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The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, 1972
A group of upper class friends attempts to have dinner together, something that is constantly frustrated or interrupted. A series of related sequences--some of them real and some of them dreams--ensue, with the specter of class centering the characters and their conflicts. Across the different stories--which also pull in characters who are soldiers, priests, or servants--there are recurring themes like poisoning or the return of ghosts.
This is the kind of film that I both love and that frustrates me. I really lean on emotional connection and empathy when I watch movies, and so satires or films that are pushing other structural experimentation can really grab me from a technical point of view, but I often grapple with connecting to the narrative.
The strength of this film is in the easy way it portrays the manner in which the upper class people think of their access to high quality things as a right. Sitting down to a meal, served to them of course, is just something they should be able to expect. Their relationship with the people who work for them is a mix of condescension, dependence, and suspicion. I like the way that the film portrays the intersection between the upper class, the military, and the working people.
I also liked some of the stranger touches, like the man who keeps a rifle on hand to fend off the terrorists who are hunting him. I also liked the use of ghosts, and especially those from the story of a soldier who is haunted by the death of his mother and, later, a fellow soldier. These scenes are slower and more haunting, and they do carry some emotional weight.
The downside, of course, is that it is hard to really care about any of the characters. They are selfish people, and while there are some very interesting interactions between them and some nicely cutting observations, the lack of narrative continuity makes it challenging to be invested in them.
I enjoyed this film, though I don't see myself wanting to necessarily revisit it.
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, 1972
A group of upper class friends attempts to have dinner together, something that is constantly frustrated or interrupted. A series of related sequences--some of them real and some of them dreams--ensue, with the specter of class centering the characters and their conflicts. Across the different stories--which also pull in characters who are soldiers, priests, or servants--there are recurring themes like poisoning or the return of ghosts.
This is the kind of film that I both love and that frustrates me. I really lean on emotional connection and empathy when I watch movies, and so satires or films that are pushing other structural experimentation can really grab me from a technical point of view, but I often grapple with connecting to the narrative.
The strength of this film is in the easy way it portrays the manner in which the upper class people think of their access to high quality things as a right. Sitting down to a meal, served to them of course, is just something they should be able to expect. Their relationship with the people who work for them is a mix of condescension, dependence, and suspicion. I like the way that the film portrays the intersection between the upper class, the military, and the working people.
I also liked some of the stranger touches, like the man who keeps a rifle on hand to fend off the terrorists who are hunting him. I also liked the use of ghosts, and especially those from the story of a soldier who is haunted by the death of his mother and, later, a fellow soldier. These scenes are slower and more haunting, and they do carry some emotional weight.
The downside, of course, is that it is hard to really care about any of the characters. They are selfish people, and while there are some very interesting interactions between them and some nicely cutting observations, the lack of narrative continuity makes it challenging to be invested in them.
I enjoyed this film, though I don't see myself wanting to necessarily revisit it.