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This psychodrama seems a little dated viewed today, and would be an ordinary film except for the fact that it stars the legendary French beauty Catherine Deneuve and is directed by the incomparable Spaniard Luis Buñuel, although this is not his best work. The quasi-Freudian exploration of the character of a woman who can only be sexually aroused and satisfied by being treated as trash doesn't exactly play in today's world, nor would it appear on Ms. Magazine's most admired list.
Deneuve demands the screen and is fascinating to watch, and Buñuel's direction, while not flashy or completely intelligible, is intriguing and focused. Buñuel has done some great work including two I recall, "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" (1972) and "That Obscure Object of Desire" (1977). His early work goes back to the silent film era. My favorite Deneuve film is "Mississippi Mermaid" (1969) followed closely by "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" (1964).
Deneuve is your high class, slightly cool beauty, somewhat in the manner of Grace Kelly. She looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth and so directors have always tried to sully her up. Buñuel smears her both literally and figuratively here as a day-tripping prostitute addicted to debasement. I don't buy the psychology, but this sort of thing used to play well. I recall an Italian movie from the same period in which the hero couldn't perform with his sweet and beautiful wife, but had to go slumming to get it on. I think it was called "Bell Antonio" or something like that.
This psychodrama seems a little dated viewed today, and would be an ordinary film except for the fact that it stars the legendary French beauty Catherine Deneuve and is directed by the incomparable Spaniard Luis Buñuel, although this is not his best work. The quasi-Freudian exploration of the character of a woman who can only be sexually aroused and satisfied by being treated as trash doesn't exactly play in today's world, nor would it appear on Ms. Magazine's most admired list.
Deneuve demands the screen and is fascinating to watch, and Buñuel's direction, while not flashy or completely intelligible, is intriguing and focused. Buñuel has done some great work including two I recall, "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" (1972) and "That Obscure Object of Desire" (1977). His early work goes back to the silent film era. My favorite Deneuve film is "Mississippi Mermaid" (1969) followed closely by "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" (1964).
Deneuve is your high class, slightly cool beauty, somewhat in the manner of Grace Kelly. She looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth and so directors have always tried to sully her up. Buñuel smears her both literally and figuratively here as a day-tripping prostitute addicted to debasement. I don't buy the psychology, but this sort of thing used to play well. I recall an Italian movie from the same period in which the hero couldn't perform with his sweet and beautiful wife, but had to go slumming to get it on. I think it was called "Bell Antonio" or something like that.