Article #1: Belle de Jour – Melissa Anderson
In the article, Melissa Anderson offers a detailed critique of the film, Belle de Jour , and elements involved in its creation. The article starts by highlighting the remarks of the film's lead character, Catherine Deneuve, who played Severine Serizy in the movie. According to Anderson'ssentiments, the role was too much for Deneuve because the director made her play a flogged, raped, and pelted character. Even though it influenced her career as an actress, the role also exposed her more.
Similarly, the film was defining for Luis Bunuel's career as a director. According to Anderson, even though Bunuel had a reputable career, Belle de Jour was his greatest and most successful film. The encounter of the two, Bunuel and Deneuve, to produce a controversial film about sexual perversion, forms the central message of the article – an in-depth analysis of the character of Severine. Anderson accomplishes that by highlighting and summarizing scenes of the character involving the theme of sexual perversion. For instance, the article focuses on the scenes where Severine's job demands her to become more mysterious and strange. Because of this, she becomes a victim of name-callings, such as "slut” and "tramp." Even the moment of flirtation between her and Madame Anais gives her a status of an iconic lesbian in the film.
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All the above elements point towards both the director's boldness to create such a film and the primary character to play such a role. Despite being subjected to profanity, sexual perversion, and fetishism, to Deneuve, Belle de Jour is a "wonderful film" (Anderson, year?, 2). What makes the film even more controversial and interesting is the fact that Severine is married and yet undergoes despicable sexual experiences. According to the critic, the movie's interpretation is up to a viewer to decide what it is about.
Article #2: Belle de Jour – Braudy and Dickstein
In the article, the writers touch upon the idea of beauty as presented in the film. Belle de Jour translates to "beautify day," thus drawing multiple interpretations of beauty in the movie. For some people, the significance of attractiveness is seen in the character of Severine; others see it in the unfolding sexual scenes in the film. But for Braudy and Dickstein, the idea of beauty is embedded in the artistic rigor of the entire body of work. The critics do so because of the extent of controversy surrounding the character.
Severine is a beautiful young woman married to a surgeon. However, she decides to work in a brothel. Shockingly, the financial reward involved in her behaviors is not rewarding enough for her to stick to sexual aberration. She gets all the material needs she wants. Nonetheless, her husband does not satisfy her sexual desires. Like Melissa Anderson, in her article on the film, this particular piece of critique also focuses on Severine's sexual escapades in Belle de Jour . However, this article further compares the film and the original story is adapted from.
From the two sets of stories, Braudy and Dickstein notice differences, especially between the character of Severine. For instance, in Kessel's original story, the author wants readers to identify with the character. On the other hand, it seems that Bunuel wants his audiences to contemplate the nature of Severine's sexual obsession. Thus, according to the writers, the beauty of the film is rooted in how Bunuel adapts the story in light of his vision of the world. Comparing the two sets of work on the same story, it seems that Bunuel loves the character of Severine. This is seen in how she frees her sexual desires in the director's version of the story.
Movie Review: Belle de Jour and That Obscure Object of Desire
Luis Bunuel is a household name when it comes to remarkable classic movies. The filmmaker has given us several exciting and yet thought-provoking movies. A majority of his productions are controversial and thus attracted huge debates despite being overly entertaining. For instance, Belle de Jour and That Obscure Object of Desire are impossible movies to miss when reviewing Bunuel's work. The two films share a significant number of qualities, including being considered the filmmaker's greatest movies known primarily for their controversy for featuring distinct subjects. Notably, the two French movies play a critical role in highlighting the eroticism and sexual perversion that occurs in society.
The title, Belle de Jour , is a simple name and yet has an extremely deeper meaning. It means "beautiful day," but this is not the case with the film since it is a highly erotic film. Something that worth noting is that the title is a pun of "belle de nuit," a French phrase translating to "the lady of the night." In a simpler term, the title refers to a "prostitute," and since the main story revolves around Severine, the creators of the film refer to her as a prostitute because of her secret life that involves visiting brothels. However, in its purest raw poetic form, the title hints at Severine's role. The character works during the day under a pseudonym "Belle de Jour," which can be understood as Hemerocallis, implying a flower that blossoms during the day. On an artistic sense, is that Severine's sexual obsessions satisfy her desires, thus making her whole.
