Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie (1972)

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers:

Luis Buñuel (written by)
Jean-Claude Carrière (written by)

Release Date:

22 October 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

A surreal, virtually plotless series of dreams centered around six middle-class people and their consistently interrupted attempts to have a meal together.

Plot Keywords:

Middle Class | Terrorism | Food | Chime | Rebel

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Fernando Rey	...	Don Rafael Acosta
Paul Frankeur	...	M. Thevenot
Delphine Seyrig	...	Simone Thévenot
Bulle Ogier	...	Florence
Stéphane Audran	...	Alice Sénéchal (as Stephane Audran)
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Henri Sénéchal
Julien Bertheau	...	Mgr Dufour
Milena Vukotic	...	Ines
Maria Gabriella Maione	...	Guerilla
Claude Piéplu	...	Colonel
Muni	...	Peasant
Pierre Maguelon	...	Sgt de police
François Maistre	...	Delecluze
Michel Piccoli	...	Ministre
Ellen Bahl

Also Known As:

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Canada: English title) (USA)
El discreto encanto de la burguesía (Spain)
Il fascino discreto della borghesia (Italy)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

France | Italy | Spain

Language:

French | Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | West Germany:16 (f) | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG | Australia:PG | UK:AA (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Dean Film

Trivia:

The date Don Rafael tells Florence is his birthday, 22 February, is also director Luis Buñuel's birthday.

Goofs:

Continuity: After sending the terrorist out of his apartment, Rafael's position in the windows changes between shots.

Quotes:

[The Senechals are preparing to make love. There is a knock at the door.]
M. Senechal: What is it?
Ines: The guests are here, sir.
M. Senechal: Tell them we'll be down. Serve them drinks.
Alice Senechal: They can wait five minutes. Come on.
M. Senechal: No, no, not here. We can't.
Alice Senechal: But why?
M. Senechal: You scream too loud. You know it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Le cinéma passe à table (2005) (TV)

Dinner Is Served

Director Luis Bunuel is often described as a surrealist, but the word misapplied in reference to his later works, where the the term absurdism is much more appropriate. Such is the case with the Academy Award-winning THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE, which begins with four friends who arrive at their hosts' home only to discover they have arrived on the wrong night--a plausible situation. But before the film has run its course, Bunuel unravels his tale of a meal that never quite happens in the most unexpected ways imaginable.

The film works on several levels, mocking social conventions, the church, and eventually spilling its action into a series of overlapping nightmares in which various attempts to dine are frustrated by everything from the corpse of a restaurant manager in a nearby room to military maneuvers. On one memorable occasion, the friends are invited to dine and are seated around an elegant table--when a curtain suddenly rises behind them and reveals them to be seated on a stage before a hostile audience! The cast (which features Fernando Rey, Delphine Seyrig, Paul Frankeur, Bulle Ogier, Stephane Audran and Jean-Pierre Cassel as the constantly frustrated diners) plays with considerable aplomb, performing the most irrational scenes with a magnificent realism. When combined with Bunuel's absurdist story, the result is a disquieting yet often very funny discourse on frustrated appetites both real and imagined, and with many layers of incidental meaning along the way.

A word of caution to the uninitiated: Bunuel is not for those who seek a tidy plot line with clear-cut meanings. But if you come to it with an open mind, you'll find plenty of food for thought!

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer