The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

A guide to the film that inspired Act I of Sondheim's Here We Are

A group of well-heeled dinner party guests find themselves perpetually unable to eat. No matter how they try—whether at restaurants, homes, or garden parties—something always intervenes: military maneuvers, a dead restaurateur, or the simple fact that they’re rehearsing for a dinner actually scheduled for the following evening.

This is Luis Buñuel’s The …