The Discreet Charm of
the Bourgeoisie
Director: Luis Buñuel
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Released: September 1972
Country: France
If you’re one of those
people who thinks a good painting is one that looks like a photograph, then you probably are not a fan of surrealism. Surrealism is the kind of art that leaves you
wondering what the hell it is you are looking at, supposedly appealing to your subconscious
and affecting you on a level other than what you see and hear at the
surface. The work of Salvador Dali, with
his melting clocks and swans that reflect elephants, is great example of the
art form.
It should come as no
surprise that Dali was an early collaborator with Luis Buñuel, the director of
1972’s Best Foreign Film, the surrealistic The Discreet Charm
of the Bourgeoisie. Roger Ebert
called their first film together, the 15-minute silent Un Chien Andalou (1928), the most famous short film ever made, and
boy, it’s a doozy. It makes absolutely
no sense whatsoever and is considered a masterpiece. It’s worth giving the 15-minute film a look here. The first minute or so is not for the squeamish
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, one of Buñuel’s last
films, isn’t quite as nonsensical or
bizarre as Un Chien Andalou (which means “A dog from Andalusia,” but does not
have the whiff of a dog, either one from Andalusia or from anywhere else), but elements
of surrealism are all over this movie.
Set in France, the film is essentially about six people--Rafael, a diplomat
from a fictional Central American country, who is also a drug trafficker; his
friends the Thévenots,
a married couple of some importance; Mrs. Thévenot's alcoholic sister, Florence; and the Sénéchals, Alice and Henri—as they try to have dinner together, repeatedly
interrupted or otherwise thwarted from having their meal together.
 |
| Going out for dinner |
 |
| Un Chien Andalou |
Comedy is a part of
this, but this is mostly social commentary.
The ambassador (played by Fernando Rey, the French
connection in 1971’s The French
Connection) and the others are all petty hypocrites, only interested
in their own pleasures and looking down at those beneath them in social
standing. But because this is a
surrealist film, often times one has no idea if what is shown actually happened
or was someone’s dream. We also don’t
know if people are real or are ghosts, or if violence that occurs actually
happens.
 |
| Fernando Rey as Rafael |
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is a head-scratcher and
likely would take several screenings to understand it. Nonetheless, there are great sequences that
keep you engaged, even you aren’t quite sure what they mean. The cast is also excellent, especially Rey,
who is at once dignified and morally suspect, the perfect persona for the point
Bunuel was making about the bourgeoisie.
I think.
The title: En français:
Le Charme discret de la
bourgeoisie. The term “discreet
charm” is used sarcastically, to indicate how beneath the surface,
these people lack true dignity and grace.
The
Culture: Nothing particularly instructive about French
culture, other than dinner parties seem to be a big thing.
 |
| Dali's The Persistence of Memory |
Best
Picture that year: The Godfather
Rating: Buñuel is considered one of the great film
makers of the 20th century.
What makes him impressive, I think, is that he went against conventions
and made films about things that interested him, popularity be damned. That said, I can’t say that I like the
confusion that happens after watching from a film like this. A second viewing may be just what I need, but
for now, I will just say that if you feel, as I do, that a little weirdness is
welcome in the arts, as long as it’s not weirdness for its own sake, this film
will entertain you and make you think a little.
About what, I have no idea.
