07/01/2008

Bunuel at the Barbican

Nothing like Bunuel films to see through bleak January. Here's the programme:

Sunday 13 January
The Milky Way (PG) (France/Italy 1968 Dir. Luis Buñuel 102 min)
On a bizarre pilgrimage from Paris to a holy Spanish shrine, two down-and-outs encounter various characters and explore the mysteries of Catholic theology. Buñuel’s startling critique of religious dogma.

Sunday 20 January
Diary of a Chambermaid (18) (France/Italy 1964 Dir. Luis Buñuel 98 min)
Jeanne Moreau stars as the stunning and ambitious maid who obtains a job with a provincial French family, and causes chaos in the home. A penetrating social satire with Buñuel at his most eloquent.

Sunday 27 January
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (15) (France 1972 Dir. Luis Buñuel 105 min)
A group of wealthy middle class friends gather at a country house, but their host is strangely absent, and all their attempts to dine together are mysteriously frustrated. Michel Picolli, Delphine Seyrig, Fernanando Rey plus the wonderful Bulle Ogier turn in superb performances in a hilarious satire on bourgeois codes and manners.

Sunday 3 February
The Phantom of Liberty (18) (France 1974 Dir. Luis Buñuel 104 min)
Monica Vitti and Michel Picolli reflect on the meaning of life in a sequence of Pythonesque events moving from the nineteenth century through to contemporary Paris. Buñuel’s penultimate film stirs many of his favourite passions from anti-clericism to the attack on bourgeois values, all couched within a comic surrealism laden with memorable images and performances.

Sunday 10 February
That Obscure Object of Desire (15) (France/Spain 1977 Dir. Luis Buñuel 103 min)
Buñuel’s final film tells the story of a maid who refuses to yield to the amorous advances of a rich businessman, but keeps him hanging on in hope. Fernando Rey is the victim under her spell, whilst Conchita the maid is played by both Carole Bouquet and Angela Molena, portraying the dual sides of her character.

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