Similarly, the title, That Obscure Object of Desire, is a simple and yet highly complicated name. Most of the film features a series of flashbacks from a character who also doubles up as the narrator. The character is known as Mathieu, a wealthy aristocrat from France. The obscurity of the object, as the title suggests, is depicted in the way Mathieu patronizes the subjects of the film without considering the nature of their relationship. It seems as though the narrator expects the story to justify his actions. In this case, and according to the view of Mathieu, Conchita, the woman at the train station, is a devil embodied in human form. Conchita is an ambiguous figure that he uses to satisfy his sexual frustrations according to Mathieu's description. Thus, the title signifies the value of Conchita to Mathieu.
Severine is the protagonist in Belle de Jour . In film, a protagonist is the main character of a movie. He/she is at the center of the story. Movie experts like to think of a protagonist as a champion of a particular idea or course. In the sense that, the story revolves around them and they make key decisions and face repercussions for the decisions they make. In Belle de Jour , the story revolves around Severine's life, thereby making her the only protagonist. The film is centered on sexual perversion.
She possesses all traits of a protagonist. She pursues the primary goal of the film's plot, which also differentiates her from other characters. Typically, a protagonist is driven by something, either a goal, duty, or curiosity. All the three elements are available with the most used being the curiosity to explore her sexual fantasies. Severine has a relatable character flaw, that of unfulfilled sexual needs, which makes her identifiable to audiences of the film. For that reason, despite her experiences, she invokes trust and likeability. Above all, she experiences change, which involves learning from the consequences of her actions. She regrets from her actions and seemingly becomes a better person.
Meanwhile, Mathieu is the protagonist of That Obscure Object of Desire. Like Severine in Belle de Jour , he represents a perfect protagonist of the film, thus differentiating himself from the rest of the characters. He is driven by the need to satisfy his sexual frustration and pursue a younger woman. Being a wealthy and noble French businessman in his middle age, Mathieu is a relatable character to many viewers. He possesses an identifiable flaw common in society. The idea of middle-aged men pursuing younger women for sexual gratifications is widespread in society. However, the experiences are unlike those in real life. Violent sex and other sexual activities, coupled with the nature of his relationship with constraint, is strange.
The director paints Severine as a perfect character, extremely likable because of her beauty. However, her behaviors and thoughts do not match her looks. She is not as innocent as she looks or seems to be. She would have been innocent if she was forced or coerced into the secret life she adopts along the way. However, everything she does is her own choice, which also questions her sense of innocence. An innocent person is one who is not liable for an event and yet suffers its consequences. That said, the lack of Severine's actions is evident in the film across multiple scenes.
First, she lets her erotic sexual imaginations overpower her causing her to visit a brothel. It is then that, secondly, she has sexual intercourse with a stranger despite having a husband whom she claims to love. She makes working at the brothel a routine from two to five o'clock each day and returning to her unsuspecting husband. Third, she encounters a gangster and offers to share with him her sexual thrills and excitement. Fifth, in all these, she is not engaging in "prostitution" for the money but out of curiosity, which then turns into a habit. In other words, she has a choice to avoid such life, but she ventures and commits to it.
On the same note, Bunuel strategically portrays Conchita as an interesting young woman. Like Severine, she lives a double life – that of complete innocence and the other that is astonishingly unpleasant. The two lives completely contradict each other to the extent Bunuel features two different actors to play Conchita. In many ways, Conchita is a lot like Severine – they both live double lives only that Severine's secret life is not known to many. As for the case of Conchita, she is played by Carole Bouquet and Angelina Molina. Conchita, played by Bouquet, is a quiet and reserved girl and not also forceful. On the other hand, when played by Molina, Conchita is violent, perverted, loud, dramatic, and likes. Even in the instances, Conchita confronts Mathieu, and she is portrayed as Molina.
