Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

The film is always enjoyable and there are funny bits of business interpersed throughout - I enjoyed the tedious moralizing of one self-satisfied stuffed shift who complains that the army is being ruined by drugs, all the while he's an associate in the illegal drug trade. The film won't offend anyone the way "Viridiana" or "Belle de Jour" still might but that's another way of saying that it doesn't have those films' ferocious provocative power either. In other words, it's merely wonderful rather than breathtaking.

Still, Criterion has created another top drawer DVD package. Not only is the film's transfer superb (it looks like it was just released yesterday) but there's very good documentary on the second disc outlining the main features of Bunuel's career. (A second, lesser, documentary appears on the first disc). In all, this disc is tailored more to those who know something of Bunuel and appreciate his work - the price will probably keep causal film purchasers away. For those looking for a less costly way to introduce themselves to this great filmmaker, try renting (or buying) a VHS copy of "Belle de Jour" or "Viridiana". Bunuel fans, however, will find this DVD set a gift from Heaven.......


This is one of teh best films ever made   October 16, 2001
Anna Shlimovich (Wayland, MA United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

There are already several detailed reviews of this movie here. So I will only say that this is a true masterpiece of the special eternal Bunuel enigma. You will find everything that's best of later Bunuel's works here - sarcasm, absurdity, refine taste and of course, always a miriad of questions unanswered - everyone would have to try to find their own answer for all the puzzles. And this is what makes Bunuel so unique in a great sense. Not for Hollywood lovers, though - give it a miss if you enjoy mass production.


Great film and wonderful documentary on Bunel!   November 7, 2001
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, one of Bunel's most popular films, is a great one! I love the acting, the satirical elements, and playfulness of the film.

Favorite scene: when the army men come in to have dinner and the conversation about war and marijuana that follows . A funny scene!

One of the top 100 films of all time!

This Criterion Collection 2-disc set also includes an informative documentary on Bunel. It's very enlightning!

The whole DVD set is a great buy!


Elegant, Surreal And Charming.   November 17, 2002
Mr. Fellini (El Paso, Texas United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Among the works of the best directors of the 20th century, the films of Luis Bunuel stand out as some of the most original and provocative. It is especially refreshing to find what an impressive DVD set Criterion put together for the centenery of this, one of the greatest masters of the cinema. "The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie" was Bunuel's most successful movie, it won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film and remains fresh, entertaining, fascinating, stylish and strong. It is a brilliant collage of surrealism and criticsm, it is at once a movie that has something to say about social realities and a fantasy that plays like a weird dream. It speaks to the realities of social order and the strangeness of life. Bunuel cheerfully goes for the surprisingly absurd, like a priest offering to be a rich couple's gardener (this later goes into a scene where the priest has to absolve the killer of his parents and in Bunuel fashion, after he finishes the prayers he picks up a rifle and shoots the man). The movie is also visually enchanting, Bunuel's shots are seductive in their own way with the way he films rooms, feet, people and events. There are vibrant colors and the dialogue is wonderfully intelligent. And it is never boring, Bunuel takes us through one strange event after the other, never letting the movie slow down for anything. The second disc in this set is a great treat for fans of Bunuel. It contains the brand new, 2000 documentary "A Proposito De Bunuel (Speaking Of Bunuel)." It's a fascinating, rich documentary on the life and work on Bunuel which features clips from all his classics including "Un Chien Andalou" and "Los Olvidados" and it traces his work from France to Mexico, Spain and back to France. It also has some great interviews with people who worked with Bunuel including Mexican star Sylvia Pinal who was Bunuel's favorite movie star in the 60s. The mini-documentary found in the first disc, "The Castaway On The Street Of Providence," made in the 70s by Bunuel friends and the Mexican director Arturo Ripstein (who made "Deep Crimson") is also fascinating and features Bunuel himself talking and his wife Jeanne. This is a great set for any film buff and fan of Bunuel and the surrealist movement. It is fitting that such a great tribute be made for such a great filmmaker.


Masterful tales of charm and horror   April 8, 2004
Platonism (Montreal)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Bunuel's handling of narrative is nothing short of masterful in this film. The work's structure is akin to a collection of interconnected short stories - stories that have important ties with Poe's more satirical writings. Each tale offers either a variation on one or more of the film's main characters, or an episode linked in one way or another to the events that surround it. These tales are interesting enough when considered individually, but they gain further levels of meaning if we read them in parallel with the whole work. The film is at once literary and extremely cinematic: the thematic, 'writerly' depth is enhanced by remarkable visual coherence; the cool, precise style hides constant subversion and images range from the brutally shocking to the lyrical. It is customary but somewhat erroneous to say that this work goes back-and-forth between dreams and 'reality' - Bunuel blurs the line between them until differenciation becomes close to impossible. This is a major achievement from one of the supreme masters of the fantastic art.