Cinema Retro
Entries from Tuesday, January 24. 2012
By
Raymond Benson
It
was surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel’s most popular film and his biggest
financial success, even outperforming the great Oscar-winning The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (the
idea for which was given to the director by actor Owen Wilson during a time
travel escapade to Paris in the 1920s*). Starring an effervescent, young and beautiful Catherine Deneuve in a
defining role that would forever typify her as the kind of cool, intense,
independent blonde she would portray for the rest of her long career, Belle de Jour broke ground for eroticism
and feminism alike.
Released
in 1967, the picture is one of Buñuel’s most accessible pictures. The plot is simple enough. Severine, a frigid and frustrated woman of
the Parisian upper class who is married to a successful doctor, has disturbing
fantasies of being sexually humiliated and degraded. When a friend of her husband’s (a man who has
tried many times, unsuccessfully, to seduce Severine) tells her about a high
class brothel, she becomes curious. At
first frightened and timid, Severine applies for afternoon work at the brothel,
and there she ultimately discovers the path to her own sexual fulfillment. Yes, she’s a masochist, but she is one by
choice and desire. Her new vocation
improves things at home with her husband until she becomes involved with a
client who happens to be a hit man. The
gangster also grows obsessed with Severine, a story twist with tragic
results.
As
with any Buñuel film, there’s a lot more going on. There is humor, to be sure, as well as the
kind of shocking imagery typical of the auteur’s work. Severine’s fantasies take on the surrealistic
touches the director has been known for since his first picture, Un Chien Andalou (made with Salvador
Dali), but the “realistic†scenes in the brothel also venture into absurdist
territory. For example, one client, a
successful gynecologist, insists on role-playing a disobedient servant to a punishing
mistress. Another client, an Asian man,
carries a jewelry box, which, when opened, emits a strange buzzing sound. We can’t see what’s in the box, but whatever
it is gets mixed reactions from the various prostitutes (usually disgust). It is only Severine who finds the mysterious object
fascinating. Of course, Buñuel means for
the audience to interpret what’s in the box for themselves.
The
new edition from Criterion features a magnificent high-definition digital
restoration. Audio commentary is by
Michael Wood, author of the BFI Film Classics book on Belle de Jour. A very
interesting video interview with activist Susie Bright and film scholar Linda
Williams sheds light on the sexual politics and feminist themes in the
picture. Co-writer Jean-Claude Carrière
talks about working with Buñuel in a new interview. Finally, Deneuve appears in a vintage French
television program on the making of the movie. Also included is a booklet featuring a 1970 interview with Buñuel and
more.
Belle de Jour is a classic of the
new permissiveness of the late 1960s, and it is a must for true film
buffs. And watch for Buñuel’s cameo
appearance at an outdoor bar/restaurant!
*
As seen in Woody Allen’s new film, Midnight
in Paris
Click here for video clips
Click here to order discounted from Amazon
Now
Available! Author and Cinema Retro columnist Raymond Benson’s classic 1980s reference book all about 007, THE
JAMES BOND BEDSIDE COMPANION, has been re-published!
THE
JAMES BOND BEDSIDE COMPANION was Benson's very first published work (it
originally appeared in 1984!). Crossroad Press has published it again this
week, first as an e-book, available for Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, and all
other e-reader formats. Coming later will be an downloadable audiobook edition,
followed by a new print edition!
As
of today, the book is the #1 best-seller on Amazon Kindle’s “Film and
Video/Reference†category.
THE
BEDSIDE COMPANION was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best
Biographical/Critical Work of 1984 by Mystery Writers of America and 007 fans
still consider it to be a "Bond Bible."
Here is the official description of the book:
New digital edition of the classic 007
reference book from the 1980s, complete with a new Foreword by the
author.
THE
JAMES BOND BEDSIDE COMPANION is an encyclopedic celebration of 007, who is
still the world’s most popular secret agent.
