Rarely have I been so disappointed in a film. Bunuel *and* Simon Signoret? What could be better?
I have seen many of Luis Bunuel's movies, and consider myself a fan. From his first, Un Chien Andalou (1929), to his last, That Obscure Object of Desire (1977), I have seen more than half the films he ever made.
Death in the Garden is undoubtedly the worst I have seen. There are three words for this movie:
Violent. Pointless. Boring.
There is virtually no surrealism in the film whatsoever. And absolutely none of Bunuel's unique humor. It consists mainly of two things: people getting shot, and people walking (or running) around.
The film is incredibly violent. The vast majority of the action is people being shot. It is not gory by the standards of the twenty-first century, but it sure is for the fifties, perhaps more so than any movie up to its time.
There are two good things about the film. First, and to my surprise, it is shot in absolutely gorgeous Technicolor. The scenery is breathtaking, and Edward Fitzgerald's sets are also quite eye-catching.
Second, Simone Signoret has never looked more beautiful. Nor more sexy. I found it interesting that somehow they managed to make her look vaguely South American, although I couldn't put my finger on exactly how.
Sad to say, her outer beauty is nullified by her inner personality. She is a monster. She is motivated solely by greed, completely devoid of any human qualities such as warmth or compassion. She doesn't care about anyone else, nor anything except her own advancement and security.
The only thing I really liked was the interview with Victor Fuentes on the DVD. He is extremely articulate, and his viewpoint is continually interesting. He mentioned The Wages Of Fear (1953), which I immediately thought of as soon as the movie started. However, to compare Death in the Garden with Cluzot's movie in any respect except the setting is an insult to the latter.
If it had not had Simone Signoret in it, I would have turned it off after the first ten minutes. As it was, I watched it till the end, but I am not particularly glad I did so.
Want to see a great Bunuel film from his Mexican period? Watch The Exterminating Angel (1962). Want to see a great Simone Signoret movie, where she's every bit as beautiful and almost as sexy as this one? Catch Les Diaboliques (1955). I can't think of any reason for even hard core fans of Bunuel or Signoret to watch this one.
I have seen many of Luis Bunuel's movies, and consider myself a fan. From his first, Un Chien Andalou (1929), to his last, That Obscure Object of Desire (1977), I have seen more than half the films he ever made.
Death in the Garden is undoubtedly the worst I have seen. There are three words for this movie:
Violent. Pointless. Boring.
There is virtually no surrealism in the film whatsoever. And absolutely none of Bunuel's unique humor. It consists mainly of two things: people getting shot, and people walking (or running) around.
The film is incredibly violent. The vast majority of the action is people being shot. It is not gory by the standards of the twenty-first century, but it sure is for the fifties, perhaps more so than any movie up to its time.
There are two good things about the film. First, and to my surprise, it is shot in absolutely gorgeous Technicolor. The scenery is breathtaking, and Edward Fitzgerald's sets are also quite eye-catching.
Second, Simone Signoret has never looked more beautiful. Nor more sexy. I found it interesting that somehow they managed to make her look vaguely South American, although I couldn't put my finger on exactly how.
Sad to say, her outer beauty is nullified by her inner personality. She is a monster. She is motivated solely by greed, completely devoid of any human qualities such as warmth or compassion. She doesn't care about anyone else, nor anything except her own advancement and security.
The only thing I really liked was the interview with Victor Fuentes on the DVD. He is extremely articulate, and his viewpoint is continually interesting. He mentioned The Wages Of Fear (1953), which I immediately thought of as soon as the movie started. However, to compare Death in the Garden with Cluzot's movie in any respect except the setting is an insult to the latter.
If it had not had Simone Signoret in it, I would have turned it off after the first ten minutes. As it was, I watched it till the end, but I am not particularly glad I did so.
Want to see a great Bunuel film from his Mexican period? Watch The Exterminating Angel (1962). Want to see a great Simone Signoret movie, where she's every bit as beautiful and almost as sexy as this one? Catch Les Diaboliques (1955). I can't think of any reason for even hard core fans of Bunuel or Signoret to watch this one.