Nothing is Sacred: Three Heresies by Luis Buñuel
Details by Film
Simon of the Desert
Streaming Options
The Exterminating Angel
Streaming Options
Viridiana
Streaming Options
Viridiana
In Viridiana, Pinal stars as a former nun who, believing she has been defiled by a relative, abandons nunhood and attempts to repent and lead a morally pure existence by turning a mansion into a shelter for vagrants. Hugely controversial on release, this brilliant satire remains shocking today, and was voted the best Spanish film of all time by Spanish critics in 2016.
The Exterminating Angel
The Exterminating Angel is one of Buñuel's most extraordinary and enduring works: after a night at the opera, a group of bourgeois party guests realise that they are inexplicably unable to leave the dining room they are sequestered in, and quickly descend into savagery. An influential blend of horror, comedy, drama and social commentary, the film was named one of the 200 greatest of all time in the 2022 Sight and Sound Critics Poll.
Simon of the Desert
Simon of the Desert is a typically outrageous and provocative commentary on organised religion: a parable of Simon, the would-be saint who lives an ascetic life at the top of a ten foot pillar, the film features a memorable turn from Pinal as the Devil, and an unforgettably bizarre ending.
Technical Specifications
Supplements
- An interview with Buñuel from 1964 recorded for French TV’s Cinéastes de notre temps (1964, 48 mins)
- A Mexican Buñuel - A documentary directed by Emilio Maillé on Buñuel’s Mexican period (1995, 56 mins)
- Audio commentary by critic Michael Brooke (2024)
- Newly filmed appreciation by filmmaker Lulu Wang
- The Life and Times of Don Luis Buñuel - A BBC Arena documentary on Buñuel featuring contributions from Luis Buñuel and collaborators including Catherine Deneuve, presented on Blu-ray for the first time (1983, 101 mins)
- Optional introduction by director Anthony Wall
- Gallery
- Newly filmed appreciation by filmmaker Alex Cox
- Newly filmed appreciation by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro
- Dinner and Other Rituals - A visual essay on The Exterminating Angel and the dinner party on film by critic and writer Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (2024, 17 mins)
- Gallery
- Newly filmed appreciation by filmmaker Richard Ayoade
- The Other Trinity: Alatriste, Buñuel and Pinal - A visual essay on Buñuel in Mexico by Abraham Castillo Flores (2024, 34 mins)
- Buñuel: A Surrealist Filmmaker - A feature-length documentary directed by Javier Espada on Buñuel’s life and career, presented on Blu-ray for the first time (2021, 84 mins)
- Gallery
- Limited edition 80-page book featuring new writing by Glenn Kenny, Justine Smith, Lindsay Hallam and David Hering, as well as archive material