The
only book to cover all aspects of the James Bond phenomenon in a single volume,
it includes: a) An intimate portrait of Ian Fleming as remembered by his
friends and colleagues; b) a character study of James Bond—his background and
early life, his clothing and other personal habits, his preferences in food and
drink, his attitudes toward women and marriage; c) The by-products of Bondmania
and the merchandising of 007; d) Detailed analyses of every James Bond novel by
Ian Fleming, as well as those written by other authors through the 1980s; e) A
critical look at the 007 film series—the producers, screenplays, directors,
actors, soundtracks, and special effects; f) over 100 photographs; g) An
Introduction written by Ernest Cuneo, perhaps Fleming’s closest American
friend; h) And enough facts, figures, and miscellaneous Bondian trivia to
satisfy even the most ardent fan.
BIO:
Raymond Benson is the highly acclaimed author of twenty-five books, six
original James Bond 007 novels, three film novelizations, three short stories,
and two anthologies on Bond. He is a sought-after lecturer on film genres and
history. Writing as David Michaels, Benson is a New York Times best-selling
author, an Edgar Alan Poe Award nominee, and a Readers' Choice Award winner.
Click here to order from Amazon
Martin Scorsese's Hugo has topped the Oscar nominations with 11 nods. Industry veterans Woody Allen, Max Von Sydow, Meryl Streep, Nick Nolte and Christopher Plummer all picked up nominations. Click here for complete list.
By Lee Pfeiffer
Last April, Dave Worrall and I were in London for a few days on business pertaining to Cinema Retro. As is our custom, we generally hold a dinner party at the famed Groucho Club and invite an eclectic group of friends and acquaintances. This time around, the group included several people who, coincidentally, had ties to Sean Connery. Film producer Euan Lloyd (The Wild Geese) had produced Connery's first film after leaving the role of James Bond, the 1968 Western Shalako. Actor Richard Johnson had been approached prior to Connery to play 007 and had met with producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman at Eon's offices in London. (Typical of Johnson's wry, self-deprecating humor, he said that it was best for everyone that he didn't accept the role because "I was so right for it, I would have played the part wrong. Sean was so wrong for it, he played the part right") Also in the mix was actress Lana Wood, who had co-starred with Connery in his 1971 Bond comeback Diamonds Are Forever. As all Bond fans know, Lana, the sister of Natalie Wood, made a memorable impression as the aptly-named Plenty O'Toole. We actually didn't know Lana well, having only spoken to her briefly over the years, but she was in London and was enthused about joining our merry band of fifteen or so. I can't say I know her much better today than I did a year ago, but what I can say is that I found her candor to be quite astonishing.
Although Lana never found stardom in films and has suffered enormous personal losses in her life, ranging from numerous love affairs gone wrong to the mysterious death of Natalie, she has an amazing number of anecdotes to relate. Not only can she tell you fascinating facts about the sister she still loves so dearly, but she also speaks openly and unashamedly about her tumultuous love life, which has seen her involved with some of the most famous men on the planet. They include Sean Connery, who she told me she had an affair with on the set of Diamonds. Although neither were married at the time, they kept their relationship hush-hush so as to not feed grist to the mill of the tabloids. (The Fleet Street rags were already awash with "exclusive" stories about Connery allegedly bedding his female lead Jill St. John.) Not knowing how many of these stories Lana had previously made public, I decided to keep the revelations confidential, which may seem to be a quaint notion when one runs a high popular web site. Nevertheless, in a recent interview in The Daily Mail, Lana opens up about many of the anecdotes she related to me that evening- and it makes for riveting reading.
I have fond memories of that particular party, as Lana made for a most gracious and glamorous dinner companion whose down-to-earth charm enchanted everyone there. My only major regret is that the star-packed Groucho Club famously excludes anyone from taking photos on the premises, probably due to the fact that certain celebrities would not want to be seen with certain other celebrities they were, eh, escorting for the evening. Thus, there are no recorded images of this memorable dinner party except in the minds of those who were there. Nevertheless, it was an evening to remember- thanks in no small part to the charm of Lana Wood.
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