![]() For this reason, Viridiana’s project cannot succeed. Trying to save the world without understanding and accepting the frailty of human nature is always doomed to failure, the Spanish director seems to be saying. “Viridiana” – the mystical spirit versus the ethics of the body Buñuel’s intentions, however, do not boil down to a travesty of the Bible, but rather expose what da Vinci signaled in his work – the Judas-like betrayal lurking in the very heart of Christianity. ![]() It was this part of the film that the Catholic hierarchy found most blasphemous. The poor line up for a “photograph” taken by one of the women, lewdly pulling up her skirt. The director also uses painterly associations in the key scene of the beggars’ feast, stylized on Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”. Buñuel’s world of the poor resembles the grotesque “The Caprices” of Francisco de Goya. Nevertheless, instead of sympathy, they arouse disgust. The gallery of characters seems to be taken from biblical parables, for there is the Leper, the Blind Man, the Chromy and the Harlots. It is not about the dualism of good and evil, however, but about emphasizing the incompatibility of sublime images with reality. The bright monastery, which is a symbol of the institution of the church, is in stark contrast to the darkness of her uncle’s house, and the angelic figure of the main character stands out against the background of repulsive beggars. For it presents an idealized, and therefore untrue, image of the world. “Viridiana” is a film that expresses opposition to the institutional form of religion that, according to Buñuel, kills the essence of Christian values. “Viridiana” – Spain’s mystical spirit and painterly inspirations In the final scenes, a shaken Viridiana burns a cross and other objects of worship and then goes to Jorge’s room to join in a card game with his lover. The situation is saved at the last minute by Jorge, who in exchange for a large sum convinces one of the beggars to kill his companion. ![]() While she is away, beggars are having an orgy in her house, and when the owner and Jorge unexpectedly return, two men throw themselves at her to try and rape her. It soon turns out that Viridiana’s charity work is counterproductive. At the same time, his illegitimate son Jorge (Francisco Rabal) appears at his uncle’s estate. “ Viridiana” decides to become a nun against all odds, but on her way back to the convent she receives news of her uncle’s suicide and returns to his house to set up a poorhouse. In the morning, he tells her that she has lost her chastity and cannot return to the monastery. He convinces Viridiana to wear his dead wife’s wedding dress, then drugs her with sleeping pills and intends to rape her. On the spot, it turns out that the uncle has deeper feelings for the girl and wants her to become his wife. Reluctant to the idea, Viridiana, at the express request of her mother superior, goes to the relative’s house. Nonetheless, just before this event, she receives a letter from her wealthy uncle (played by Fernando Rey), who asks her to pay him one last visit. The titular “Viridiana”, played by Sylvia Pinal, is a young girl who wants to become a nun and is about to take her perpetual vows in a convent. “Viridiana” – a parable about the failure of the Christian vision of the world “Viridiana” had its Spanish premiere only in 1977. The work was censored, and the director himself once again left Spain. Due to the intervention of the Vatican, Buñuel’s film was accused of blasphemy, which resulted in a number of unpleasant consequences. However, immediately after the festival a storm broke out. He even received the Palme d’Or at Cannes for “Viridiana” – the first such award in the history of Spanish cinema, winning with Poland’s “Mother Joan of The Angels”. Therefore, he received all the necessary resources and with the full blessing of the state realized his picture. The iconoclastic filmmaker known in Europe for his scandalous “The Golden Age” (1930) was to regain his rightful place in Spanish cinema and show the world his talent. Interestingly, it was the first film Buñuel made in his native country after returning from a long exile. “Viridiana” was made in 1962 as a Spanish-Mexican co-production. ![]() As a result, the Cannes-winning film was banned in Spain for many years, and the director himself was forced to leave the country. Cast: Silvia Pinal, Francisco Rabal, Fernando Rey, Margarita Lazano, Victoria Zinnyīuñuel made “Viridiana” an interpretation of his rebellious views.
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