Nazarín (1959)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers:

Julio Alejandro (writer)
Luis Buñuel (writer)

Release Date:

20 June 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Nazarin is a priest, attempting to living a pure and honest life strictly according to Christian principles...

Plot Keywords:

Christian | Priest | Prostitute | Hatred | Fire

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Francisco Rabal	...	Father Nazario
Marga López	...	Beatriz
Rita Macedo	...	Andara
Jesús Fernández	...	Ujo
Ignacio López Tarso	...	Thief in church
Luis Aceves Castañeda	...	Parricide
Ofelia Guilmáin	...	Chanfa
Noé Murayama	...	Pinto
Rosenda Monteros	...	Prieta
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Victorio Blanco	...	Old prisoner
Arturo Castro	...	Colonel
José Chávez	...	Construction site manager (as José Chávez 'Trowe')
Cecilia Leger	...	Woman with pineapple
Ignacio Peón	...	Priest
Ramón Sánchez

Also Known As:

Nazarin (USA)

Runtime:

USA:94 min

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 | Finland:K-11 (new rating 2001) | Finland:K-12 (1991) | France:U | Finland:K-16 (1966)

Filming Locations:

Cuaútla, Morelos, Mexico

Company:

Producciones Barbachano Ponce

Trivia:

Selected for the Acapulco Film festival (1959).

Quotes:

Don Angel - the priest: Now they're saying you had a scandalous, dishonest and dirty relationship with that woman.
Father Nazario: Slander. Plain slander.
Don Angel - the priest: l know you wouldn't dare. Besides, if you were to succumb to such a demon it wouldn't be with that ugly creature.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in L.A. Without a Map (1998)

Soundtrack:

Dios nunca muere

Great film by Buñuel, thought provoking.

Spanish director Luis Buñuel career spanned almost 50 years, from 1929 to 1977. Arguably, his best films were those he made during his exile in Mexico - from the late forties to the early 60s. There he had to deal with very cheap budgets, and work in an industry interested mainly in churning commercial movies to unsophisticated audiences, yet he somehow managed to make interesting, thought provoking movies that have stand the test of time. This movie is based on a novel by Spanish author Benito Perez Galdos - and the adaptation is quite faithful, even if the setting is now early 20th century Mexico instead of early 20th century Spain. The protagonist, Nazarin, is a priest who tries to live a life that is as faithful as it can be to the one prescribed by Christ. The question many would ask is whether such endeavor would be possible, without incurring in the hostility, incomprehension and mockery of your fellow human beings. As it happens, he suffers a lot of indignities, yet he remains stubborn (until the controversial final shot) to this objective. I think Buñuel wanted to show Nazarin as a somewhat ridiculous figure, but perhaps inadvertently, his stubbornness (at least to this viewer) comes out as admirable. In any case, a great film.