A Vital Part of 1960s Cinema

Belle De Jour is one of a kind. I open this review with that statement because I was blown away by how twisted and abnormal the plot of this film is. I watched this for the first time in 2006 as a 27-year-old male and it was a bit shocking to see such a crude film. I have seen Caligula (1979) and not been so shocked by it. When it was released in 1967 it must have been very scandalous indeed.

PLOT

This is rather simple since the story centers around a young woman named Séverine Serizy (aka belle de jour). This woman is a 23-year-old wife of a young doctor in Paris who has a major problem in her marriage. Her husband is well respected and has a promising career so all seems to be going well for this woman but she suffers from a psychosexual problem of having trouble being physically intimate with her husband. She does love him spiritually meaning that she cares for his feelings and well being, but she cannot bring herself to the act of physical love. In fact, the couple has twin beds in their apartment.

Although her husband is very supportive and patient with her the situation does not seem to get better. To add to this problem the woman quite often has these perverted dreams and fantasies in which her husband degrades her, has her beaten by other men, and watches as other men rape her. All of these things one day lead her to seek out a brothel run out of an apartment in Paris of which she learns of from one of her husband?s friends. She is very hesitant at first but winds up taking a job as a prostitute to service wealthy men in the apartment while working for a madam who arranges things. She take the name of Belle de Jour since she only works for a few hours each day in the afternoon while her husband is away at work. The rest of the film simply grapples with her double life as a respectable and proper wife versus a high cost prostitute for sale to anyone with enough money.

CHARACTERS

Catherine Deneuve magnificently played belle De Jour. I would say the physical appearance of the woman is what tended to shock me the most. Her style of walk/talk, mannerism, attire, personality, and just looks were all consistent with someone who would never dream of prostituting themselves for whatever reason. In this case it was not at all about the money. The film explains why the Belle has problems with her sexuality so I will not give that away. Suffice it to say that the job she takes is only to satisfy the physical needs she has since she cannot be physical with the man she loves.

The scene in which she serves the first John was heartbreaking because you see this nice and proper lady being manhandled by this disgusting older man with a hot temper. The age difference between the two also added to the level of disgust you feel when she starts working as a hooker. Of course, the lovely face and perfect hair of Deneuve also helped to create this dissonance because she personifies the pure virgin archetype with her innocent looking stares and horror at what she is about to do with herself. As time progresses she becomes more and more accustomed to her life and she surprises you again when she starts enjoying her job. I for one never thought she could have gone that far as a character; boy was I wrong.

Of course, there are many other characters in this film that are vital to making it what it was but I would not say they are worth mentioning individually because this film is all about the Belle herself; hence the title. I found flaws in only how aloof her husband was to the whole situation and how her maid did not report her absence from the home for a few hours each day. These are only small details in the plot that do not make sense.

The madam was also quite a revolutionary character in that she was Heidi Fleiss before Heidi Fleiss became a household name. This woman was a very sharp and calculating businesswoman that cared just about giving the customer what he wanted and getting the money for the services her women provided. I will elaborate on this further in the review but just watch for this woman.

Also, another character to watch for is an Asian John. Again, the film makers surprise you because in that day in age the Asians were stereotyped as being of small physical stature and involved in only academic prospects or perhaps warfare; backlash from WW2. In any case, the interracial congress that is not shown but most certainly implied is very cutting edge and must have raised an eyebrow back in those days. This character just tore down many of the false stereotypes created by cinema as pertaining to Asian people.

FILMING AND EDITING

It was in one word AWESOME! Off the bat I must say that the colors are very intense and vivid on the DVD version. The sound is very sharp as well with an English dub over if you wish to turn off the subtitles. I preferred having the sub titles on and listening to the French myself.

Anyway, the editing is marvelous because there is hardly ever a dull moment with this film. The opening sequence is sure to get you thinking if you are sure if you saw what you did. You will have your first shock within 8 minutes of the starting point. I also loved how they blended fantasy with reality and never showed the viewer when they were going from one to another. You could sit through an entire scene and think it just occurred to only discover later that it was only a dream; great job! This fast pace and high energy way of doing things also helped in keeping the viewer feeling the same tension and apprehension the Belle did in keeping her secret safe after starting to sell her body. You tend to worry just as much about the consequences of the Belle being found out as she is on screen.

SOCIAL STATEMENTS

If there is one thing to be taken away from this film it is to learn that things are not always what they seem. None of the characters behave in accord with who they are and what they do. Belle, you already know about as you do about her husband. However, there are charters like the Johns and the prostitutes that who seem to be there just for the sex and money and would otherwise not be involved in such sorted affairs. Most all of the Johns are well to do men who could get their pick of any woman they wanted. The prostitutes are reasonably attractive women who could get their pick of any man they wanted. Both parties could live legitimate lives if they wished yet they do not for their own reasons. I suppose this sort of ties into why the Belle chooses to do this sort of thing and stray from her proper life as well.

The underlying theme of this film was women?s independence in an era of history where free love ruled; at least in the states. It was brilliant how they showed independence to be a double-edged sword. As mentioned before, Belle does not prostitute because she needs the money but the other women do. The madam is also involved in this theme because she is in the 1960s era a completely independent woman.

The psychosexual problems of the Belle was explained in the film but I felt they were merely a vehicle by which to further explore the themes of freedom, independence, and the idea of sex and love being separate things. These ideas were classic 1960s material that gives the film further legitimacy. I would suggest you watch this in a group because excellent discussion is sure to follow.

OVERALL

I liked this film a great deal and consider it a top pick the genre of 1960s love, independence, free will, etc. The whole idea was to shock and create controversy, which were both accomplished to a great degree. The end of the film is a bit spooky but consistent with the rest of it so kudos to the writers. You will greatly empathize with the Belle and more than anything feel sorry for her. If this film leaves you a bit shaken I suggest you follow it up with The April Fools (1969). Deneuve plays opposite Jack Lemmon in that profound yet romantic take on the artifice of like in 1960s Americana.