Weekend Flick Pick
Being a blogger can be a very indecisive occupation. Par exemple, yesterday my mind was made up to write up a WFP on À bout de souffle. Today, however, after having an intense (and unexpectedly nice) dream last night (about kissing one of my ex-boyfriend's friends, and yes it was just a kiss), I decided to change it to Belle de Jour. Unfortunately my ex-boyfriend's friend, despite having his own unique charm, doesn't exactly look like Pierre Clémenti - as pictured below (who plays the gorgeous and youthfully over-enthusiastic gangster Marcel), but I'm sure the director of the film, Luis Buñuel, would have approved of my over indulgent psychoanalysis for this post anyway!
Belle is one of those giants of cinema that is luckily still very fresh today, and is much easier to sit through than Citizen Kane or Battleship Potemkin. Its subject matter is still incredibly shocking even by today's standards. Belle de Jour, is a pun on the French phrase, Belle du Nuit, which literally means "Woman of the Night". You can guess then what the occupation of the leading character of Belle (Severin) is. The film inspired the song Venus in Furs by The Velvet Underground, and is referenced as the name of the lead character in British TV programme Secret Diary of a Call Girl, starring Billie Piper.
The plot is virtually impossible to describe as it doesn't follow a strict narrative sequence; plus there's lots of symbolism and dream sequences (or are they dreams?) They all follow the sexploits of Severin as she gives up the life of a bored rich housewife (these art house films are full of them!) and embarks upon a day job that most of us would find a tad weird. The Director Luis Buñuel has a great sense of humour and there are some hilarious laugh out loud moments. The film has a genuine feel of absurdity to it.
And then there's Catherine Deneuve; who is incredible in this film (and so is her wardrobe). It is the ultimate guide in how to do 60's chic; I can't think of anything that betters it!
So if you are a bit of a prude/ or have never had an unsettling dream about kissing the friend of an ex, then this probably isn't for you, instead, I'd check out the post on the 65th birthday of The Moomins that I'm writing in a couple of days time!
60's French thug chic
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