Film Persona

  Luis Bunuel's "Belle de Jour" In 1966, Luis Bunuel was tasked to adapt the scandalous 1928 Joseph Kessel novel " Belle de Jour " into a feature-length film. The only problem was that Bunuel found the novel detestable, calling it "a bit of a soap opera." However, he accepted because he wanted the challenge of turning something he didn't like into something he did like. He kept the same basic structure of the novel but changed many things to align with common themes held within his oeuvre. The result, 1967's " Belle de Jour ," was not only a box office success in France, but is now considered one of the most iconic French films of all time. The film stars France's most celebrated actress from the 20th century, Catherine Deneuve, as a bored middle-class housewife named Severine who decides to spend her days as a prostitute while he husband, Pierre, is at work. The more she gets inundated in the work, the more bizarre and depraved t...

  Luis Bunuel's "Simon of the Desert" Luis Bunuel's final film in Mexico, " Simon of the Desert ," was inspired by the ascetic 5th-century Syrian saint Simeon Stylites, who lived on top of a pillar in the desert for 39 years. Only 45 minutes in length, this short film explores the titular Simon's anecdotal isolation atop the pillar, while being tempted by the devil below. The film was originally intended by be a feature length film but the financial strains of the production forced Bunuel to cut it short.  Atop the pillar, Simon is removed from the world. He even is bestowed an even taller pillar by a wealthy family, where he then becomes even further removed from reality. Bunuel elevates him to a place of his own delusion, and uses surrealist flourishes to construct his psychological Christ-like complex. It felt as though Simon's devotion to God was actually just a devotion to his own grandeur.  Perhaps the best part of the film is the finale scene ...

  Luis Bunuel's "Diary of a Chambermaid" Luis Bunuel's 1964 French film " Diary of a Chambermaid " is not only one of the most realistic films of his career, but perhaps the film I find least interesting. It does, however, tackle themes that Bunuel often frequents, like his criticism of the bourgeois class. The film stars famed French actress Jeanna Moreau, who plays a chambermaid who uses her cunning to navigate the perversion, corruption, and violence of haute bourgeois members of the provincial estate she goes to work at.  " Diary of a Chambermaid " was the film that kickstarted Bunuel's final French period. He would return to Mexico for 1965's " Simon of the Desert " and to Spain with his Spanish/French 1970 film " Tristana ," but from 1964 to his final film in 1977, he exclusively made French films. This was partly due to France's explosion of New Wave cinema and the freedom is afforded artists.  Despite this ar...

  Luis Bunuel's "The Exterminating Angel" All throughout his work, Luis Bunuel has used film to exploit the hypocrisy of the social elite. His 1962 Mexican film " The Exterminating Angel " is no different. As always, this Bunuel work comes with a certain dose of surrealism. The surrealism used in this scenario acts as a plot device to allow the central theme of the film to come into focus.  In the film, a group of wealthy dinner guests find that they are unable to leave a dinner party after its conclusion. Every attempt at leaving the salon fails, as many of the guests stand in the doorway of the salon but are unable to pass through. Eventually, the dinner party descends into mayhem, as various members begin to sleep with each other, assign blame, become fatigued, become irrational, and above all, begin to behave dramatically and animalistic. It become clear that the point of the film is to eradicate the respectability of the bourgeois class. Basically, Bunuel t...

  Luis Bunuel's "Viridinia" After establishing himself as a mainstay director in Mexico in the 1950s, Luis Bunuel packed up and headed back to his homeland Spain. But why, when famed dictator Francisco Franco still held power. Nobody knows the reason, but it becomes clear after watching Bunuel's 1961 film " Viridiana " that Bunuel certainly meant to provoke. Bunuel had come to be known for making audacious films. " L'Age d'Or " and " Los Olvidados " are two such examples that caused a ruckus in their respective time. However, it is " Viridiana " that takes the cake for his most audacious film to date. " Viridiana " tells the story of a woman named Viridiana who, before taking her vows as a nun, is told to visit her wealthy benefactor uncle. When she visits him, he is so struck by her resemblance to his wife, that he drugs and rapes her. After she attempts to flee back to the convent, he hangs himself. Feeling g...

  Luis Bunuel's "Nazarin" In one of Luis Bunuel's last films he did in Mexico, " Nazarin " tells the story of a humble priest who lives a charitable life in accordance with the fundamental values of the Bible. The film was adapted from the novel of the same name by Benito Perez Galdos. It may not be one of his most renouned or remembered films, but " Nazarin " is still considered an essential film in Bunuel's extended filmography.  The story of this priest essentially mirrors the story of Christ. Father Nazario is a priest who strictly adheres to the principles of Christian values. He allows people to take freely from him, he helps others in need, and demonstrates understanding and compassion to everyone around him. However, because of his strict adherence to compassion and unyielding charity, he unintentionally demonstrates the hypocracy of the church, the government, and humanity itself. The church rebukes his priesthood and he is forced to w...

  Luis Bunuel's "El" Of the four films I've seen so far of Luis Bunuel, his 1953 Mexican film " El " is perhaps the weakest of the bunch. This is ironic given that Bunuel felt the film was the one that he put most of 'himself' into. However, just because it doesn't come close to the likes of " Un Chien Andalou ," " L'Age d'Or ," and " Los Olvidados ," certainly does not mean " El " isn't a marvelous film.  The film tells the story of a wealthy man named Francisco who becomes obsessed with a woman named Gloria. He steals her away from her fiance and marries. With little time, she begins to discover just how paranoid and extreme his behavior is. She spends the whole film trying desperately to get away from him and convince others of his erraticness. However, this is of no avail. Eventually, he loses his mind in a church and spends the rest of his days in a monastery.  " El " was a great ...

  Luis Bunuel's "Los Olvidados" After making the lauded " L'Age d'Or " in 1930, it would take another 20 years for Luis Bunuel to make his next film. He spent that 20 years doing various thing in various industries. In 1933, he made a documentary called " Land without Bread ," which some consider to be the very first example of a 'mockumentary,' in which Bunuel matches scenes of deplorable social conditions with narration that resembles travelogue commentary delivered by a detached-sounding announcer. From 1933 to 1934, he worked in the Parisian dubbing department of Paramount Pictures. After getting married in 1934, he moved to Madrid, dubbing Warner Brothers films for Spanish audiences. When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, he cataloged Republican propaganda films for the Spanish government. After travelling to the United States in 1938 to assist with films being made about the Spanish Civil War, he was unable to return to Spa...