The purpose of this paper is to analyze the cinema of Luis
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).
After growing up in Calanda, a small village in the Spanish province of Aragon, Bunuel attended a Jesuit school and received educational training that had not changed since the 18th century.
When he enrolled in the University of Madrid in 1917, Bunuel took up his interest in politics and literature, and he soon met famous artistic figures who would influence him greatly such as Salvador Dali, Federico Garcia Lorca, and Rafael Albertini.
During this time Bunuel was influenced by ...