The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie + Spring Matinees Launch

Celebrate the launch of our Spring Matinees program with Luis Buñuel's discreetly surreal social satire, presented in 4K.

Three couples come together to celebrate their successes with a dinner party; but complications wait for them at every turn. The initial problem seems to be a simple scheduling mistake – they arrive a day early – but the obstacles become more and more bizarre, at one point including an army on manoeuvres.

Curator's Note

Check your logic at the door. To kick off our Spring Matinees program, we're beginning with a very special film that emerged from the surrealist movement at the tail-end of one of its masters' careers: Luis Buñuel.

Whip-smart, and more charming than the bourgeoisie of the title, the film was immediately acclaimed upon it release, earning itself an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. It also received a nomination for its screenplay which Buñuel co-wrote with Jean-Claude Carrière (The Unbearable Lightness of Being).

Join us in the cinema to enjoy the 4K digital restoration timed to celebrate the film's 50th anniversary. Before the screening, we'll take a look at the Matinees program ahead.

– Reece Goodwin, Curator (Film & TV)