upper class dinner guests so creatively throughout the film, and then just decides in the end to give all that up and have them gunned down by soldiers. Dark but hilarious. I’ve seen this movie so many times, and I’m really happy you’ve given it a shot.
One of the great things of being on the press list of studiocanal here in the UK is a get to see films that would not have normally been on the menu for me. I am getting better huh?
Out of my comfort zone!!