Movie, 1967

Story of a well-to-do housewife who becomes a day time call girl in an unlikely double life. This is a film which is at once fresh, though also very much of its time. The surreal elements, which revolve around the savage treatment of Belle de Jour, are mixed into a plot and pace which seem almost quaint to contemporary mores, although there’s a definite tension building up the ending. A film which could be labelled as either misanthropic or misogynistic, although there’s more about societal roles, and the paths chosen by individuals in trying to work out who they are. Undoubtedly for more shocking on its release, although this is visually sumptuous and the plot is entertaining.