Belle de Jour

Separated from her husband by routine and propriety, Séverine Serizy keeps her secret ache hidden behind a respectable daytime life. Her fantasies of submission intrigue her, yet she works to keep them private. One night, her friend Henri mentions a discreet, upscale brothel run by Madame Anais, offering a sanctioned outlet where a woman can explore such impulses. Intrigued, Séverine begins to work there during the day under the alias Belle de Jour, all while presenting the dutiful wife to the world. The arrangement gives her a sense of agency and distance from her marriage. But when a client grows possessive, the pressures mount, forcing her to confront how far she will go to preserve her desires and her life.

Directed by Luis Buñuel, Belle de Jour adapts material rooted in Joseph Kessel's story with screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière helping shape it. Released in 1967, the film blends Buñuel's provocative sensibility with a sleek Parisian mood and Catherine Deneuve's iconic performance.

Box office figures for Belle de Jour are not listed in the available data, so there are no worldwide grosses to report here. The film's impact is usually assessed in terms of critical reception and cultural influence rather than receipts.

Belle de Jour became a touchstone for late 1960s cinema, marrying Buñuel's surreal sensibilities with Deneuve's modern screen charisma. Its stylish restraint and ambiguous moral undercurrents sparked ongoing dialogue about female desire, social masks, and bourgeois propriety, inspiring later fashion, photography, and film references that echoed through fashion and cinema.

Critics praised Deneuve's performance and Buñuel's audacious approach to sexuality within artistic frame. The film grapples with identities, desire and duty, hinting at how fantasy can surface within everyday life. Its tone invites watching more than once and discussion about power, and its influence extends to fashion and film worldwide.