Tristana (1970)

When the young woman Tristana's mother dies, she is entrusted to the guardianship of the well-respected though old Don Lope. Don Lope is well-liked and well-known because of his honorable ... See full summary »

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers:

Julio Alejandro, Luis Buñuel (screen story),

Stars:

Catherine Deneuve, Fernando Rey, Franco Nero

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Catherine Deneuve	...	Tristana
Fernando Rey	...	Don Lope
Franco Nero	...	Horacio
Lola Gaos	...	Saturna
Antonio Casas	...	Don Cosme
Jesús Fernández	...	Saturno
Vicente Soler	...	Don Ambrosio
José Calvo	...	Bellringer
Fernando Cebrián	...	Dr. Miquis
Antonio Ferrandis
José María Caffarel
Cándida Losada	...	Citizen
Joaquín Pamplona
Mary Paz Pondal	...	Muchacha
Juanjo Menéndez	...	Don Cándido (as Juan José Menéndez)

Storyline

When the young woman Tristana's mother dies, she is entrusted to the guardianship of the well-respected though old Don Lope. Don Lope is well-liked and well-known because of his honorable nature, despite his socialistic views about business and religion. But Don Lope's one weakness is women, and he falls for the innocent girl in his charge, seduces her, makes her his lover, though all the while explaining to her that she is as free as he. But when she acts on this freedom, Don Lope must deal with the consequences of his world-view.

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Plot Keywords:

surrealism | based on novel | character name in title

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Taglines:

Somewhere between the innocent girl and the not so innocent mistress is the bizarre, sensuous story of Tristana

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some disturbing images

Details

Country:

Spain Italy France

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

29 April 1970 (France)

Also Known As:

Bunuel '70

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$4,153 (USA) (21 November 2012)

Gross:

$12,686 (USA) (21 November 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Época Films, Talía Films, Selenia Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Voted tenth best Spanish film by professionals and critics in 1996 Spanish cinema centenary.

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Quotes

Don Lope: [Consoling Tristana after she's had a bad dream] It's good to have dreams, even if they're frightening... The dead don't dream.

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Connections

Referenced in El pasado (2007)

User Reviews

Morbid Tale of Lost of Innocence

In the 30's, in Spain, the teenager Tristana (Catherine Deneuve) becomes an orphan when her mother, who is the servant of Don Lope (Fernando Rey), dies. Don Lope is a decadent but respected aristocrat, anticlerical and liberal with socialist principles, and he becomes the guardian of Tristana. Don Lope sexually abuses of Tristana and develops a strange lover/father relationship with her.

When Tristana meets the painter Horacio (Franco Nero), they fall in love with each other and Tristana flees from Don Lope. However, years later, Horacio brings Tristana back to Don Lope with a terminal disease on her leg. She has a severed leg and survives, and Don Lope asks her hand in marriage. She accepts but now Tristana is a bitter and cynical woman and Don Lope feels the consequence of his acts in the past.

"Tristana" is a morbid tale of lost of innocence by Luis Buñuel. I had seen this film for the last time on 05 Feb 2003 and despite the wonderful performances of Catherine Deneuve and Fernando Rey, it is not among my favorite Buñuel's films. As usual, the director criticizes the Church and the bourgeois class but his famous surrealism is only presented in Tristana's nightmare. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Tristana"