Luis Bunuel The purpose of this paper is to ana

Bunuel in general and two of his films in specific: "Los Olvidados" (Mexico 1950) and "Viridiana" (Spain 1961). Special attention will be paid to the Spanish cinema and the Mexican cinema and how they influenced this film maker and his art.

In order to best frame this commentary, we should give a brief overview of Bunuel and his place in the Spanish-speaking film world. Luis Bunuel was born in Calanda, Spain on February 22, 1900, and he died in Mexico City on July 29, 1983. He led a long life, and most of it was devoted to making motion pictures.

After receiving his degree from Colegio del Salvador in religion, entomology, and zoology, he went on for an advanced degree in agricultural engineering and the natural sciences at the University of Madrid, finally attending the Academe du Cinema in Paris.

Bunuel is considered to be the founder of surrealist cinema, and he was a master in both the silent and sound eras. He made documentaries as well as features, and his finest work was produced in the two decades after his 60th year.

Bunuel could work in the surrealist mode as well as the realist or neo-realist style, but he usually stayed fairly close to his subject matter, which revolved around social satire of religious, bourgeois culture, and Fascism. He was noted for one time saying that "Religious education and Surrealism have marked me for life" (Monaco, 1991, p. 85).

. . .
Being away from the commercial constraints of a place like Hollywood, Bunuel was free to experiment with form. Consequently he introduced dream sequences and surreal images at key moments, in what was otherwise a very straightforward realist narrative. Also, one other influence that the Mexican cinema had on Bunuel and "Los Olvidados" was that the film received poor distribution when it was released. Outside of Mexico the film was essentially unavailable. Many film scholars feel that this is because of Bunuel's focus on his ethnic subject and his concentration on proletarian concerns. By 1955 Bunuel was in Europe, directing international (and, in some cases, more openly political) motion pictures. In 1961 he was invited back to Spain to film "Viridiana," and here he fell under the spell of the Spanish cinema once again. "Viridiana" featured a screenplay by Bunuel and Julio Alejandro, and it is complex in nature. By following its plot it is possible to see many of the obsessions that Bunuel had, and how he dramatized them as a catharsis for himself. Viridiana travels to meet her uncle, Don Jaime, who is amazed at how much she looks like his dead wife, who had died on their wedding night. Don Jaime convinces his servant
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Pauline Kael, Andrew Sarris, Paris Bunuel, Charm Bourgeoisie, Bunuel Surrealism, Mexico City, Los Olvidados, Don Jaime, Salvador Dali, Jean-Claude Carriere, spanish cinema, mexican cinema, los olvidados, cinema mexican cinema, salvador dali, cinema mexican, cinema influenced, don jaime, mexican cinema influenced, luis bunuel, spanish cinema mexican, un chien andalou, dali federico garcia, dali federico, federico garcia,
Approximate Word count = 1951
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)