Belle Toujours

Portugal's Manoel de Oliveira (born 1908) directs this coda to Luis Buñuel's 1967 film, Belle de Jour, which was based on the novel by Joseph Kessel. Here, Bulle Ogier steps into the designer shoes of part-time call girl Séverine Serizy (originally played by Catherine Deneuve), while Michel Piccoli returns as her husband's friend Henri Husson, with whom Séverine earlier had an affair. Spotting his long-lost “Belle” at a symphony in Paris, Husson tries to catch up with Séverine, but misses her. Dropping by her hotel, Husson tells a bartender (Ricardo Trêpa) about their relationship (which fills in the first film's back story for newcomers), and later after he finally convinces Séverine to meet him for dinner, the pair eat and drink in silence for several minutes (like the Dvorák performance at the start, this leisurely sequence may try the patience of some viewers). Ultimately, however, fans of the original film will discover that time has changed one of these characters more than the other. A slight but enjoyable divertissement, Belle Toujours is recommended, overall. [Note: DVD extras include an interview with director Manoel de Oliveira. Bottom line: a small but solid extras package for a slight but interesting film.] (K. Fennessy)