What do you think?
Rate this book
Modern Film Scripts
Belle de Jour
Book by Bunuel, Luis
- GenresFilm
168 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
54 people want to read
About the author
Luis Buñuel
88 books183 followersLuis Buñuel was born on 22 February 1900 in Calanda, a small town in the Aragón region of Spain. He was a visionary filmmaker and influential figure in the history of cinema, known for his distinctive style and bold exploration of themes such as surrealism, social criticism, and human nature.
His family was wealthy and devoutly Catholic, a conservative environment that would later provide rich material for his critical and often subversive works.
Buñuel's education began in Jesuit schools, where he developed a critical view of religion that would pervade much of his later work. He moved to Madrid in 1917 to study at the University of Madrid, where he became part of an intellectual circle that included future luminaries such as Salvador Dalí and Federico García Lorca. This period marked the beginning of his engagement with avant-garde and surrealist ideas.
In the late 1920s, Buñuel moved to Paris, the epicenter of the surrealist movement. There, he collaborated with Salvador Dalí on his first film, "Un Chien Andalou" (1929), a 16-minute short that shocked audiences with its dreamlike imagery and disjointed narrative. The film, now considered a masterpiece of surrealist cinema, established Buñuel as a daring and original filmmaker.
Buñuel followed up with "L'Âge d'Or" (1930), another collaboration with Dalí, which further cemented his reputation. This film, with its provocative critique of the bourgeoisie and the Catholic Church, was met with outrage and censorship, solidifying Buñuel's position as a controversial and radical artist.
The political turmoil in Europe during the 1930s led Buñuel to work in various capacities, including a stint making documentaries in Spain and working in Hollywood. However, his career in the U.S. was hampered by his unorthodox style and political views. He eventually returned to Mexico, where he found a more receptive environment for his talents.
In Mexico, Buñuel directed numerous films that combined his surrealist tendencies with social and political commentary. Notable works from this period include "Los Olvidados" (1950), a gritty portrayal of urban poverty that won him the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival, and "El" (1953), a psychological drama about jealousy and obsession.
The 1960s and 1970s marked a period of international recognition and success for Buñuel. He directed several acclaimed films, including "Viridiana" (1961), which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, "Belle de Jour" (1967), starring Catherine Deneuve, and "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" (1972), which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. These films showcased Buñuel's continued fascination with surrealism, his sharp wit, and his critique of societal norms.
Buñuel's later years were marked by a retreat from the public eye, but he remained active in filmmaking until his final work, "That Obscure Object of Desire" (1977). He died on July 29, 1983, in Mexico City, leaving behind a legacy that has profoundly influenced modern cinema. His work continues to be celebrated for its innovation, audacity, and enduring relevance, ensuring Buñuel's place as one of the most important filmmakers in the history of the medium.
His family was wealthy and devoutly Catholic, a conservative environment that would later provide rich material for his critical and often subversive works.
Buñuel's education began in Jesuit schools, where he developed a critical view of religion that would pervade much of his later work. He moved to Madrid in 1917 to study at the University of Madrid, where he became part of an intellectual circle that included future luminaries such as Salvador Dalí and Federico García Lorca. This period marked the beginning of his engagement with avant-garde and surrealist ideas.
In the late 1920s, Buñuel moved to Paris, the epicenter of the surrealist movement. There, he collaborated with Salvador Dalí on his first film, "Un Chien Andalou" (1929), a 16-minute short that shocked audiences with its dreamlike imagery and disjointed narrative. The film, now considered a masterpiece of surrealist cinema, established Buñuel as a daring and original filmmaker.
Buñuel followed up with "L'Âge d'Or" (1930), another collaboration with Dalí, which further cemented his reputation. This film, with its provocative critique of the bourgeoisie and the Catholic Church, was met with outrage and censorship, solidifying Buñuel's position as a controversial and radical artist.
The political turmoil in Europe during the 1930s led Buñuel to work in various capacities, including a stint making documentaries in Spain and working in Hollywood. However, his career in the U.S. was hampered by his unorthodox style and political views. He eventually returned to Mexico, where he found a more receptive environment for his talents.
In Mexico, Buñuel directed numerous films that combined his surrealist tendencies with social and political commentary. Notable works from this period include "Los Olvidados" (1950), a gritty portrayal of urban poverty that won him the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival, and "El" (1953), a psychological drama about jealousy and obsession.
The 1960s and 1970s marked a period of international recognition and success for Buñuel. He directed several acclaimed films, including "Viridiana" (1961), which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, "Belle de Jour" (1967), starring Catherine Deneuve, and "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" (1972), which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. These films showcased Buñuel's continued fascination with surrealism, his sharp wit, and his critique of societal norms.
