That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)
"Cet obscur objet du désir" (original title)

Just after boarding a train, much to the surprise of his fellow passengers, a man pours a bucket of water over a young girl on the platform. Over the next few hours he explains (and we see ... See full summary »

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers:

Luis Buñuel (scenario), Jean-Claude Carrière (collaboration),

Stars:

Fernando Rey, Carole Bouquet, Ángela Molina

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fernando Rey	...	Mathieu
Carole Bouquet	...	Conchita
Ángela Molina	...	Conchita (as Angela Molina)
Julien Bertheau	...	Edouard
André Weber	...	Martin (as Andre Weber)
Milena Vukotic	...	Femme dans le train
María Asquerino	...	Encarnación - madre de Conchita
Ellen Bahl	...	Manolita
Valerie Blanco	...	Isabelle (as Valérie Blanco)
Auguste Carrière	...	La femme qui reprise dans la vitrine (as Auguste Carriere)
Jacques Debary	...	Un voyageur
Antonio Duque	...	Conducteur
André Lacombe	...	Portier
Lita Lluch-Peiro	...	Ballerine
Annie Monange

Storyline

Just after boarding a train, much to the surprise of his fellow passengers, a man pours a bucket of water over a young girl on the platform. Over the next few hours he explains (and we see in flashback) how he became obsessed by her (so much so that he failed to notice that she was played by two different actresses, representing different sides of her personality), and how she tantalised him, but would never allow him to satisfy his desire for her...

---

Plot Keywords:

frustration | mother daughter relationship | seville spain | age difference | spain | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

France Spain

Language:

French Spanish

Release Date:

8 October 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

That Obscure Object of Desire

Filming Locations:

Giralda Tower, Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$8,673 (USA) (13 July 2001)

Gross:

$55,261 (USA) (16 November 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Greenwich Film Productions, Les Films Galaxie, In-Cine Compañía Industrial Cinematográfica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Maria Schneider, frequently nude in Last Tango in Paris (Last Tango in Paris), walked off the film in protest at the amount of nude scenes.

---

Quotes

Mathieu: My Conchita...

---

Connections

Referenced in Bunuel and King Solomon's Table (2001)

---

Soundtracks

"Die Walküre"
Written by Richard Wagner
Performed by Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele
Conducted by Karl Böhm
Philips 6747947

User Reviews

Play it again ...

... Bunuel (not Sam, in this case). This movie is again about human obsession! The trick using 2 different actresses for one role as stated by another user, is not unique per se, but heightens the surrealism of the movie. And it does work perfectly as to other films that couldn't handle that same weight. Or couldn't convey it to the viewing audience at least!

While it has a slow pace, the movie feeds from it, especially because you have to get a grip of the story- and time-line you have to handle. It is not difficult to follow, but you might need to watch it a second time to really appreciate it :o)