Director: Luis Buñuel 12/28/03 - 01/03/04

[Morticia]

Just as a change of pace, and at your request, we are discussing bodies of works by a particular actor or director. Let's see how you like this!

So -- let's compare and contrast works by the same director, discuss film techniques and choice of cinematographer or composer, what have you.

Run wild, shall we? Discuss!
Luis Buñuel is considered 'the father of cinematic Surrealism and one of the most original directors in the history of the film medium.' His films include "That Obscure Object of Desire", "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" and "Diary of a Chambermaid".

[Notoriousaurus]

I know I am late in chiming in but I would have thought SOMEONE out there was a big enough fan of his work to post something....

The only film of Luis' that I have seen is The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. I bought the DVD a couple of months ago on a complete whim. No rhymes, reasons, reviews, I just thought it sounded interesting.

Nonetheless, I have mixed feelings towards it. As a satire, it is downright hilarious. The characters in it are entertaining in to how they choose to hide things about themselves, and how entirely oblivious they are to the surrounding environment and their comrades.

The plot is near impossible to be summed up but on face value it is about a group of people who are trying to eat. Yes, that's it. Something that you and I can do every day. These are people who can mix a fine Martini and point out how barbaric their limo driver drinks it, but they can't get their heads out of their own ass long enough to schedule a damned meal.

There is much of the surreal in this film, especially as it progresses forth but in a film like this it seemed distracting, or interesting on a purely visual level and not so much as a logical one. When used as a satire it works for me. Especially the war politics talked about and the drug use of the troops. This made for a very funny stab at the Vietnam era American troops. However, I may not be in the loop with the political stabs of France and Spain because I am not very elightened to their social climate at that time. So some of the film falls flat for me.

I certainly don't regret purchasing it. I found it entertaining and will revisit it again in the future. That may see wether I gain something or not out of it

[Morticia]

I realized while making this thread that I didn't know who Mr. Bunuel was, but I had heard of many of his movies. Looks like I should do some renting. "Discreet Charm" doesn't really sound like my kind of movie, but I may be surprised. There are some movies I'll take the plunge on, but perhaps this isn't the one. I'll have to see if I can borrow or rent this one. Wish me luck.

[Jack The Tab]

I had an art professor in college who used to show movies all the time - I think he was a fustrated filmmaker - and I was introduced to a lot of great "art" films in his classes. One of them being "Un Chien Andalu". In this day and age, it's pretty easy to get access to almost any film you want to see, but back in 1989, things weren't that easy, so getting to see this film was a treat for me at the time.

I enjoyed the film strictly in the context of when it was made. Quite tame by even 1980's standards, with the exception of the razor/eye sequence, it was still a great little head trip. I don't know if I'm remembering this correctly, but I think Salvador Dali had his hand in this somewhat? I may be completely off base, but I think maybe he wrote (dreamed?) some of this movie.

As for Bunuel's later work, haven't seen a single one. Although I should, considering one of my fav filmmaker's - Jodoworsky - owes a huge debt of gratitude to him.

[larphillips]

Dali both co-wrote and appeared in An Andalusian Dog (1929). I too saw it in college, in one of my first film classes. I have to admit, I haven't seen it since then, so the only image I retain is the eyeball scene.

[Meloosh]

Don't forget about the "ants crawling around in the infected hole in the guy's hand" sequence.

[asphodel5]

I guess I need to start skipping law school to attend film school! I should have noticed this thread a long while ago, but alas, I was truant.

I've seen the majority of Bunuel's major films, so if you don't mind, I'll post some brief descriptions and mention the formats that are available. I have only seen the majority of them once (because they are on vhs), so some of my recollections are hazy. I'm going to skip some of the Mexican films because they aren't available on any format that I am aware of and I have not seen them.

Un Chien Andalou- This doesn't need much introduction. Nearly everyone knows about it as a Dali collaboration with the sliced eye. It is available on vhs (paired with Land Without Bread). There is a clip of it on the Criterion Spellbound DVD (another Dali collaboration). It is going to be screened with L'Age D'or at the Film Forum in NYC soon, so maybe they will show up on DVD

L'Age D'Or- This is another short film. It runs close to one hour. There is more of a plot than the first short, but it is still full of great surrealist images. I've only had a chance to see it once. From what I remember, there are a lot of anti-papic scenes and there is a focus on a bourgeois couple that yields some visuals. Supposedly Kino will release it on DVD by the end of the year.

Land Without Bread- This is another short film, but it is a documentary on a impoverished section of Spain. At least I think that's what its about. It is included on DVD with Los Olvidados but there are no subtitles.

Los Olvidados- This is the first of his Mexican film that I have seen. It is close to neo-realism. It focuses on impoverished families and youths in Mexico. It is on R0 NTSC DVD with English subtitles. The print quality is pretty good. I need to re-watch it becase I don't remember it very well.

El and The Criminal Life of Archibaldo De La Cruz are packaged together on a Spanish DVD with English subs (R0 NTSC). Both films come close to melodrama, but they rise above it because of the disturbed lead characters and the elllipsis used in the stories. The films are more realistic than his early and late works. These films do include a lot of his trademark black humor and issues of repressed desires. I found them enjoyable, but I would imagine that some of the others would be better starts.

