Search - Belle de Jour on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Not For Children, Adult Humor, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1967 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 42 mins Studio: Miramax Members Wishing: 19 Genres: Drama, Satire, Psychological Drama, Erotic Drama See Also: Belle de Jour, Belle de Jour [Deluxe Edition] [Blu-ray]

Belle de Jour dramatizes the collision between depravity and elegance, one of the favorite themes of director Luis Buñuel. Catherine Deneuve stars as a wealthy but bored newlywed, eager to taste life to the fullest. She seemingly gets her wish early in the film when she is kidnapped, tied to a tree, and gang-raped. It turns out that this is only a daydream, but her subsequent visits to a neighboring brothel, where she offers her services, certainly seem to be real. This illusion/reality dichotomy extends to the final scenes, in which we are offered two possible endings. Thanks to a question of copyright and ownership, Belle de Jour disappeared from view shortly after its 1967 release, not even resurfacing on videotape. When it was reissued theatrically in 1994, many critics placed the perplexing but mesmerizing film on their lists of that year's best films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Catherine Deneuve - Séverine Serizy
Jean Sorel - Pierre Serizy
Michel Piccoli - Henri Husson
Geneviève Page - Madame Anais
Macha Meril - Renee Fevret
Francisco Rabal - Hyppolite
Pierre Clémenti - Marcel

This cinematic highlight from director Luis Buñuel arrives on DVD in less than perfect condition. The widescreen anamorphic print (aspect ratio of 1.66:1) is faded and has noticeable grain throughout. Soundtrack choices are English or French Dolby Digital (mono). There are optional English captions for the hearing impaired or English subtitles. The feature has an audio commentary by Buñuel scholar Julie Jones. The track has numerous pauses and more often than not, she basically sets up what we are about to view on screen. The disc also has the original U.S. theatrical trailer and the 1995 re-release trailer. Other trailers included are Young Girls of Rochefort, Hunchback of Notre Dame (with Anthony Quinn), Artemisia, Purple Noon, and "Miramax Movies to Remember" (a promo reel for the company). This is a less than perfect release for such a seminal film. ~ A.R. Ferguson, All Movie Guide