Belle de Jour (film)

Séverine Serizy (Catherine Deneuve), a young and beautiful housewife, is unable to share physical intimacy with her husband, Dr. Pierre Serizy (Jean Sorel), despite their love for each other. Her sexual life is restricted to elaborate fantasies involving domination, sadomasochism, and bondage. Although frustrated by his wife's frigidity toward him, he respects her wishes.

While visiting a ski resort, they meet two friends, Henri Husson (Michel Piccoli) and Renée (Macha Méril). Séverine does not like Husson's manner and the way he looks at her. Back in Paris, Séverine meets up with Renée and learns that a common friend, Henriette, now works at a brothel. At her home, Séverine receives roses from Husson and is unsettled by the gesture. At the tennis courts, she meets Husson and they discuss Henriette and houses of pleasure. Husson mentions a high-class brothel to Séverine at 11 Cité Jean de Saumur. He also confesses his desire for her, but Séverine rejects his advances.

U.S theatrical advertisement, 26 February 1969

Haunted by childhood memories, including one involving a man who appears to touch her inappropriately, Séverine goes to the high-class brothel, which is run by Madame Anaïs (Geneviève Page), who names her "Belle de Jour." That afternoon Séverine services her first client. Reluctant at first, she responds to the "firm hand" of Madame Anaïs and has sex with the stranger. After staying away for a week, Séverine returns to the brothel and begins working from two to five o'clock each day, returning to her unsuspecting husband in the evenings. One day, Husson comes to visit her at home, but Séverine refuses to see him. Still, she fantasizes about having sex with him in her husband's presence. At the same time, Séverine's physical relationship with her husband is improving and she begins having sex with him.

Séverine becomes involved with a young criminal, Marcel (Pierre Clémenti), who offers her the kind of thrills and excitement of her fantasies. When Marcel becomes increasingly jealous and demanding, Séverine decides to leave the brothel, with Madame Anaïs's agreement. Séverine is also concerned about Husson, who has discovered her secret life at the brothel. After one of Marcel's associates follows Séverine to her home, Marcel visits her and threatens to reveal her secret to her husband. Séverine pleads with him to leave, which he does, referring to her husband as "the obstacle".

Marcel waits downstairs for Pierre to return home and shoots him three times. Marcel then flees but is shot dead by police. Séverine's husband survives but is left in a coma. The police are unable to find a motive for the attempted murder. Sometime later Séverine is at home taking care of Pierre, who is now paralysed, blind and in a wheelchair. Husson visits Pierre to tell him the truth about his wife's secret life; she does not try to stop him. After Husson leaves, Séverine returns to see Pierre crying. In an ambiguous ending which is hinted to be another of her fantasies, Pierre then gets out of the wheelchair, pours himself a drink and discusses holiday plans with Séverine.

• Catherine Deneuve as Séverine Serizy, alias Belle de Jour
• Jean Sorel as Pierre Serizy
• Michel Piccoli as Henri Husson
• Geneviève Page as Madame Anaïs
• Pierre Clémenti as Marcel
• Françoise Fabian as Charlotte
• Macha Méril as Renée
• Maria Latour as Mathilde
• Marguerite Muni as Pallas
• Francis Blanche as Monsieur Adolphe
• François Maistre as The professor
• Georges Marchal as Duke
• Francisco Rabal as Hyppolite

Costume design

Much of Deneuve's wardrobe was designed by Yves St. Laurent.

Filming locations

• 1 Plâce Albin-Cachot, Paris 13, France
• 79 Champs-Élysées, Paris 8, France
• Chalet de la Grande Cascade, Bois de Boulogne, Paris 16, France
• Champs Elysées, Paris 8, France
• Rue de Messine, Paris 8, France (Serizy's home)[6]

In 2006, the Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira released Belle Toujours, imagining a future encounter between the characters of Séverine and Henri Husson from the original film.[10]

In 2010, Belle de Jour was ranked No. 56 in Empire magazine's list of the 100 Best Films of World Cinema.[11]

• Sadism and masochism in fiction
• Surrealism

• Belle de Jour at IMDb 
• Belle de Jour at AllMovie
• Belle de jour: Tough Love – an essay by Melissa Anderson at The Criterion Collection