Belle de Jour is a 1967 French surrealist erotic psychological drama film directed by Luis Buñuel, and starring Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, and Michel Piccoli. Based on the 1928 novel Belle de Jour by Joseph Kessel, the film is about a young woman who spends her midweek afternoons as a high-class prostitute, while her husband is at work.
Theatrical release poster
Catherine Deneuve as Séverine
Luis Buñuel Portolés was a Spanish filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time. Buñuel’s works were known for their avant-garde surrealism which were also infused with political commentary.
Buñuel in 1929
Calanda, Spain
Luis Buñuel (top row, right), Madrid, 1923
Jean Epstein, Buñuel's first film collaborator