Viridiana (1961)

Viridiana, a young nun about to take her final vows, pays a visit to her widowed uncle at the request of her Mother Superior.

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers:

Julio Alejandro, Luis Buñuel

Stars:

Silvia Pinal, Francisco Rabal, Fernando Rey

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Silvia Pinal	...	Viridiana
Francisco Rabal	...	Jorge
Fernando Rey	...	Don Jaime
José Calvo	...	Don Amalio (as Jose Calvo)
Margarita Lozano	...	Ramona
José Manuel Martín	...	El Cojo (as Jose Manuel Martin)
Victoria Zinny	...	Lucia
Luis Heredia	...	Manuel 'El Poca'
Joaquín Roa	...	Señor Zequiel (as Joaquin Roa)
Lola Gaos	...	Enedina
María Isbert	...	Beggar (as Maruja Isbert)
Teresa Rabal	...	Rita (as Teresita Rabal)

Storyline

Viridiana, a young novice about to take her final vows as a nun, accedes, moved purely by a sense of obligation, to a request from her widowed uncle to visit him. Stirred by her resemblance to his late wife, he attempts to seduce her and tragedy ensues. In the aftermath, Viridiana tries to assuage her guilt by creating a haven for the destitute folk who live around her uncle's estate. But little good comes from these good intentions.

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Plot Keywords:

nun | novice | da vinci last supper | suspected rape | wedding veil | 

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Taglines:

"Viridiana" is unconventionally daring

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

19 March 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Viridiana

Filming Locations:

Hospital de Tavera, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,843

Company Credits

Production Co:

Unión Industrial Cinematográfica (UNINCI), Gustavo Alatriste, Films 59

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Klangfilm-Magnetocord)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After years of living in Mexico, Luis Buñuel was persuaded to make his first film in his native Spain, since 1936 by the vanguard of contemporary young Spanish film-makers who admired his work.

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Quotes

Viridiana: I know my own weakness, and whatever I do will be humble. But, however little it is, I want to do it alone.

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Connections

References The Rules of the Game (1939)

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Soundtracks

Sarabande
from Suite Française n°5 (BWV 816)
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

Buñuels superb, subversive denial of religious ethics

Few film directors have worked with the sheer power and subversiveness that Spanish-born Luis Buñuel have. "Viridiana" is one of the best examples of the exiled Spaniard's feelings towards religious faith and its virtues- or his strong denial of religion as a virtue.

Buñuel started out as a Surrealist, and although he left the Surrealist Circle of Paris lead by André Breton, he always kept elements of Surrealism in his work, to the bitter end. So too in "Viridiana", where dreams play a small, but important part of the narrative, dreams being the Surrealists' main theme as a way of discovering repressed sexuality and aggression. Viridiana is a young nun who is, on the grounds of showing human compassion, talked into visiting her uncle Don Jaime, who is ill. Don Jaime, played by Buñuel regular Fernando Rey, is caring, but perverse. He falls in love with his niece, and does everything with the help of his maid, to keep Viridiana from parting to the convent, including lying to her and seducing her while she is trainquilized.

I am not going to give away all the events of the film, but the corruption of humanity and Christianity are soon evident, as Viridiana tries to help poor beggars and give them a worthy life. Her attempts at Christian charity are only met with self-pity and egocentricity, as the beggars go on a rampage reminiscient of the last supper of Jesus christ and his disciples. Violence, murder, gluttony and rape are all included to make a clear picture of the way the beggars have lost their human virtues to the hardship of poverty. We see the events through Viridiana's eyes, and everything she goes through suggests a broken belief in the goodness of both human beings and the faith she kept for so long.

A masterpiece in revolutionary cinema, this film won the Palm d' Or at Cannes in 1961, and the Spanish Board of Film were all fired afterwards, as Franco's regime could not quite swallow that "Viridiana" was the official Spanish contribution to the Festival.