27 July, 2010

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie....

Ironical depiction of the pompous and hypocritical bourgeoisie lifestyle at its best, in "Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie"; what is called a surreal movie, and is a genius of a mockery at the bourgeois by Luis Buñuel. 

The simple but meticulously manifested instances throughout the movie depcit the artificiality and unnecessary etiquette superficially endorsed by the supposed elite class of the society. The characters portray the caricatures of the products of the system: People who give little value to people, but only to their possessions. 




Lots of instances in the movie remarkably tease the lives of the ones who have endorsed this hypocrisy. Like,
  • The inn where they are willing to serve these people the dinner, even while waiting for the undertaker to do away with with their dead manager.
  • The priest being recognized only in his attire, without giving heed to his words when dressed different.
  • The ever curious gaze of the house maid, who looks 25 but is 52 years old!
  • As a trait, their inculcation of adultery. 
  • The evasion of the Ambassador from explaining the poor living conditions in his country.
  • The priest who kills the one who has just confessed to him! 
Numerous other instances in the movie, gloriously ridicule the futility of the bourgeoisie lifestyle and the bourgeois as a whole. Of the other movies I've watched by Luis Buñuel, this is the one which makes a uncompromising point to the audience.


And not to forget the story-telling pattern in this 1972 flick: Dream within a dream, and dream within another. These dreams are more congruent to the natural dreams people have, conforming to Sigmund Freud's theories, unlike the contradictions of the latest mind-flick Inception...

No comments:

Post a Comment

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails