Viridiana (1962)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Pretty Good

Fresh and Exciting

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

the clash between different worlds. and the try to have a common language. a critic against Church. and the special beauty of Silvia Pinal. love. and obsessions. fear and the need to self definition. nothing new at the first sigh from Bunuel. but Viridiana is a return to the origins. so Spanish than it becomes universal. bitter and harsh tender. a masterpiece because it is more the film of nuances than the result of a story. a delicate embroidery of lost beauty and about the shadows as cage of idealism. and for that Viridiana remains seductive - for the grace to present an ugly universe in each of its levels. and to propose a sort of cold view about the ordinary choices of innocence.

OK. Back in 1961 Viridiana may have been banned in Spain and, yes, even denounced by the Vatican (Hey! What a great way to get plenty of free advertising for your film and spark lots of unfounded interest from the public eager to see it) - But, today, you can surely bet that this insignificant piece of cinematic fluff would be laughed right off the screen for its sheer naivety.You know, it really figures that Viridiana's story came from the insipid and uninspired head of one of Europe's most over-rated, avant-garde directors of them all, Luis Bunuel.How this 2-bit film-maker ever earned the respected reputation that he inevitably did is beyond me.All-in-all - Viridiana was nothing but mediocre film-making, at best. And, just because it's a vintage, foreign film doesn't, in any way, make it exempt from receiving some harsh and objective criticism that it so rightly deserves.

I love Buñuel. In fact I consider his other two movies of his "Silvia Pinal" trilogy masterpieces ("The Exterminating Angel" is among my favorite movies of all times) not to mention the fantastic "Un Chien Andalou". Now I don't mind a movie with a anti-religious message despite of being a very religious person myself (heck, I enjoy things like "South Park", "Life of Brian" or as mentioned other of Buñuel movies), however I find some points Buñuel tries to make to shown how flaw Christianity in "Viridiana" delivered in a pretty poor manner."Ow, look she tries to help out some people because the bible tell her to do so but they get drunk and try to rape here so this must mean's Christianity is wrong" Seriously, what kind of argument is this? It has a much sense as making a movie about an atheist who at the end gets hit by a truck and having creator at the end jump out and yell "See? See? This is why atheism is wrong" Im sorry Mr. Buñuel, I love you but that's barley a reasonable argument (if not childish) and I find the scene of burning Jesus crown (depsite of very strong symbolism) in a pretty poor taste. It's still a very interesting and well put together movie to watch, even if not good as some other of Buñuel's work. In fact I think Christians need movies like that since thy argue for Satan but overall I just don't find it among Buñuel's best!

After 25 years away from Franco-dictated Spain, Luis Bunuel went back to make Viridiana. The film focuses on a nun called Viridiana, who is informed by her mother superior that her uncle, Don Jaime (Bunuel regular Fernando Rey), is dying and wishes for her to visit him. Whilst he has supported her for many years, she is suspicious of him, and had not seen him for many years. Don Jaime occupies a huge mansion with tracts of land, but has been lonely since his wife died on their wedding night. His only companion is his servant, Romona (Moargerita Lozano) and her daughter Rita (Teresa Rabal). On arrival, Don Jaime sees that Viridiana looks remarkably similar to his dead wife, and proclaims his love for her. When she refuses and leaves, Don Jaime commits suicide. Viridiana is left grief-stricken, and guilty emotions weigh her down. She decides to use the grounds to help 13 beggars.Whilst not as intrinsically "surreal" as many of Bunuel's more well known films (Belle de Jour (1967) and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)), but his black sense of humour is in tack, along with his own brand of irony. After Jaime's death, his son Jorge (Francisco Rabal) arrives at the house. In one scene, Jorge sees a peasant dragging a dog that is tied to his cart. Jorge offers to buy the dog in an effort to save it. Bunuel then appears to mock the entire process of selflessness. Once the transaction is complete (and unseen by Jorge), another dog is seen tied to a cart travelling in the opposite direction.Whilst Bunuel was permitted to make a film in his native Spain, no sooner had it been released, than the Spanish government banned it on the grounds of blasphemy and obscenity. The Vatican also denounced the film and called for its suppression. It's difficult to see exactly why this was, although there are some themes and representations that may have been contentious. Towards the end of the film, the vagrants that Viridiana has put up, decide to infiltrate the main house whilst the owners are away. In this debauched scene, the 13 beggars, sit around the dinner table, recreating the famous Last Supper painting by Leonardo da Vinci - a blind beggar is in the place of Jesus.With stunning black and white cinematography by Jose F. Aguayo, each shot is entrenched with beauty and meaning. Whilst not his best film, Bunuel creates a strange drama of basic human desires, and the difficulty in controlling the baser ones. This could also be another possible reason for it's condemnation by the church. For, even with faith, these characters have trouble in controlling themselves, and even Viridiana is implicitly brought into this "life of sin".www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com