trashgang If you don't know a thing about the time this flick was made then you will think what is all the fuss about because it's 90 minutes of blah blah. That's correct but if you place it in it's era then I can understand that the church tried to ban this flick.Not that it is shocking or so but it was made by Luis Buñuel, a director living in exile and in 1962 Le Peuple (newspaper) made an effort to say he should bee seen by a psychiatrist. It was his first flick made in Spain and controversial it became even seen for a long time as a lost flick. But here it is.The flick was the Spanish entry for the Golden Palm but the Vatican tried to stop that. They succeeded in some way because it was lost in Spain for 16 years. Due a novice playing the main lead it's there where the catholics found their blasphemy. Somehow I can understand that the people aren't impressed by God after all in this flick that what makes it hard to take back then. I won't recommand it for those who think it's all about Satanism or whatsoever, it isn't. But the novice being drugged by her uncle and being undressed (just some cleavage) was shocking and controversial. Overall, a bit of a demonstration against religion to show that not everybody is impressed by religion. Only for those seeking out some Mexican-Spanish history. Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 0/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

elvircorhodzic VIRIDIANA is a comedy drama about hypocrisy, public morality and mercy through strong criticism of religion.A girl named Viridiana is about to take her religious vows. However, her uncle invites her to visit him. She has agreed to a quick visit. Her mother superior has approved her visit. When an old recluse sees his niece, he is struck by her strong resemblance to his deceased wife. The attractive girl has excited old man's passions. He admits that he wants to marry her. Viridiana is horrified and emotionally hurt. Her uncle has the intention to rape her. At the last moment, he decides otherwise. However, that night has remained an unresolved enigma between his lies and her uncertainty. Viridiana leaves his house in tears. Her uncle has hanged himself, leaving his property to her and his illegitimate son. Viridiana will come back and begin to take care of local beggars...Weaknesses, vagueness and inefficiency of a religious dogma is the essence of this film. Mr. Buñuel has managed to cause a conflict between public morality and religious hypocrisy in a grim story. Sarcasm, which is directed towards religion and pious mind is perhaps a little distasteful, but is justified. Therefore, love, sentimentality, lust, remorse and morals have received grotesque label.Mr. Buñuel has, some of the features of high society, like greed and indecency, assigned to beggars. It is the perfect contrast in this film. He has inserted some provocative and perverted scenes in which the protagonists steal, cheat, abuse and finally kill every segment of human dignity. The generosity and concern of a young girl for the weak, the poor and the sick is a powerful and ironic punch to the society.Silvia Pinal as Viridiana is a charming and somewhat depressed girl. She is torn between the traditional religious ideas and her concealed libido. Her character is trying to free from clutches of anxiety and remorse. Fernando Rey as Don Jaime, her uncle, is confused old man, who convincingly shows his desire for his niece. His inner conflict ends tragically. Francisco Rabal as Jorge, his illegitimate son, is a dominant man, who has a realistic view of the world. Margarita Lozano as Ramona is a bit clumsy maid who will adapt to any situation and get out from it what is best for her and her daughter.The end of the film, although sexually suggestive, describes the most normal life situation, of all things in this film. A little masterpiece, which has, with philosophical reviews to uselessness of religion sparked controversy.

Sergeant_Tibbs Luis Buñuel is one of those directors I really want to love. Los Olvidados was a winner for me but Exterminating Angel, Discreet Charm, Belle de Jour and now Viridiana are films I consider good but not great. Perhaps their meanings just fly over my head. There's no doubt that Viridiana has Buñuel's finest cinematography. With its deep whites and blacks and brilliant framing, it's one of the finest shot films of the 60s at the very least. But there's something about the story that doesn't sit with me right. I just don't know what Buñuel is trying to say with his stories. The plot progresses and it's interesting watching this character be tested throughout these obstacles and it never feels like it's trying to say something that isn't cryptic. Is it about morality? Class comparison? Religion? I don't mind when films don't spell it out for me but when a film like Viridiana is so exquisitely shot and acted, it's quite unsatisfying and a little frustrating to not get anything out of it. Maybe it does touch those who love it in a way that I just don't relate to at all to even recognize. Still, very good on the surface.7/10

