What has happened to the reputation of Luis Buñuel (1900-1983), the Spanish master of surrealism? Should we be concerned, when in the Sight & Sound magazine’s Greatest Films of All Time Critics’ Poll 2022 Buñuel’s Los Olvidados (1950) could not be found until in the 157th place and An Andalusian Dog (1928) and The Exterminating Angel (1962) in the shared 169th place?
We launch the restoration of his reputation to its rightful place with Javier Espada’s documentary on the all-time cinematic surrealist. As the founder of the Buñuel Museum Espada, who hails from the same small Aragonese town of Calanda, knows his subject just like the documentary’s background contributors, the filmmaker’s son Juan Luis Buñuel and Buñuel’s long-time scriptwriting partner Jean-Claude Carrière.
Buñuel, A Surrealist Filmmaker is ideal for Buñuel fans and newcomers alike, as this relatively chronological but vividly thematic tribute includes samples from more than twenty of the director’s films. The rich photographic and documentary material sheds light on the importance of Buñuel’s family, art, and social events for the maestro. Among other things, we learn how Buñuel fooled visitors to Madrid’s Prado Museum with lies about Goya. How did Buñuel make so many films on such small budgets? What was the influence of his father’s panoramic photography? Inspiring and fun! (TM)