Director: Luis Buñuel

Story by: Joseph Kessel

Screenplay: Luis Buñuel, Jean-Claude Carrière

Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli, Geneviève Page, Pierre Clémenti

Runtime: 106min

Plot: A young beautiful bored housewife of a doctor decides to devote her midweek afternoon into prostitution to feed her innumerable sexual yearnings. Her secret erotic lifestyle becomes her weakness in her marriage with her faithful husband who cannot fulfill her physical fantasies.

Review: "Beauty of the Day" is French movie made in 1967 originally named "Belle de Jour". The movie might be bold compared to the time era, but has been portrayed significantly well in terms of grace and elegance. It has a different notion of charm and the plotline has been laid off beautifully by the cast and the director. A sexually frustrated housewife seeks into prostitution to fulfill her crave for pleasure. This secretive wild longing in her might have been infused when she was molested as a young catholic girl. Her bold desire for her sexual fetish is what takes the movie at its most vibrant.

During the initial period of the movie Severine tries to deny her yearnings by being the perfect housewife when Husson approaches her. But her inner wildness emanates and she enjoys the guilty pleasure. After living her dreams, she's still in love with her husband who has been faithful to her all long. She tries to save her marriage by pleading her ex-lover not to open up about her dark past to her husband. She gets blackmailed and at one point one of her ex-lovers, a young gangster shoots her husband due to jealousy. Her husband survives but becomes paralyzed; and when Husson discloses about her secret to her husband, she lets him. Although with an ambiguous ending, the movie creates a positive atmosphere. Thus, the movie has been showcased in a way that even though one can have the things which they ever dreamt of, they still choose the flawed things that can make them happy. Overall, "Beauty of the Day" ended with a clean positive message despite the fact that it was a bold movie of its age.

By Sumaiya Akhter Nitu