Buñuel's later years were marked by a retreat from the public eye, but he remained active in filmmaking until his final work, "That Obscure Object of Desire" (1977). He died on July 29, 1983, in Mexico City, leaving behind a legacy that has profoundly influenced modern cinema. His work continues to be celebrated for its innovation, audacity, and enduring relevance, ensuring Buñuel's place as one of the most important filmmakers in the history of the medium.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 4, 2026
Belle de Jour, directed by Luis Bunuel, with Catherine Deneuve
A different version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... and http://realini.blogspot.ro/
Luis Bunuel has an unusual, at times surrealist take on making movies.
Notwithstanding its eccentricity, Belle de Jour is more "rational" than say The Exterminating Angel.
The film has been included on the New York Times' Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made List:
- http://www.listchallenges.com/new-yor...
The phenomenal director has created other masterpieces:
- The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Diary of a Chambermaid, That Obscure Object of Desire and others
The actress at the center of this film has participated at an astonishing number of films:
- 129
From recent remarkable works like The Brand New Testament and Standing Tall to classics like
Repulsion, Place Vendome, Indochine, The Last Metro, Tristana and others
The tagline for this film is
- „Luis Bunuel's Masterpiece of Erotica.”
Appropriate.
Catherine Deneuve is Severine Serizy aka Belle de Jour.
I cannot decide whether Severine is bored, very imaginative, perverse or more likely, a combination of the aforementioned traits.
Early on, she imagines or dreams scenes of a certain masochism.
In these confabulations, Severine is abused by her husband.
Furthermore, she is whipped by two coachmen.
At the end of the beating, her husband is giving her as a " sexual gift" and maybe a punishment to one of the two rough men.
At the time I thought that this is one of her fears.
And maybe this is part of the mystery.
She could well have acted crazy because of a deep anxiety and a terror of violence.
On the other hand, she seems to be excited by aggressive behavior, later on.
Henri Husson, a friend played by Michel Piccoli mentions the address of a brothel.
Initially, the idea seems preposterous to Severine.
But she is curious and maybe she had this inclination towards open relationships or "fornication".
I for one do not blame, look down on workers in the sex industry.
There are well regarded women, with money and power- I even think White House- who look like they have chosen despicable men not because they love them.
So many marriages and relationships are based on interest, love of money, fame, power and I see them as similar to the transactions from the sex industry.
Only in these "respectable" affairs, there are fewer "clients" or maybe just one has exclusivity in exchange for a fortune.
Severine becomes a high class prostitute.
Her nome de guerre is
- Belle de Jour
The audience has a chance to see all sorts of sexual fantasies and predilections.
One client likes to be trampled upon.
Another originates from some place in Central Asia.
Finally, one becomes fascinated with Belle de Jour.
And this complicates matters and it all becomes dangerous.
This is a very good film.
A different version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... and http://realini.blogspot.ro/
Luis Bunuel has an unusual, at times surrealist take on making movies.
Notwithstanding its eccentricity, Belle de Jour is more "rational" than say The Exterminating Angel.
The film has been included on the New York Times' Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made List:
- http://www.listchallenges.com/new-yor...
The phenomenal director has created other masterpieces:
- The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Diary of a Chambermaid, That Obscure Object of Desire and others
The actress at the center of this film has participated at an astonishing number of films:
- 129
From recent remarkable works like The Brand New Testament and Standing Tall to classics like
Repulsion, Place Vendome, Indochine, The Last Metro, Tristana and others
The tagline for this film is
- „Luis Bunuel's Masterpiece of Erotica.”
Appropriate.
Catherine Deneuve is Severine Serizy aka Belle de Jour.
I cannot decide whether Severine is bored, very imaginative, perverse or more likely, a combination of the aforementioned traits.
Early on, she imagines or dreams scenes of a certain masochism.
In these confabulations, Severine is abused by her husband.
Furthermore, she is whipped by two coachmen.
At the end of the beating, her husband is giving her as a " sexual gift" and maybe a punishment to one of the two rough men.
At the time I thought that this is one of her fears.
And maybe this is part of the mystery.
She could well have acted crazy because of a deep anxiety and a terror of violence.
On the other hand, she seems to be excited by aggressive behavior, later on.
Henri Husson, a friend played by Michel Piccoli mentions the address of a brothel.
Initially, the idea seems preposterous to Severine.
But she is curious and maybe she had this inclination towards open relationships or "fornication".
I for one do not blame, look down on workers in the sex industry.
There are well regarded women, with money and power- I even think White House- who look like they have chosen despicable men not because they love them.
So many marriages and relationships are based on interest, love of money, fame, power and I see them as similar to the transactions from the sex industry.
Only in these "respectable" affairs, there are fewer "clients" or maybe just one has exclusivity in exchange for a fortune.
