"Beauty in the Day" 1967

Lynn 2022-04-23 07:03:20

I love works that reveal hidden or ugly humanity, such as the anime "Hell Girl", Kirino Natsuo's novel "Anomalous" and Luis Buñuel's "Beauty in the Daytime".
The beginning of the film shows its distinctive qualities. We first heard the sound of a carriage from far to near, of course I didn't know it was a carriage at first. It's like a sonic stimuli or suggestion, and the director uses that suggestion throughout the story, the meowing of cats, the humming of the Mongolian client's mysterious box, the sound of gunshots, and so on. To be honest, I was taken aback when I saw that demure beauty hanged from a tree and whipped and enjoyed it, but it was just an imagination. I immediately thought of the character in "Anomalous" who is a high-ranking head of the department but works part-time as a prostitute at night. Severina has excellent qualities and a high quality of life, but has to face her passionate side. Although it's a movie full of erotic elements, we don't actually see anything. I doubt that the 1 hour and 40 minute version I saw was cut so hard that there were some passages that I couldn't understand at all. For example, the gentleman was separated from life and death played by the Japanese beauty. The gentleman fell down as he spoke, and then saw the violent shaking of the shelf, and the Japanese beauty peered out of the coffin to see what happened, so she was driven away. There are also clips of Severina's fantasy of her "playing" with Annecy under the table. One of my favorite scenes is when Severina comes out of the hospital with her husband after she meets Marcel, a punk. That was the only time Severina was really happy. Actress Catherine Deneuve is not a beauty at first sight, not even a perfect figure, but you will always be attracted by her temperament, I can't say that Catherine played the role perfectly, but she is absolutely It expresses the contrast between the reality and the heart of the character.
For the difference between what the film hopes to express, between what humans think and what they do, it is not only the contrast of Severina that is described, but other characters also show such characteristics. The husband's evasive remarks about the fact that he had been to a brothel showed that although he did not want to admit it, he was quite proud that he had visited such a place; the taxi driver told the passengers without any displeasure after hearing the conversation about the brothel I knew a lot of such places, but I immediately distanced myself from such places on the grounds of professional needs. This shows that director Buñuel's exploration of human nature and the extreme irony of this phenomenon.
As an erotic movie, it doesn't have any naked eroticism. All the shots, angles, and language are just right, and more erotica actually comes from our imagination. Through this work, Buñuel is testing our hearts and at the same time revealing the secret emotions that are not recognized by people, so that everyone can't help but re-look into their own and others' hearts.

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Extended Reading

Belle de Jour quotes

  • Renee: You remember Henriette?

    Séverine Serizy: Yes, very well.

    Renee: It seems - she's turning tricks.

    Séverine Serizy: What?

    Renee: In one of those houses. They say she's there several days a week. Can you believe it? Henriette! Of course, that's all so far from your world. But, can you imagine? A woman like you or me? Can you see her going with just anybody? In those places you don't get to choose. Old or not, lousy looking or not. Even with a man you love it can be unpleasant.

  • Pierre Serizy: You go in. The women are there. You pick one. You spend half an hour alone with her and after you leave, you're depressed all day. But what can you do? Semen retentum venenum est.