Wuthering Heights- This is available on vhs. It was one of the first that I saw by Bunuel. At the time I remember being underwhelmed. I may revisit it at some point to see if I get more out of it now. I remember it being a pretty straight forward telling to the novel.

Nazarin- This is a tale of a Mexican priest who lives in poverty. It depicts his interactions with the villagers. I remember the priest being a "good" man, but the other clerics and the townspeople fail to understand him. In that sense it is very critical of established religion. It is available on vhs.

Viridiana- This stars a future Bunuel regular: Fernando Rey. It is about a young girl who moves away from her convent to live with her older uncle. He tries to corrupt her etc. etc. It has a lot of typical Bunuel themes (the religious ones, frustrated desires). Again, it is a very simply shot film as is typical of his Mexican work. VHS only.

The Exterminating Angel- This is one of my favorite Bunuel films. It is a compantion piece to Discreet Charm. A group of aristocrats get together for dinner, and end up trapped in the house together. I found it very humorous. It is full of absurd situations and typical Bunuel themes. There is a PAL DVD out, but I don't think that it has subtitles.

Diary of a Chambermaid- Criterion released this one. I believe it is his first film in 2.35:1 . It stars Jeanne Moreau and a cast of Bunuel regulars. She is a Parisian maid who comes to a disturbed rural household. I hate to sound vague and repetitive, but it has a number of his typical themes: sexual politics, poking fun at the haughty rich.

Simon of the Desert- This is another short film (45 minutes of so). It is quite unique. Simon is a devout man who spends his time on top of a pillar in the desert in order to be closer to God. There are temptations from other religious leaders, local peasants, the devil etc. The ending is quite a shocker.

Belle De Jour- This is one of Bunuel's most famous films. It would also make a good starting place. It was my first one. Catherine Denueve stars. She is as icy as ever. She is in an unfullfilling relationship with her husband so she takes a day job as a prostitute. There are a lot of interesting dream sequences. I remember when my roommate and I watched it, we felt dirty afterwards even though there was really very little explicit material. Buena Vista released a DVD. It is decent but non-anamorphic.

Milky Way- I saw parts of this one, but the VHS tape was so poor that I decided to wait for the DVD. Rialto restored it, so it should be getting the Criterion treatment. Bunuel is back to his surrealist roots here. It is close to Discreet Charm and Phantom of Liberty in that respect. There are a lot of pokes at religion. It is about two men on a pilgrimage who meet heretics and odd characters along the way. I look forward to seeing it in full and in passable form.

Tristana- This stars Deneuve and Fernando Rey. It seemed to be a mix of the Mexican style films and the later films with Rey. It is a another satire/troubled romance. VHS only

Discreet Charm of the Bourgeousie- This is probably my favorite Bunuel. I like it because of the humor and the unique structure. It is also one of his most polished films (as his other final films are). The cast is marvelous. I'm quite sure that it isn't for everyone, but it if his humor connects with you, this is one of the best.

The Phantom of Liberty- This is another film that Rialto restored. It is similar to Discreet Charm, but I remember some of the episodes falling flat. It is more of less a series of odd events (parents searching desperately for a girl who isn't even lost, a dinner scene with toilets instead of chairs, etc.) The DVD should be nice, so if you're interested, wait for it.

That Obscure Object of Desire- This is Bunuel's final film and another of my favorites. It stars Rey and two women who play the same character (randomly it seems). It sums up a lot of his typical themes. Most importantly is the idea of unfulfilled desire. It is fairly straight forward, but then again, the whole thing is being told by Rey's character, so it may not be that accurate. This would be another interesting place to start with Bunuel. It is a nice Criterion DVD.


I hope that some of that info is helpful. I'll be glad to elaborate. Many of those entries are short and rather lacking in detail, but once I started, I realized how many I needed to right, so I kept them to a minimum. One thing to note about Bunuel's style: He rarely uses music, so don't let that come as a surprise when you try out his work.

[Morticia]

asphodel5 -- what would we do without you? Your introductions to filmmakers are excellent. Thank you.

[AfroRouge]

No thread about Bunuel should be allowed to disappear into obscurity. I thought I'd add my utterly worthless thoughts about 2 other films not mentioned thus far, both from his Mexican period:

Susana (1951): This film tells the story of a woman who escapes from prison with the help of God (if you know Bunuel, you already know this is going to be amusing) and wiles her way into the service of a landowner, in the process seducing every man in the hacienda. The cast isn't the best, and I'd say it's pretty low in my rankings of his works that I've seen, but it's still worth a look.

A Woman Without Love (1951): In "My Last Sigh" Bunuel calls this his worst movie, and I can't disagree. It's as straightforward a melodrama as you can get, with a totally unconvincing time shift in the middle and a dull story. It is competently made (well shot) but there's no hiding its flaws. The little Bunuel touches are hardly in evidence. If you showed me this film without the opening credits, I wouldn't believe it was a Bunuel.

Finally, I strongly recommend Bunuel's autobiography "My Last Sigh." And for that matter, I strongly recommend falling in love with Bunuel's work: he's quickly become my favorite.