The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

Starring: Fernando Rey, Delphine Seyrig, Paul Frankeur, Bulle Ogier, Stephane Audran, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Julien Bertheau, Milena Vukotic
Directed by: Luis Bunuel
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
1972

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A group of friends try to have dinner together, but a series of unexpected events interrupt them.

Review:

Tim: Luis Bunuel's surreal The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie won the 1973 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. It's... difficult to describe. A group of friends continually plan to have dinner together and a series of increasingly bizarre and unexpected events happen while they try to make their plans into reality. None of it makes especially solid sense, although the absurdist plot always has a point to it. It's hard to describe in a way that makes sense, especially when you consider this is an entertaining, effective movie. Bunuel seems to cast a spell on the audience with his original, unique film.

A big reason this movie works and is humorous is that the main cast of friends never stop and contemplate the strange series of events that befall them. They take everything in stride, as if all the situations are completely normal. This is really the brilliance of the film. So, they might try to dine in a place that is serving as a makeshift funeral parlor. Or, their dinner is crashed by an entire army battalion. Or, they are pursued by police for drug smuggling. There's also a series of dreams that are loosely connected to anything else going on, which brings in ghosts, declarations of war, and so much more. Bunuel's genius is that it all feels like it kind of makes sense, even when none of it does. It's such a surreal experience to watch this characters mostly nonchalantly deal with these extraordinary events as if they were perfectly normal and accepted. They just keep moving forward, even though the world around them is beyond bizarre and illogical. I wouldn't say any of this is especially funny- I don't recall a single outburst of actual laughter. However, it's all entertaining and humorous. The movie is short, at 1 hour, 42 minutes. It rarely drags- I was always interested in seeing what would happen next.

Now, while I enjoyed the movie, for sure, I didn't love it. It's hard to take anything seriously, because none of it is serious. Eventually, Bunuel's film becomes a bit repetitive. It takes a while to understand his approach and vision. Once we do, he keeps plodding forward, giving us the same things. It does eventually wear a bit thin. It's hard to stay engaged when the whole plot is absurd, dreamlike, and meaningless. It does get its point across, but it's not the most engaging. I was always interested in seeing what happened next, but I didn't really care much about it.

The characters are decent and the cast is effective. Fernando Rey certainly gave a good performance- he's a talented actor and I enjoyed his work here. Paul Frankeur and Jean-Pierre Cassel both give solid performances as well. Delphine Seyrig was certainly a standout. I didn't care much for Stephane Audran, I never quite believed her performance. Bulle Ogier was certainly humorous, but I wish she had more substantial things to do. I wouldn't say I loved the cast, but it worked well.

I'm sure there are people who love The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. I liked it and am glad I watched it- I appreciated seeing something unique. However, it surprises me a bit that the film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. It's original and i appreciated the confidence of Bunuel to do something so out of the ordinary. The film itself always felt effective but rarely ever exceptional. Still, it's a good movie and I am really happy I saw it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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