Viridiana - Criterion Collection
|
List Price: Our Price: $26.99 You Save: $2.96 (10%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $18.80 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Viridiana - Criterion Collection
Movie Review: Luis Bu?uel's controversial masterpiece
Summary: 3 Stars
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.
Viridiana is the story of a woman who tries to maintain morality while avoiding her uncle.
The film contains many scenes percieved as offensive by the Vatican who denounced the film. Not being Catholic, I did not understand all the scenes which were considered offensive but I got a general idea as to why the film is so controversial.
The film is regarded as one of Bu?uel's best films and remains popular to this day.
The DVD has an interview with lead actress Sylvia Pinal and author Richard Porton, scened from an episode of "Cin?astes de notre temps" noting Bu?uel's early career and a US release trailer.
This is a must buy for Bu?uel fans.
Movie Review: Interesting movie
Summary: 5 Stars
It was a very interesting movie. Haven't seen one with such a twist at the end. Movie Review: Penance
Summary: 4 Stars
As with most of Luis Bunuel's films, "Viridiana" operates on several levels. There is the basic story of a novitiate, Sister Viridiana (Mexican Super-Star Sylvia Pinal) beckoned by her Uncle Don Jaime (Bunuel regular, Fernando Rey) to his country estate just days before she takes her final vows so as to say goodbye before she enters the life of a cloistered nun.
On another level are all the strange, ridiculous and humiliating things that happen to Viridiana chez Don Jaime: though Rey and Pinal play these scenes totally straight and without irony even though Bunuel loves to play with fantasy, reality and the friction between the two. For example, as a way of doing good, expiating her supposed sins, Viridiana brings a group of street beggars into her home who of course proceed to be unappreciative in the extreme.
Banned by the Catholic Church for over 30 years yet actually filmed in Spain, approved for production by Franco's censors but upon release reviled by the Vatican, thus embarrassing Senor Franco into having all of the copies of it destroyed, "Viridiana" survives today because one of the producers buried a copy in his backyard.
"Viridiana" is from Bunuel's middle period and as such it exalts in savaging Catholicism,Piety and the brand of religious fanaticism that hurts more than helps its followers though Bunuel's love for the character Viridiana is without judgement: she stands as a beacon of goodness onto whom so much that is vile is piled. In a filmed interview from this DVD edition, Bunuel denies this anti-Roman Catholic bias...obviously with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.
Movie Review: Eppur si muove!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the masterpiece of atheist Spanish film director Lu?s Bu?uel. An unrelentless, devastating, unmerciful criticism of religion. Yes, it can be viewed as a social satire, a political vehicle, etc. That's what makes it a great film, that you can view it from different perspectives.
To me the most valuable aspect of this film is the opportunity to see, as in a wide canvass, the soul and mind of this great atheist man. It is revealing that Bu?uel took to the task of "proving" religion wrong and absurd with so intense passion and -I would even say- desperation. Because no one is more desperate than he who searches and can't find. But, as Unamuno would say to explain the angst of the author, it comes from seeking to believe with the reason and not with the life.
The film depicts Spain's social condition pretty accurately in those mid-century years. Unamuno explains this aspect (though he wrote decades before Bu?uel's work) as follows: "In France and Spain there are multitudes who have proceeded from rejecting Popery to absolute atheism, because 'the fact is, that false and absurd doctrines, when exposed, have a natural tendency to beget scepticism in those who received them without reflection. None are so likely to believe too little as those who have begun by believing too much.'"
Another important aspect of the film is the way he depicts the poor. Helplessly incorrigible, lacking as much in money as in human virtues, and extremely ugly and repealing. It is very curious how Bu?uel did not even allow any little space for sentimentality or candidness; I mean, there is no hero or anything even close to it. It's a terrible portrait of the human soul. I would say pessimistic, but I don't think Bu?uel would agree. He would probably prefer sincere or realistic. The symbolism is so evident that any private school kid could figure it out, so forcibly paired are the scenes with their objects of criticism. And trying to make it so evident (and not as difficult as other of his surrealistic films) evidences his intensity of feeling, his anger, his hatred of all that Bu?uel despises, religion. And not only Catholicism -it just happened to be Spain- but universal religion. Going back to the the poor in the film, Bu?uel being a communist sympathizer, it is ironic that he doesn't show even a little mercy with his poor. I think the rich young man is a more admirable figure than any of his other characters. The female protagonist, the nun who gives up her vows being used only as a tool, cannot be expected to represent all nuns or all religious persons -it would be preposterous-. A case that in real life might happen isolatedly should not be used to prove a general rule. It is dishonest. But there is a correlation between his view of the economically poor and the Christian view:
"For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always." John 12:8
Isn't there something of the same nature? So how can one conception of the poor lead Christians to love them nevertheless (knowing that they will always be around), and the furious atheist/socialist to despise them (maybe not to condemn them, because surely "society or the rich" would take the blame). Well, that question is for everybody to meditate on.
I wish people like Bu?uel would give Christ a chance. Unamuno, another great Spaniard, says: "Note the greater part of our atheists and you will see that they are atheists from a kind of rage, rage at not being able to believe that there is a God. They are the personal enemies of God." But -I say- how can you be an enemy of someone who does not exist?
However, this is a great and splendid work of art. But now, ending with a quote from Rousseau: "Where is the philosopher who would not willingly deceive mankind for his own glory? With believers he is an atheist; with atheists he would be a believer. The essential thing is to think differently from others."
Nevertheless, it moves!
Movie Review: Bunuel's masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Bunuel takes on religous hypocrisy in a most witty and strange film - one of the great achievements of his long and prolific career. Fans of Bunuel's later French films will be delighted to see the roots of his very Spanish surrealistic heritage - as you probably know Bunuel worked with Salvador Dali on his early films of the 30's. Bunuel's period in Mexico seems to have brought out his genius in its most effective visual style - we can only hope criterion will release films like 'los oblivados' 'el' and 'Nazarin' until then we have 'Viridiana' which will keep us occupied with its many levels of meaning and symbolism...