Viridiana (1962)

A shapeless curiosity which has to be called surreal, if nothing else. The first, last and only beggars' supper is certainly memorable, although I found I had totally forgotten the first half of this film. Its events seem disconnected: a series of non-sequitors not linked, as normal, by logical cause and effect. Instead they seem to be joined up by the uses that a little girl's skipping rope can be put to. Trotting dogs under peasants' carts are in evidence, one of which is pointlessly freed, for a sum, and then doesn't feature any further. The film shows what people will do with their unexpected wealth. Act charitable to the poor. All very enigmatic. The relationships between the protagonists follow a haphazard pattern of peculiar and unexpected developments, finally settling for a card-playing ménage a trois. It was watchable, but requires patience. Surreality is just saying and doing the next thing that comes into your head. Like modern politics. A secular Protestant like myself is not bothered at all about the Roman church. Unused to the Angelus. Some of the servants leave. Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or.

Wow, people writing too serious reviews for a film that is pretty much ordinary. Bunuel's Nazarin or Simon del Desierto are much better movies than this one. You people take the message of the movie and write reviews regarding only the message. Religion sucks. That's pretty much it. Bunuel isn't a genius, he is even quite predictive in his work which makes him boring. I liked Nazarin really much, but all his films are only communist and nihilistic propaganda. World sucks, Church sucks the most, there is no morality etc. I'ts simply boring. We all know the world and how it works, and then he makes bunch of movies where he shows us what we already know from our own experience...come on man. Sure he was big time director in Spain in the time communism was hype, but communism died..and his movies now represent just that - something that died. Viridiana had an interesting opening 15 min....after the death of her uncle the movie just got boring and predictive. This could have been a really nice thriller/drama, but it just looks like Bunuel changed his mind in the middle of the movie, and simply changed course.. Sucks.. I gave a 6 only because it's Bunuel, and interesting first 15-20 min...

Viridiana, one of the most contentious and thought provoking films of Luis Bunuel, earned him Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. Viridiana is a sacrilegious outburst against Catholicism as well as against the Spanish bourgeoisie; it is an indictment of organized religion. The Spanish censors changed the ending of the film (instead of the heroine going to her cousin's bedroom, the censored version show her playing cards with him), still Viridiana remained banned in Spain and later on in Italy through the efforts of the Vatican.In this film, Viridiana, a young and beautiful nun (about to be inducted as one) is big way bitten by reality two times, both of which change her decision making and outlook completely. Persuaded by Mother superior, she visits her uncle Don Jaime, in his country estate for a few days. Don Jaime had a different project attached with it. He wants Viridiana to stay in his country estate for ever, as a wife. When Viridiana first time comes to know about this, she seems stunned and terribly upset (first reality bite). She decides to leave. A desperate Don Jaime with the help of his obedient servant Ramona, drug Viridiana's coffee. Don Jaime kisses Viridiana when she lay unconscious and tells her next day that he has had intercourse, hoping that this would force Viridiana to stay with him. But it doesn't stop her. She leaves anyway. Being ashamed, Don hangs himself. Viridiana comes back to the estate. She learns that she has inherited the farm house and Jorge, Don's son, inherited the main.Viridiana decides not to go back to the church. Instead, she takes up the project of really helping out the poor and the cripples by providing them food and shelter. She brings them to the farm house. The beggars turn out to be an unpleasant and evil lot who take advantage of her virtuousness and pay back her Christian unselfish charity with ingratitude. One of them even tries to rape her (second reality bite). In the end Viridiana leaves her ambitious journey of sainthood. According to Bunuel, it is better off returning to the secular world as a disgraced woman than living a lie as a hypocritical Christian who is disconnected from the masses. Well, Viridiana ends connected, doesn't she?Viridiana has striking similarities with films like Nazarin and Tristana, but I think in Viridiana, Bunuel was wittier, sharper and definitely most uncompromising. One can talk about several things. Think how he establishes Don Jaime's leg fetish for example, or when the little girl first time touches the thorn crown, she gets hurt. This thorn crown as well as nails and the cross are some of the things that Viridiana carries with herself, she worships them. I mean, I have seen them before, but after seeing Viridiana I realized that these fetish objects are dangerous things to carry also. Think about the famous dinner sequence, when one women beggar opens her skirt to take their group photograph. In this sequence, Bunuel caricatures both The Last Supper and The Hallelujah Chorus, and then follows the attempt to rape, which results in Viridiana's complete loss of faith. Viridiana is probably the most blasphemous of all Bunuel films.

cruel, profound, strange. Bunuel in pure form. picture of society transformation and drawing of its values fall. a masterpiece in each ingredient - music, image, acting. and, nothing new, a slice of blasphemy as part of demonstration about deep change of reality. a film about innocence and abyss of good intentions. about meetings and dark gestures. about surrounding of a young woman front with circle of reality. beautiful, impressive, its virtue is timeliness.and the bitter taste of ash front with a critic against patriarchal Spain. broken of illusions, definition of hypocrisy, lesson about cruelty, it is a masterpiece as mirror for a profound savage society.