The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

Buñuel's funniest film is about three bourgeois couples and their failed attempts to dine together. As in several of Buñuel's works, the plot seems to move on a realistic path, but gradually, in the same loose and uncomplicated cinematic style, twists and upheavals are added to it that gives the film a surreal wit and social critique.

The 4K restoration was produced by STUDIOCANAL in 2022 with the support of the CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée). Restoration work was carried out by the L'Image Retrouvée laboratory using elements stored in the French Film Archives. The original 35mm negative was scanned in 4K on Arriscan and, for certain parts of the negative that were too badly damaged, an interpositive was used to optimise the reproduction of the film in its original quality. Scratches, physical deteriorations and dust have been erased frame by frame. The colour grading was done with reference to the original 35mm elements in order to respect the image as supervised by the film’s director of photography Edmond Richard. The soundtrack has been restored from the original mix to recreate a sound consistent with the period.”