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The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

Play trailer Poster for The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie PG Released Sep 15, 1972 1h 40m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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98% Tomatometer 60 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
The ambassador of the Latin American republic of Miranda (Fernando Rey), M. Thevenot (Paul Frankeur), his wife Simone (Delphine Seyrig) and her sister Florence (Bulle Ogier) arrive for a dinner party at the house of Alice Sénéchal (Stéphane Audran) and her husband Henri (Jean-Pierre Cassel), only to learn that they were mistaken about the date. In director Luis Buñuel's surreal fantasy, the six bourgeois friends repeatedly gather for a dinner that never quite arrives.
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The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

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Critics Consensus

An intoxicating dose of the director's signature surrealist style, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie represents Buñuel at his most accessible.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker The charm of the film is that the old magician can show off his skills and make fun of them at the same time... There is nothing else in the movie -- just the surprises, and the pleasures of [Buñuel] dexterity as he springs them. Sep 28, 2023 Full Review Kevin Maher Times (UK) ... Simultaneously darkly satirical, bleak, witty and lightly amusing. Rated: 4/5 Sep 9, 2022 Full Review David Denby The Atlantic Bunuel’s art is as insolent as ever. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is a deeply funny movie, as a viewing experience it’s like walking across a perilous, sway little bridge whose guide rails periodically snatched away. Jun 21, 2022 Full Review Brian Susbielles InSession Film Surrealist satire attacking the upper classes for their sexual morals, attraction to social status, and detachment from reality... Mar 2, 2023 Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills Discreet Charm is a deadpan farce forever flirting with anarchy. Sep 12, 2022 Full Review Neely Swanson Easy Reader (California) Absurdity is piled onto absurdity and reality and surreality blend until it is impossible to tell which is which. Jul 27, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Laura B The film feels like a continuous discontinuity, where Buñuel manages to reconcile pure classicism (narrative, types of framing, psychological development of the characters) with the most modern cinematographic resources (repetitions, large ellipses, random montage). One of his most accomplished and perfect films. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/25 Full Review Alejandro E La aristocracia, retratada con toda la acidez, y surrealismo que hacen distintivo a Buñuel. No se requiere mucho esfuerzo mental para comprender la bizarra odisea que involucra una cena que nunca logra celebrarse. De las indispensables. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/21/24 Full Review 雅苏 典 一个个小穿插有些跳跃，但整部片子还是有些别致的魅力和味趣 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/20/24 Full Review Leaburn O I haven't a clue what any of it means but it was an entertaining ride throughout. After trying to track this one down for a while, I got lucky and found it on YouTube but unsure how long it will be up there. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/24 Full Review Alexsander F Primeiro filme que assisto de Buñuel, e o longa segue à mesma pegada dos filmes do Fellini, apesar de manter certa coerência em alguns momentos. E para à época era um filme dito "subversivo", por ridicularizar de maneira discreta à burguesia e certos costumes daquele tempo. Mas é um grande filme que recomendo a todos. Belíssimas atuações, fiquei encantado principalmente com as três atrizes principais que remontam exatamente como era à beleza daquela época. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/01/23 Full Review CodyZamboni Z Interesting, amusing, weird, A bunch of people live in a purgatorial existence where they can never have a complete dinner. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

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Movie Info

Synopsis The ambassador of the Latin American republic of Miranda (Fernando Rey), M. Thevenot (Paul Frankeur), his wife Simone (Delphine Seyrig) and her sister Florence (Bulle Ogier) arrive for a dinner party at the house of Alice Sénéchal (Stéphane Audran) and her husband Henri (Jean-Pierre Cassel), only to learn that they were mistaken about the date. In director Luis Buñuel's surreal fantasy, the six bourgeois friends repeatedly gather for a dinner that never quite arrives.
Director
Luis Buñuel
Producer
Serge Silberman
Screenwriter
Luis Buñuel, Jean-Claude Carrière
Distributor
Criterion Collection, 20th Century Fox, Media Home Entertainment, Rialto Pictures, Applause Video
Production Co
Dean Film, Jet Films S.A., Greenwich Film Productions
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 15, 1972, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$82.5K
Runtime
1h 40m
Sound Mix
Mono
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