I just saw this movie today and am a little confused. I read in the trivia section that Belle's fantasies are italicized, but in the movie I watched, that wasn't the case. Was the ending real? Or was it just another of her fantasies?
shareI;m pretty sure that her husband is fine, I think that him being blind and paralyzed is a fantasy, along with Mr. Husson telling him what he knows about her. I'm not entirely sure though, I could definitely be wrong.
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It's also quite possible that her entire stint at the brothel was a dream. There isn't one correct answer though, it really just depends on one's own interpretation.
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Meh, I'm "pretty sure" of the opposite. Husson DID tell the husband everything, and the husband DOES end up blind and in a wheelchair. The part where she sees him getting up and embracing her is the fantasy. Listen to the soundtrack during that last scene : you can hear particularly loud sounds of bells, cat meows, and carriage wheels, which are the sounds you could hear in her previous dreams.
shareI agree that the ending is a fantasy, however in the shot of Pierre before it, when he's still in the coma, his right hand has changed position from before, with his fingers in place as if they were holding something. Then in the fantasy as he's taking off his glasses, right before he gets up, he brings his hand down to his lap and the hand and fingers are in the same position as they were before the fantasy scene. I think that this may actually be Pierre's fantasy,
shareThe final shot of the horse trail in the end shows that Severine's state at the end of the film is the same as the dream in the beginning when she's getting tortured and violated, that she has been punished for what she has done, just like in her dream as she is getting whipped for being "une salope."
That's my interpretation, and I am gladly sticking to it. Bunuel is amazing.
Meh, I'm "pretty sure" of the opposite. Husson DID tell the husband everything, and the husband DOES end up blind and in a wheelchair. The part where she sees him getting up and embracing her is the fantasy. Listen to the soundtrack during that last scene : you can hear particularly loud sounds of bells, cat meows, and carriage wheels, which are the sounds you could hear in her previous dreams. The final shot of the horse trail in the end shows that Severine's state at the end of the film is the same as the dream in the beginning when she's getting tortured and violated, that she has been punished for what she has done, just like in her dream as she is getting whipped for being "une salope."
There's what I think, and yes, I'm too damn tired to put it in my own words.
Previously Pierre had stopped and commented on a wheelchair while Severine and he were walking down the street. This is the same chair he is sitting on in the final scene, which logically must mean that his shooting was a fantasy of Severine's.
shareThis actually would make a bit of sense -- toward the end, someone says that either Marcel was crazy or shot the wrong man, that the wife was in the waiting room, and then looked into the waiting room where a woman was sitting, surrounded by people comforting her. He closes the door, then turns to speak to Severine.
shareYou can certainly interpret it that way, but there's nothing definitive to say it wasn't Pierre that was shot. The doctor looks in the waiting room and sees a woman in there, then turns to Severine who's outside. I watched this segment twice and couldn't get a read either way. Personally, I think seeing Pierre get up was fantasy. The movie comes full circle with the horse and carriage, her pending humiliation all but certain.
Personally, I didn't like this movie because there was little by way of revelation about Severine. Late in the story Marcel asks what's wrong with her, and she still doesn't know. Her time in the brothel hasn't brought her or us any clarity. The writer/director piles on all this surreal imagery - and it's certainly interesting imagery - but it's confusing and leads us nowhere. If we're too confused to critique the movie, it must be genius!
I agree with the people who said that Pierre is blind and paralyzed and that his recovery is a dream. With that being said, I believe that Belle knows that it was her fault that he is blind and paralyzed and now that he knows about it, she is forced to live in a surreal, dreamlike world. That's just my opinion though.
shareThe 1st scene, where Séverine is tied to the tree in the woods, is clearly a dream. She "awakens" from this dream/fantasy when Pierre says, "What are you thinking about?" and she replies, "You." Then, at the end of the film, when Pierre is sitting in the wheelchair, the same thing happens. Pierre says, "What are you thinking about?" and she again replies, "You." Thus she is emerging from the dream/fantasy that Pierre is paralyzed and blind indicating (to me) that the entire brothel experience was a fantasy. Or not.
shareI think the easiest way to sum it up is by looking at both her fantasy in the opening and closing scenes.
In both scenes Pierre asks her what she's thinking about. She replies, "You."
Her first fantasy involving Pierre is disturbing and shows that she is a dysfunctional woman. Her final fantasy involving Pierre is normal and shows that she is now healthy.
The carriage of sexual repression and masochism is now empty. Severine is no longer a passenger.
I think it makes perfect sense that Severin would fantasize about Pierre being an invalid. She obviously loves Pierre, she just is not aroused by him. For Severin it is the perfect solution. She can show her love by taking care of him, but would never be expected to show any passion for him. In the mean time she would be "free" to carry on with her lover. I think this is clearly her fantasy.
shareThe ending was a fantasy and I think,Severine will remain in this particular fantasy meaning she went crazy because of her husband and lover's death,which is all her fault.That could be traumatic.
shareI always thought that the ending was Pierre's perversion being treated like an invalid, being submissive. I always saw it as them finding some understanding on a sexual level like sharing their dirty secrets.
shareThis seems spot on. Very few people see this film from the point of view of Severine attempting to protect her dark secret/fantasy/fetish from others, especially Pierre, whom she loves truely and is afraid of his reaction to her secrets.
Over the course of time, she either observes/fantasises other people having their own dark secrets/fantasies (remember the scar), and comes to terms/living with acceptance of her fantasies and sharing them with Pierre.
The final scene could very well be Pierre's fantasy of being submissive, which explains why he was intrigued by the wheelchair outside the hospital (Brothel sequence being a fantasy is not the only explanation for the wheelchair scene).
I personally believe the brothel sequences were true.
When she was dying in lifelessness, she fantasized about being abused and humiliated.
When she was dying in guilt, she fantasized about being forgiven.
It's just such a great film.
The final scene (of Pierre's recovery to "normal") is the fantasy, as all the clues noted by other posters indicate very clearly.
But there is something else about Severine's final fantasy which is significantly different: the carriage - for the first time - is empty. Now that she has achieved what has motivated her throughout - an easy and "normal" relationship with the husband she loves, whether or not he's going to recover - the need to see herself in the fantasy carriage has disappeared.
Through her extreme course of sexual therapy, the virginal Severine has come to terms with what she is and accepts it. She has faced all the types of guilt fostered in her from childhood upwards, and she has grown up sexually as well. She knows herself, and so all will now be well. Though there is always a cost for knowledge...
Of course in as great a work of art as this, meaning is not limited to one interpretation. But the "empty carriage" speaks of acceptance, and release.
Quotation-of-Dream, I absolutely agree with you that was my interpretation from the first place
shareHow sad that it took her husband becoming paralyzed and blind to realize all this but it's a happy ending...I guess....
shareAs stated by others on this thread, it seems clear the ending is Severine's fantasy. Severine's complex personality of experiencing empowerment through sex yet a devastating guilt over cheating on Pierre may well continue to haunt her.
I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.
Her guilt is not primarily over cheating Pierre at all. In fact, she felt guilty even before she went to the brothel. Her guilt was over her personal fantasies/fetishes.
shareAgree with this completely. I think this is what Bunuel was going for. This film is about how Severine overcomes her guilt and comes to acceptance of her dark secrets/fantasies.
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