Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 7, 2021

Luis Buñuel's "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer; the archival documentary "Speaking of Bunuel"; archival interviews; archival TV content; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

I'll take out the puppy. Single shot.

The plot of Luis Buñuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is deceivingly simple. A group of people, all representing the upper middle class, repeatedly gather for a meal but never manage to eat it because they are interrupted by strange events. They try to improvise and act with a certain style reflecting their status, but only further complicate things and ultimately frustrate each other even more. The key characters are the Senechals (Jean-Pierre Cassel and Stephane Audran), the Thevenots (Paul Frankeur and Delphine Seyrig), Florence (Bulle Ogier), and Don Rafael (Fernando Rey).

In the first act, the Thevenots, Florence and Don Rafael visit the Senechals expecting a great dinner, but are shocked to discover that their friends aren’t ready because they were expecting them a day later. Everyone then heads to a nearby bistro, but are again disappointed after they are told that there is a funeral wake for the owner in one of the bistro’s back rooms.

Things get even more bizarre when Don Rafael, who serves as an Ambassador for the great state of Miranda in Paris, begins dealing large amounts of cocaine. Occasionally, using his rifle right from his office, Don Rafael also tries to get rid of left leaning elements that may or may not want to see him dead.

In another sequence the friends once again gather at the Senechals and discover that their hosts are not around. While they try to figure out what is happening, the Senechals quietly exit the house and head to the bushes to finish what they have started in their bedroom. Meanwhile, their guests become seriously concerned - incorrectly assuming that because the Senechals are not present their house is soon to be raided by the police - and quickly disappear.

Perhaps the best sequence in the entire film is in the second half where the friends gather for dinner again, but discover that they are on a large stage with strange lines to recite which no one seems to remember. The audience begins booing the friends as they struggle to figure out what is happening.

As it is the case with many of Buñuel’s films, dreams play an important role in The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. Here they constantly overlap with reality and allow Buñuel to play with the viewer’s expectations (just as he does with the expectations of the main characters). Needless to say, there are some truly outstanding twists.

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is essentially a flawless film. It is not as outrageous as The Phantom of Liberty, but Buñuel’s lambasting of the hypocritical values and absurd rituals of the bourgeoisie is very effective. The film’s visual style, which brilliantly supports the rich symbolism, is also terrific.

The script for the film was written by Buñuel and Jean-Claude Carriere, arguably one of Europe’s greatest screenwriters. Carriere also collaborated with Buñuel on his acclaimed Belle de jour, The Milky Way, The Phantom Of Liberty, and his final film, That Obscure Object of Desire.

*In 1973, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie won Oscar Award for Best Foreign Language Film (France).

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is included with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer for The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie was created in high-definition from a 35mm interpositive and 35mm magnetic tracks by StudioCanal at Eclair in Vanves, France.".

The only other release of this film that I have in my library is the one StudioCanal produced in 2012. (You can see our listing and review of this release here). At the time I thought that the technical presentation was quite nice, and nearly a decade later I have not changed my mind.

How does the Criterion release compare to the previous release we covered? Well, I don't see any notable improvements. In fact, it would appear that the previous master was accessed and a new transfer created from it. This of course is perfectly fine because the master is solid. Delineation, clarity, and depth are very pleasing, plus the entire film has a very stable appearance. Color balance is convincing as well, though I should point out that there are a couple of areas where saturation levels can be adjusted a bit. Is there any room for improvement? Yes. Trained eyes should spot a few areas where contours and edges become a tad thicker, leaving the impression that some sort of light edge-enhancement is trying to sneak in, but the truth is that a lot of older masters done on older equipment had this type of limitation. (Basically, some visuals would reveal areas that look slightly sharper, but are not intentionally sharpened with digital tools). Also, a few blemishes and tiny lines pop up here and there, so some minor cosmetic improvements could be made as well. The rest looks really good. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is stable and clean. The dialog is very easy to follow, even in areas where there are big groups of people conversing at the same time. The high-frequencies are stable and free of age-related imperfections. Dynamic intensity is unimpressive, but this film does not have a prominent music score. Finally, there are a few places where I feel that the audio becomes a tad 'thin', but it could very well be that this is how the soundtrack was finalized. (A good example can be heard around the 01.01.40 mark where the shooting enters the exchanges).

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original French trailer for The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. In French, with optional English subtitles. (3 min, 1080i).

• Speaking of Bunuel - this archival documentary examines the life and legacy of Luis Bunuel while exploring many of the director's personal photos, documents, and home movies. Included in it are interviews with Carlos Saura (El Dorado), Jean-Claude Carriere, Michel Piccoli, and Carole Bouquet, amongst others. The documentary was produced by Jose Luis Lopez-Linares and Javier Rioyo in 2000. In Spanish and French, with optional English subtitles. (100 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Opening credits
  2. Beginnings
  3. Calanda
  4. The Bunuel household
  5. Discovering cinema
  6. Head of the family
  7. Early influences
  8. Shenanigans
  9. Un chien andalou
  10. Surrealism
  11. L'age d'or
  12. Las Hurdes
  13. Jeanne Rucar de Bunuel
  14. Fascist threat
  15. New York
  16. Blacklisted
  17. The Mexican films
  18. Los olvidados
  19. Rebellion against the church
  20. "Thank God I'm an atheist"
  21. Simon of the Desert
  22. "Dirty old man"
  23. "It was a great love affair"
  24. Rehearsal for a Crime
  25. Viridiana
  26. Another side of Bunuel
  27. The Exterminating Angel
  28. The importance of a drink
  29. Tristana
  30. The perverse child
  31. Bunuel the director
  32. On actors
  33. That Obscure Object of Desire
  34. A jokester
  35. Last sigh

• The Castaway of Providence Street - in the late 1960s and early '70s, director Arturo Ripstein and editor Rafael Castanedo routinely visited the home of Luis Bunuel in Mexico City and filmed their time together. The Castaway of Providence Street gathers the footage they shot. The original version of the film, which included excerpts from Bunuel's own work, was reedited by Castanedo in the early 2000s, and the reconstructed version is presented here. In Spanish, with printed English subtitles. (24 min, 1080i).

• Once Upon a Time "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" - presented here is an archival episode of the documentary series Once Upon a Time which examines the production history of The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. The episode was broadcast in 2011. In French, with optional English subtitles. (52 min, 1080i).

• Making "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" - presented here is an archival episode of the French program Pour le cinema which features raw footage from the shooting of The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie as well as clips from interviews with Luis Bunuel and various cast members. The episode was broadcast in 1972. In French, with optional English subtitles. (14 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - 58-page illustrated booklet featuring essays by critics Adrian Martin and Gary Indiana as well as three archival interviews with Luis Bunuel conducted by Jose de la Colina and Tomas Perez Turrent and technical credits.

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Luis Bunuel's body of work is quite diverse. As far as I am concerned his best films come from his French period, and the ones that I enjoy the most are his mad but witty satires where he uses his sense of humor like a whip. Most of these films are infused with plenty of surrealism as well, which frequently adds a degree of artificiality that competes with the funny in ways that could make them appear quite pretentious. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie does not have this problem. It lashes with enthusiasm and authority that make its points crystal-clear. The film is included in this three-disc box set from Criterion, together with That Obscure Object of Desire and The Phantom of Liberty. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.