Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

On a second thought though, after I saw my first Bunuel movie ('The Exterminating Angel') I was so stunned that I couldn't see a Hollywood movie for many months afterwards (they all seemed created for and by morons). So if you enjoy your Hollywood fare, maybe better skip Bunuel...


An excellent DVD..... Highly Recommended!!!!   February 7, 2001
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

You won't be dissapointed in buying this DVD. I say this not only because the movie is absolutely fabulous (if you want plot information, read the review by Leonard Maltin above), but because of the great job the criterion collection has done with this package. The newly restored image of the film is beautifull. The subtitles do the script justice, unlike subtitles on a lot of other films. The 28 minute documentary is nice to watch.It contains a lot of interesting information, as well as some rare footage of the master doing what he loves best, preparing martinis (or as he calls them, "Bunueloni's").

The real treat in the package is 98 minute long documentary on Bunuel. I never expected it to be so informative and so entertaining at the same time. It's filmed with interesting anecdotes from lifelong collaborators,friends, and family. The documentary also includes rare footage of Bunuel speaking freely among friends and sharing his opinions on a variety of subject matters.

If you are a fan of Bunuel's work, you will find this DVD package to be worth every penny. If you're unfamiliar with Bunuel, do yourself a favor and purchase this DVD for you are about to stumble upon one of cinema's most gifted artists.


Warning: This film may irritate unintelligent viewers   April 15, 2003
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

I won't bother suggesting any interpretations of this film; it is just too rich in meaning. My favorite things about this film are the deliberate artificiality of the sets (even in the allegedly realistic scenes); notice, too, the pervasive use of fleshtones and neutrals juxtaposed with a shocking flash of red on a wine bottle, a vase of flowers, the shutters of a house, or a barn door; finally, anyone who tries to take this film too seriously must realize that it is essentially a string of gags (as Bunuel himself described his method) that relies on a sense of irony and subtlety.

There is hardly a single element of the film that is conventional; this is part of the work Bunuel is doing on the audience. If you're looking for another rehash of all the familiar movie cliches, you WILL be dissapointed. If, however, you're looking for something creative and fresh, you will enjoy the non-linear narrative, the use of sound effects to convey meaning, artful camera work, and Bunuel's refusal to tie up the ending in a nice little bow.

The Criterion DVD transfer of this film is PHENOMENAL. The sound has no background noise and the menu graphics are top-notch. The 'Speaking of Bunuel' documentary on the second disc is very well done and worth watching more than once. The liner notes are impressive: glossy and colorful, yeah! There is no dissapointment involved with this DVD--no details were overlooked; now when is Criterion going to take over the out-of-print 'Belle de Jour' DVD??


A somewhat bourgeois movie.   April 16, 2002
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

First of all, what a title! -- *The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie*. Perhaps it was inevitable that the movie itself couldn't quite live up to such a grandiloquent heading. But understand this: a not-quite-masterpiece from Bunuel is superior to, like, 95% of all other movies out there. His inventiveness, his willingness to open his mind, and of course his technical mastery -- all of which are amply on display in *Discreet Charm* -- really ought to shame directors half his age at the time (72!). I'll quickly go over a couple of sore spots that prevent me from giving this movie 5 stars: Bunuel's introduction of student revolutionaries seems a perfunctory nod to the fashion of the times (1972): a plotline involving a young terrorist woman comes to nothing much. Also, there may be one too many surrealist dreams in the movie: after awhile, you start figuring out what's a gag and what isn't, and the climaxes of these sequences don't always pay off. Finally, one may rightly wonder if the basic premise of the movie, which is whether or not a group of idle upper-class people get to eat a decent meal, is really worthy of Bunuel's talents. Or to put it another way, are these people deserving of the director's generosity? (I prefer the savage, uncompromising Bunuel to this mellow, live-and-let-live incarnation of his later years.) On the other hand, the relaxing of the old class hatreds here in *Discreet Charm* indicates a charity of spirit that's rather inspiring. And for the Bunuel devotee, you get your requisite bugs and guns, not to mention such staples as Fernando Rey . . . the inevitable Bishop . . . the ingenuous housemaid . . . so forth. The cast is as genteel as the material: Paul Frankeur in particular is the epitome of bourgeois, with his stuffy insistence on the right martini glasses and a preference for his own home-farmed caviar. [Criterion puts together another impeccable package w / this one, though I do wish they'd saved The Criterion Treatment for *The Exterminating Angel* or *Nazarin*, and brought the price of this movie down about 10 bucks. The beautiful picture quality is expected, but you also get a couple of good documentaries, in which Bunuel teaches us cocktail recipes. Of especial note is the inside skinny on the roistering college days of Bunuel, Lorca, and Dali -- what a trio! All in all, this package is well-worth having.]