El (1953)

A husband's suave exterior unravels after his marriage, and he unleashes his paranoid and volatile temper on his wife, which escalates to more dangerous and unpredictable tantrums.

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers:

Luis Buñuel (story), Luis Alcoriza (story)

Stars:

Arturo de Córdova, Delia Garcés, Aurora Walker

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Arturo de Córdova	...	Francisco Galván de Montemayor
Delia Garcés	...	Gloria Vilalta
Aurora Walker	...	Doña Esperanza Vilalta
Carlos Martínez Baena	...	Padre Velasco
Manuel Dondé	...	Pablo
Rafael Banquells	...	Ricardo Luján
Fernando Casanova	...	Lic. Beltrán
José Pidal	...	Padre prior
Roberto Meyer	...	Licenciado
Luis Beristáin	...	Raúl Conde

Storyline

Francisco is rich, rather strict on principles, and still a bachelor. After meeting Gloria by accident, he is suddenly intent on her becoming his wife and courts her until she agrees to marry him. Francisco is a dedicated husband, but little by little his passion starts to exhibit disturbing traits. Nevertheless, Gloria meets with scepticism as she expresses her worries to their acquaintances.

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Plot Keywords:

possessiveness | jealous husband | insecurity | catholic church | bell tower | 

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Taglines:

Another film masterpiece by the director of the prize-winning "The Young and the Damned"

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

In making the film, Buñuel added personal memories of his sister Conchita's paranoid husband who once mistakenly thought he saw Buñuel making vulgar faces at him on the street and went home to get his gun. He was stopped when Buñuel's family finally convinced him that Buñuel was living in Zaragoza at the time.

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Connections

Referenced in Cine Terapia: Cine Terapia - Che Sandoval (2017)

User Reviews

A treat from Bunuel's Mexican period

Made in 1952, between "Robinson Crusoe" and "Wuthering Heights," this may not be one of Bunuel's major films, but it contains several of his key themes and recurring images, starting with the ceremonial washing and kissing of feet. The film also goes into the politics of submission and domination, the effects of long-term sexual repression, and -- of course -- sewing.

Bunuel understood obsession and was able to convey it on screen like no other director. As irrational as his characters can get (and Francisco gets plenty irrational in this film), Bunuel knows that we all have our hangups which seem normal to us, no matter how grotesque they may look to an outside viewer. (There's a reason why the alternate title for this film is "This Strange Passion.")

Details

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

9 July 1953 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

This Strange Passion

Filming Locations:

Estudios Tepeyac, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Producciones Tepeyac

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1