Severine becomes a high class prostitute.
Her nome de guerre is
- Belle de Jour
The audience has a chance to see all sorts of sexual fantasies and predilections.
One client likes to be trampled upon.
Another originates from some place in Central Asia.
Finally, one becomes fascinated with Belle de Jour.
And this complicates matters and it all becomes dangerous.
This is a very good film.
July 26, 2017
Luis Buñuel wasn’t 100% faithful to Joseph Kessel's novel. Adaptation of novels to cinema should be in this way. If a novel isn’t handled differently, it is meaningless to filming of that novel. Bunuel worked with a psychoanalyst while he was writing the screenplay. Some of psychological details were given visually, and some of them were skillfully given in dialogues.
September 23, 2007
زیبای روز، یا آن گونه که در بین اغلب علاقمندان به سینما در جهان مشهور است؛ "بل دو ژور" فیلمی ست به راستی دیدنی. حس تسکین یافته از دیدن فیلم، هرگز در خواندن فیلم نامه به دست نمی اید.
December 27, 2024
Maybe one day I will understand the joke about una perla.
💕Geneviève Page as Madame Anaïs : one of the great performances of the screen in recent years; and most uncanny it is, since the role, as written, is rather one-dimensional.💕
💕Buñuel’s fatalism actually undercuts the suspense of the narrative to the extent that there is no intellectual pressure for a resolved ending. Between the fatalism and the formal symmetry, Belle de Jour seems completely articulated as a Buñuelian statement. We do not have to know what we are not meant to know, and Buñuel establishes a precedent within his film for the ambiguity of his ending. This precedent involves Madame Ana'is, after Séverine the most absorbing character in the film. Alone of all the characters, Madame Ana'is is the truth-seeker, and she is inevitably far from the mark. She misunderstands the motivations of Belle de Jour from the outset, and she misinterprets Belle de Jour’s departure. Still, she is always staring at Belle de Jour as if it were possible to peel away layers of lacquered flesh to the raw impulses underneath. The scenes in which Geneviève Page’s Madame Ana’is gazes with loving curiosity at Catherine Deneuve’s Belle de Jour gleam with a psychological insight not customary with Buñuel, or, as rigorously empirical aestheticians would have it, the scenes gleam with the appearance of a psychological insight, the very beautiful appearance derived from two extraordinary screen incarnations.💕
💕Anaïs : Let me know how you’re getting on, if you can. Give me a ring now and again . . . I’d like that . . . Do you have an address, where no one would know if I ... ?
Séverine interrupting firmly : No.
Anaïs rebuffed: Oh well, too bad . . . What am I supposed to say, then?
Séverine throws away her cigarette, turns and suddenly draws Anaïs to her. Anaïs gazes at her coldly. Séverine tries to kiss her, but Anaïs turns her face away. Séverine kisses her on the neck, then hurries off. Anaïs gazes after her.💕
💕Geneviève Page as Madame Anaïs : one of the great performances of the screen in recent years; and most uncanny it is, since the role, as written, is rather one-dimensional.💕
💕Buñuel’s fatalism actually undercuts the suspense of the narrative to the extent that there is no intellectual pressure for a resolved ending. Between the fatalism and the formal symmetry, Belle de Jour seems completely articulated as a Buñuelian statement. We do not have to know what we are not meant to know, and Buñuel establishes a precedent within his film for the ambiguity of his ending. This precedent involves Madame Ana'is, after Séverine the most absorbing character in the film. Alone of all the characters, Madame Ana'is is the truth-seeker, and she is inevitably far from the mark. She misunderstands the motivations of Belle de Jour from the outset, and she misinterprets Belle de Jour’s departure. Still, she is always staring at Belle de Jour as if it were possible to peel away layers of lacquered flesh to the raw impulses underneath. The scenes in which Geneviève Page’s Madame Ana’is gazes with loving curiosity at Catherine Deneuve’s Belle de Jour gleam with a psychological insight not customary with Buñuel, or, as rigorously empirical aestheticians would have it, the scenes gleam with the appearance of a psychological insight, the very beautiful appearance derived from two extraordinary screen incarnations.💕
💕Anaïs : Let me know how you’re getting on, if you can. Give me a ring now and again . . . I’d like that . . . Do you have an address, where no one would know if I ... ?
Séverine interrupting firmly : No.
Anaïs rebuffed: Oh well, too bad . . . What am I supposed to say, then?
Séverine throws away her cigarette, turns and suddenly draws Anaïs to her. Anaïs gazes at her coldly. Séverine tries to kiss her, but Anaïs turns her face away. Séverine kisses her on the neck, then hurries off. Anaïs gazes after her.💕
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews