I give a lot of love to a lot of directors here at TDYLF. But there’s one that I don’t feature nearly enough. Luis Buñuel is my second favorite filmmaker, just behind Ingmar Bergman. His most iconic scene, from Un Chien Andalou, is celebrated in my primary header (if playfully, with C3PO’s mug photoshopped in). His early films are a visual feast, and his middle and late-period films are catnip for nerdy intellectuals. He’s sort of the sociologist’s filmmaker, taking every facet of society and social behavior, and stripping it down to nothing in a humorous way. Having said all of that, I realize that not a lot of people are familiar with Buñuel and his films. I’ve put together a quick infographic with some fast facts about the wily Spaniard.
It’s probably worth noting that there’s not a ton of info here. There are two reasons for that. When it comes to Buñuel, it’s best to let the visuals play and not get bogged down in numbers. As such, the soon-to-be-sliced eyeball, the cover of The Phantom of Liberty, and even the subtle screen of the hobo Last Supper recreation from Viridiana appear more prominently. The other reason is that… well, Buñuel actually said that he hated statistics. It would’ve felt wrong to honor him by cramming a bunch of stats together.
Click on the image to enlarge.
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Great post and graphic. Buñuel is one of my favourite filmmakers, right up there with Ingmar Bergman, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Michael Haneke, Bèla Tarr and Edward Yang. Buñuel just exudes style; he has this unmistakable style that makes all his films look and feel amazing, and I’m so glad you’re writing about him. I’ll quickly quote what Buñuel said when asked if he’d win an Oscar for Discreet Charm: “Definitely! I’ve paid them the money they wanted. Americans may have their weaknesses but they do keep their promises.” One of the coolest men to ever walk this Earth.
That quote about Americans is hilarious. I wish he was still around to take a peek at American society today.
Thanks for the Bunuel infographic. He’s definitely in my top five directors–mostly because he’s one of the only directors who actually made his best work after the age of 60.
Definitely. After 60 included Viridiana, The Phantom of Liberty, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Belle de Jour, and The Exterminating Angel. And that was in a span of about 15 years. Diary of a Chambermaid and Tristana are both in there, too.
I really like this director and I must see more of his films soon. Nice infographic. He had strong ideas and was a man of his own.
He is so much fun on a really irreverent level. I love it.
Bunuel is a wonderful director. I didn’t realize he made so many of his films in Mexico. Guess you learn something new every day.
Yep. Just about everything he made from 1936 to 1961 was made in Mexico.
I love the quote. It sums up an idea I had been reaching for but was unable to make concrete. He was just…something else.
That quote really does work, doesn’t it? It captures exactly what he was.
Just thinking about Un Chien Andalou makes my eyes water…Ugh.
I need to see more Bunuel. Everything I’ve seen of his has left a huge imprint on me so I’m not sure why I haven’t dug deeper into his film catalog. Great post!
I’m very partial to his very early work (Un Chien Andalou and L’Age D’Or) and his later work, post-1960. The bulk of his Mexican-era stuff was good… but it lacked the bite of those other two eras.
Duly noted – Hopefully I will get the time to explore his catalog further.
Bunuel is someone whose work I need to see more of. In fact, I think I have only seen Un Chien Andalou, which is a film that I won’t be forgetting any time soon. What would you recommend seeing next?
If you liked Un Chien Andalou, I’d try L’Age D’Or next. Or if you want something a little more cogent, Belle de Jour. Or… there’s also The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.
Cheers, John. Thanks for the recs.
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