Another element to review is the likeability of key characters of the two movies. These characters are the victims of the protagonists' actions and decisions. In this case, Pierre in Belle de Jour and Conchita in That Obscure Object of Desire . Pierre is both a likable and dislikeable character. He has a set of qualities that make him a victim of the tragedy of love. At the same time, he also possesses certain qualities that make him the cause of it all. He is a kind and loving husband. He genuinely cares for Severine and wants the best for her. This is seen in the opening part of the film, where he tries to get closer to Severine, but he is unsuccessful. He initiates a good conversation between the two in an attempt to make their situation better.
On the other hand, he is too naïve. He respects his wife's wishes of having weird sexual fantasies. He is too trusting; he even lets a man, Hasson, who would eventually lead his wife astray, get close to her. Severine lived two separate lives under his nose without even noticing or suspecting until, at the end, when Husson breaks the news to him about his wife's secret life. Even then, and having realized that the wife is the reason he is shot and in critical lifelong condition, he appears all right with the idea of being with Severine.
Likewise, Conchita is both a likable and a despicable character. She is likable when Bouquet plays her. She appears as a kind and somewhat respectable lady who easily draws the trust of her viewers. On the other hand, Manila is annoying and stubborn. There are multiple instances this aspect of herself is revealed. First, she pours a bucket of water on Mathieu in public at the train station. Secondly, she dances naked in front of strangers while being committed to Mathieu. Third, she engages in sex with a stranger in front of Mathieu and many others. Because of these instances, Mathieu describes her as a devil who disguises herself as a lady.
Something observable about the two movies is the roles of supporting characters in transforming the main characters. In Belle de Jour , the character is known as Husson. Husson plays a critical role in shaping the transformation of Severine's character. That is revealed when Severine and Pierre visit a ski resort and meet two friends Renee and Husson. Husson is the first person who introduces her to the thought of having an affair. He looks at her suggestively and even sends her flowers. Even though Husson knows Severine is married to his friend, he confesses his desire for her. Husson is important in more than one aspects of the movie. First, he represents a force that is out to push Severine to pursue her sexual fantasies. He does so by subconsciously showing his interest in her and telling her about the brothel. It is almost as though Severine would have first cheated on her husband with Husson.
Secondly, if Severine is considered a heroine, Husson must be a critical part of the creation of her heroine journey. A heroine starts in an ordinary world where she is oblivious to adventure. Her adventure begins when she is called to action, and since the film is about sexual matters, she is called by Husson to experience what her husband would not offer. She refuses the call when she turns down Husson's request depicting the third stage of a heroine's journey. She then proceeds to meet her mentor in the fourth stage, at which point Madame Anais is in this stage. Thus, Husson's role is shown in the second and third stages of Severine's transformation. In other words, he is the reason Severine gets the opportunity to explore her imaginations.
For That Obscure Object of Desire , the character is Conchita. She is somewhat responsible for what Mathieu has become. A deeper analysis of the play leads one to discover how Mathieu narrates the story and plays himself in the film, and he is a victim of Conchita's evil deeds. We see him as a respectable member of a society incapable of tossing a bucket of water on a lady in public. However, this is the case, and how he justifies his actions to people he finds at the station, he is seeking approval. To him, Conchita is all kinds of a wrong person who is up to no good. Despite all these, he still finds himself going back to her to fulfil his sexual needs.
Belle de Jour and That Obscure Object of Desire are two thought-provoking classic productions of the golden age. They are also a significant turning point in Bunuel's career as a filmmaker. In the two films, he goes beyond the boundaries of norms of production to give us the most controversial films at the time. The controversy of the films is rooted in the central ideas they portray – those of eroticism and sexual perversion. Interestingly, Bunuel strategically uses two young female characters to drive the points of the movies home. This way, we get to witness eroticism in its purest form.
