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	...	Don Zequiel -a beggar (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:

female feet | nun | novice | da vinci last supper | suspected rape | 

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Taglines:

We've got nothing to hide...

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The script was initially approved by the Spanish authorities with a few minor changes. They had no opportunity to view the finished film until it played at the Cannes Film Festival where it won the Palme d'Or. Nevertheless, they were horrified enough by what they saw to ban the film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mother Superior: Sister Viridiana. Your uncle sent word that he can't come to see you take your vows.
Viridiana: Very well, Mother.
Mother Superior: You seem unconcerned.
Viridiana: I hardly know him. I only met him once, years ago.
Mother Superior: He invites you to visit him.
Viridiana: I'd rather not leave the convent.
Mother Superior: I'm afraid he's in poor health. He's your only relative. You should bid him farewell before taking your vows. You will never see him again.

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Connections

Referenced in El poderoso influjo de la luna (1981)

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Soundtracks

Et Incarnatus Est
from "Mass in B minor" (BMV 232)
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach (1749)

User Reviews

A hymn to human nature

This is a great movie. It is an investigation of the human nature and attempts to tell an interesting story about the suppression of our inner instincts. Bunuel, once again, compares the morality that comes from inside us, i.e., the morality of the subconscious, against the morality which imposed by society and the various religious organizations.

Bunuel seems sacrilegious, but I think that his movie attacks false piety as opposed to the deeper mysteries of the Catholic faith. Viridiana in the movie is not considerate of her uncle's passion for her and that kills the old man. Her punishment comes later from the unworthy beggars. The moral of the story is that we'd better investigate our flaws and strengths before attempting any encounter with other members of the society. Nobody is perfect and there are different ways to help people out there effectively. Honest work is sometimes more effective than useless acts of charity. If we do not know our selves and we cannot understand others we may deeply hurt people we care for.

All these ideas came to my mind while watching "Viridiana". What a great movie it is. One of the great moments of the movie is a side by side viewing of the honest workers renovating the mansion and the unworthy beggars praying in the fields.

Details

Country:

Spain Mexico

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

19 March 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Viridiana

Filming Locations:

Convento de San Pedro Mártir, Toledo, 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