Dr. Ralph H. Wolfe Viewing Center

Call Number: VHS01699

by: Luis Buñuel; Silva Pinal; Paco Rabal; Fernando Rey; Uninci Films 59.; Hen’s Tooth Video (Firm)

Format: VHS

Language: Spanish with English subtitles.

Publisher:  Las Cruces, NM : Distributed by Hen’s Tooth Video, [1992]

Notes: Originally produced as motion picture in Spain in 1961. Spanish censorship resulted in the film’s first being released in France and widely circulated by the Mexican distributor. Won Grand Prix Award, 1961 Cannes Festival. 90 min.

Summary: Viridiana, about to take final religious vows, visits her uncle at his country estate. He drugs her and attempts rape, finds he cannot go through with it, and hangs himself, leaving the estate to Viridiana and his illegitimate son, Jorge. While Jorge purues plans to modernize the estate, Viridiana attempts to convert it into a haven for derelicts. Left alone, the beggars take over the house for a feast which becomes an orgy; one of the beggars rapes Viridiana when she and Jorge return home. After the beggars are dispersed by police, Viridiana assumes more modern dress and joins in a card game with Jorge and his mistress. A powerful film widely considered to one of Buñuel’s most important works.

OCLC #: 27073974

Added: March 16, 2012