Murtaza Ali Regardless of the inhibitions that it may engender, it's always a matter of great cachet and honor to review the work of a virtuoso like Luis Buñuel. Calling Buñuel merely a movie-maker would not only be an understatement but also an invidious remark. Buñuel was a pioneer in every sense of the word and his works avant garde and highly influential. He is regarded as the father of surrealism in cinema and his predilection for the morbid and the obscure had earned him the tag of a 'fetishist'. Buñuel's directorial debut, Un Chien Andalou, a prototypical work on Surrealism, is a living example of Buñuel's vision and imaginative genius as a movie-maker and more importantly as a student of cinema. Buñuel was averse to explaining or promoting his work and ironically his surrealist works are so personal, distinctive and elaborative in style and manner that no one but Buñuel was worthy of judging or explaining them. Fortunately for me the first Buñuel movie that I have ventured to review does not deal with surrealism. Viridinia is a story of a young nun whose inexorable resolve for redemption ironically takes her to the brink of moral corruption. Viridinia revolves around bourgeois (middle class) modus vivendi and deals with controversial themes of gluttony, blasphemy and adultery which have been an integral part of Buñuelesque oeuvre. Buñuel was a staunch maverick and fittingly his iconoclastic works relentlessly flouted the bourgeois morals and the very root cause of bourgeoisie plight - the conservatism and hypocrisy camouflaged in the preaching of Catholicism and Christianity. Viridiana not only stands equal to the task of mocking organized religion and hypocrisies associated with it but just like other Buñuel works also manages to bring in a humanistic element with a somber yet sensual touch. The questions that Buñuel manages to pose through Viridiana are so straight and naked that even a saint of divine proportions, or a champion of human rights will not only look askance in want of candor but will also be forced to squeal in ghastly terror while trying to answer them. Such was the impact of Viridiana on the The Roman Catholic Church that the Vatican's official newspaper published an article calling Viridiana an insult to Catholicism and Christianity. The movie was banned in Spain and all its prints were destroyed as per the orders of the Spanish autocrat, Francisco Franco. These exaggerated responses were clearly not responsive of the subject material that Viridiana showcased but were the mere consequences of the questions it posed and the answers that it demanded.Viridiana is a young nun on the verge of taking her final vows. She is asked by her Mother Superior to pay a visit to her estranged uncle, Don Jaime, who has repeatedly expressed his keenness to meet Viridiana. She remembers that her uncle was never there for her whenever she had needed his support. Despite the absence of an emotional urge, she decides to pay him a visit simply out of courtesy. Don Jamie is a recluse rotting in the abject solitude of widowhood, which is making him more vulnerable and desperate with each passing day. Upon meeting his nubile niece, he notices a striking resemblance to his deceased wife. This ray of hope reinvigorates a new sense of purpose in his life as he decides to put forth a marriage proposal in front of Viridiana. He implores her to wear his wife's wedding dress which she reluctantly obliges. When his maid, Ramona informs Viridiana of his intent to marry her, she is appalled, and Don Jaime appears to have dropped the idea. However, Ramona secretly drugs Viridiana drink and Don Jamie carries the unconscious Viridiana to her room with the intention of raping her, but falls short of doing the ignominious. The next morning, he bluffs that he has made her his, and hence she is no longer pure enough to return to the convent. Seeing her undeterred, he concedes the truth, but fails in convincing her fully. Viridiana immediately leaves for the convent but at the bus stop the authorities reveal her that Don Jamie has committed suicide and has left his entire property to her and his illegitimate son, Jorge. Deeply disturbed, Viridiana decides not to return to the convent. Instead, as an act of penance, she brings home an assemblage of beggars and devotes herself to the moral education and feeding of this underprivileged lot. The things become a bit more complicated on the arrival of Jorge who shows a strong inclination for Viridiana. What ensues is a series of amazingly bizarre yet poetic sequences which can best be cherished through viewing rather than description. The penultimate scene depicts the beggars posing for a photo sans camera around the table in which they seem to collectively resemble the figures in Da Vinci's Last Supper; a chair substitutes for the door which now cuts into the fresco, and removes Christ's feet. This scene, in particular, earned the film the Vatican's opprobrium. The controversial finale adds a completely different dimension to Viridiana elevating it to new levels of cognitive interpretation. In a nutshell, Viridiana is a truly fascinating cinematic experience catapulted to new heights of magnificence by Buñuel's mastery and his unflinching ability to depict the sad and abysmal reality of living under the influence of false and misconstrued religious tenets. Viridiana along with The Diary of a Chamber Maid (1964) are great means of acquainting oneself with Buñuel's oeuvre and can serve as an excellent mock exercise to prepare oneself before exploring Buñuel's exceedingly challenging surrealistic works. 10/10http://www.apotpourriofvestiges.com/