The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie (The Criterion Collection)
What can be more enjoyable then a meal among friends and family?  In Luis Buñuel's surrealistic comedyThe Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisieit is this common ritual a sextet of upper-class friends repeatedly attempt, only to be obstructed by one obscure event after another. Masterfully balancing the dichotomy of class vs. debauchery Buñuel delivers a ripping critique of the upper class. It is clear from the beginning that the lives Buñuel’sBourgeoisieare living are not what they seem.  Eventually, their true colors begin to shine; not in actual actions but in haunting dreams. What is real and what lies in the subconscious becoming exceedingly blurry and in order to deliver his message, surrealism must take over. It is hard to pigeonhole Buñuel’s classic that won him the Oscar forBest Foreign Language Film 1972: An absurd odyssey? A discreet satire? Not necessarily, but definitely charming.--Rob Bracco