6 out of 6 people found the following review helpful:

Ice cold fantasy

edfilms4jo from Edinburgh, 17th July, 2005

Superb and accessible Bunuel film about the secret life of an upper class Parisian newly-wed (Deneuve) when she takes on part time employment in an upmarket brothel.

The film includes a number of shifts from fantasy to reality (including the startling opening scene) but on the whole there are fewer surrealist devices than you might find in other Bunuel films. Lots of shots of feet, boots and shoes for example but they are all attached to their owners legs.

Deneuve is so icy cold - even when exploring her sexual fantasies - that it is impossible to empathise with her as 'heroine'. But like other Bunuel female leads ('chambermaid' for example) she is not victim or wrong-doer either.

She - like the rest of us - is a mixture of emotions, moral impulses and desires. What Bunuel does so masterfully is lift the lid on the semblance of normality and show us what lies beneath.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Customer Review

A Customer from UK, 23rd June, 2008

It's quite amazing that a film like this could have been made in 1967. Absolutely a classic. A fascinating exploration of female masochistic fantasies, from the opening sequence to the end. Yet there's very little nudity: it's all hinted at. And the 2007 transfer to DVD is really excellent quality for a film of this age: vibrant colors and good resolution. If the theme interests you, you should definitely watch this.

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An ageing Classic

Projectionist from , 30th August, 2009

This is very much one for the film lover. It deserves its place as a classic film, but looking at it now, there has been enough to follow to blunt its effect. Bunuels' output has so much to offer and he has done nothing similar to this. It is genuinely unique. Catherine Deneuve can truly be called an icon, and apart from 'Repulsion', she has not out done her performance here. This is not an exercise in veracity but in style. It's not a cinema verite social commentary, but there's an equally incisive look at our psyche and the fantasies that are repressed or kept secret by our mores. If you are concerned about the subject matter, there are no explicit visuals, so relax! However, the film is an example of implied eroticism in the days of the censor.

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Disturbed molested child

Roguestar from , 11th May, 2009

This is a superb movie on the grounds that it’s oft considered as a stylish light sexual fantasy by the bourgesoise when it’s an altogether more harrowing tale of a little girl molested and the affect it has on her later life. Bunuel - a master at presenting questions.

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Classic Deneuve

Michael from Northumberland, 22nd March, 2007

A true classic of 60's cinema thats still relevent today. I loved the 1960's back drop clothes , cars etc. Well worth the time to watch this instead of the latest so called Hollywood 'blockbuster' They havn't got a clue what makes a good film.

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