Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
IT DOESN'T take long to realise why Robert and Raymond Hakim's Belle de Jour, starring Catherine Deneuve is a classic. Deneuve herself is a classic and she gives a beautiful performance in the film. Indeed, she presents the perfect doe-eyed beauty. But?
While understanding all that would make this film a classic, one has to admit that Deneuve's character, Severine, is the kind of woman who gives housewives a bad name. She is the epitome of what we imagine desperate housewives to be. They are women who are driven desperate because they have nothing to do.
Let's face it; for many housewives and many working wives, the wife aspect of the definition is hard work. There is the house to be cleaned, clothing to be washed and, if children are in the picture, the work really never ends. Severine is not one of those women. She does not even oversee the helper and she doesn't seem to have that many friends either. Let's face it, there is only so much embroidering a woman can do. So it really is not surprising that she is bored beyond her mind and is looking for something to do.
THOUGHTFUL ENTERTAINMENT
The film is a wonderful trip for those who want thoughtful entertainment and entertainment that makes you think. Directed by Luis Brunel and based on the novel by Joseph Kessel, Belle de Jour presents an intriguing look at a blend of love, desire and eroticism. It is the story of a woman torn between her love for her husband and her sexual desires. But?
One cannot get past the sexist imagination that created a Severine. This imagination is not projected from the writer; it is instead society's imagination an imagination that projects images of overly chaste women who then lead double lives. They fulfill society's need for chaste vessels and then seek clandestine outlets to indulge in their own need for desire.
Severine's husband, Pierre (Jean Sorel) is a good looking, gentle man, but he has no sense that Severine is a full woman. All he seems to be able to see in her is purity. He treats her like a porcelain doll that will break if not treated with the utmost care. So he constantly tells her to rest; rest from what only God can know, because the woman is never doing anything.
So Severine dreams of the day when Pierre will see the dirty woman inside of her, though she never makes any such admission to him (and they sleep in separate beds that are so small they do not leave much room for any hanky panky). Eventually she becomes attracted to prostitution's red glow, which can allow her to be Mary Magdeline by day and the Virgin Mary by night.
In truth, Severine does have some problems that would dictate some lengthy 'couch time'. However, most of us would probably have issues too if all we did all day was twiddle our thumbs. Regardless of how well done the manicure, that must get boring after a while.
So, whether you are disturbed by Severine or simply intrigued by her story, Belle de Jour is a well told story, not buts about it.
