83-85 Nothing Is Sacred: Three Heresies by Luis Buñuel

[rapta]

Seems my hunch about a Buñuel set was correct in the end, but the clues were all there to be honest ('BUN' clue from last year, and 'Exterminating' clue from last month's newsletter). Also worth mentioning that Viridiana and The Exterminating Angel were both originally released by Arrow on DVD here in the UK, and I figured Simon of the Desert might have a decent enough master for HD release (turns out to have had a 4K restoration, as has Viridiana). Guessing there will be more if and when they can get them, and assuming this doesn't trigger Criterion to suddenly start snapping up Buñuel rights left, right and centre (they're rumoured to have Los Olvidados at least, possibly others).

Anyway, a great set to end the year on, coupled with two other titles I can't resist. More power to 'em!

PS: Viridiana could be the title from the Sight&Sound Top 100 list that Fran teased a couple of years ago, though it's from the Director's list rather than the general one. Closest I could surmise from the general list were either The Spirit of the Beehive or Blue Velvet...

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Is the pink lettering a nod to the original Criterion art?

I was thinking about the same. Sort of a physical media in-joke.
This is a lovely set that I hope won’t be selling too well (I mean, 6k copies sounds a lot, but you never know…) too soon. The BBC documentary is an indication that Radiance goes all out on this one. And the commentaries. Can’t wait to see what they come up with the Oshima set next year.

The designer as answered the burning questions: https://x.com/hydesister/status/1833907 ... 43798?s=46

That's a really cool way to link them to Ferraci. I'm so excited for this set. It's been forever since I revisited any Bunuel so this is the perfect opportunity especially with these extras.

[ryannichols7]

you guys are great but I can't accept the complaints on this one...I'm thrilled to have these. Criterion's Exterminating Angel is a massively disappointing disc, the master they used was pretty ancient. and the other two aren't even Blurays. there are a ton of extras here on top of 3 new restorations. it's known there's rights issues with so many of Buñuel's films, let alone restorations. trust me, I'd love to get Suzanna or Él as much as the next person (the latter is held by Criterion most likely since it's WCF, so good luck to all of us waiting)

these look very definitive and like it's said, I doubt Criterion is gonna touch the other two on Bluray for awhile. I'm excited for all these extras

Same over here - this is certainly going to be a wonderful package full of strong extras and getting new transfers of films with bad ancient masters is always welcome, particularly when it’s all FiM-encoded. Can’t wait!

indeed. it's tough to stress how dull Criterion's existant disc is - it's not necessarily bad, but it's very clear you're looking at a mid-2000s DVD master with very little work done to it. for a title as major as this one, it deserves a lot more, and I'm glad we're getting it. honestly I don't usually sell off discs but I'm glad I looked at my Criterion copy again - that Bunuel interview in the booklet isn't worth buying a copy of the film for, but it's a great reason to keep it if you've aleady got it. tremendous read, as are all interviews with the director. the long form doc on that disc is...very disappointing however and I don't particularly recommend it, there's a reason Radiance didn't port it over here honestly.

I'm thrilled too. I thought we'd only get Exterminating Angel which in and of itself I'd have been very happy with (and I'm grateful that Radiance went the extra mile of restoring it!) but fresh copies of Viridiana and Simon of the Desert on top of that makes this a contender for end of year top ten non-Criterion release lists. Criterion might release those in 4K next year (maybe licensing Radiance's in-house resto of Angel) but even so, I'm having a hard time picturing a future CC set making the UK release redundant.

Particularly now that CC have cut back on special features so much. This would be a hard set to top for these particular films (unless Facets decide to give them a go).

this carries over the doc they included on Simon and has tenfold more - I really can't imagine them going all out like this anymore, though their box of his last three films was quite good, admittedly, even if they were stuck with older transfers. I'd be surprised if Criterion pushed any of these out, especially since they have other huge Bunuel titles in their holdings (Los Oliviados and El are known). but who knows - either way, this is very much release of the year stuff alongside the MOC Feuillade box

For those who aren't aware, Gustavo Alatriste and Silvia Pinal only worked on the three films in this specific box set. Abraham Castillo Flores may well discuss earlier Mexican titles in passing - I do, too, in my commentary - but the title makes his overall focus pretty clear.

(Aside from my commentary and the 1983 Arena doc - the latter on its original broadcast more than four decades ago - I haven't seen any of the other extras yet, so this is as much educated guesswork as anyone else's.)

yes, I think if anything it leaves the door open for more films from his Mexican period. these three logically make a lot of sense together as a set in my mind, with Simon's conclusion a tremendous finale to this particular period. the 1983 doc is a tremendous get - other than the BFI and Criterion, who else is licensing BBC extras? that's pretty amazing stuff.

the pink rocks - I fully support it. just wish it was a tie in to the original Viridiana. but I think Bunuel himself would've approved...I actually admittedly don't love the box cover but the individual covers rule

[Peacock]

I don’t really get the historic pink complaints… if you look up original Viridiana posters a few of them featured pink text and other important elements?

[tenia]

Is the pink lettering a nod to the original Criterion art?

I was thinking about the same. Sort of a physical media in-joke.

This is a lovely set that I hope won’t be selling too well (I mean, 6k copies sounds a lot, but you never know…) too soon. The BBC documentary is an indication that Radiance goes all out on this one. And the commentaries. Can’t wait to see what they come up with the Oshima set next year.

The designer as answered the burning questions: https://x.com/hydesister/status/1833907 ... 43798?s=46

Yall welcome. \:D/

[MichaelB]

And I had somehow never realized EA was shot/produced in Mexico! I'd thought both it and Viridiana were made back in Spain, which is why the "in Mexico" part confused me, if only one (short!) film was made actually "in Mexico", but that's not the case. So ignore me entirely!

Aside from a handful of commercial Spanish films in the mid-30s that he may or may not have co-directed, Buñuel only made two Spanish films: Viridiana and Tristana.

The nationality of Viridiana is an interesting one, because at the time of the world premiere it was a 100% Spanish production (the nationality of the producer notwithstanding), but following the total ban in Spain (not merely of the film but all mention of its existence in the Spanish media), Gustavo Alatriste and Silvia Pinal managed to get it legally reclassified as a Mexican film for distribution purposes. But this is a technicality; it's a Spanish film through and through.

But The Exterminating Angel and Simon of the Desert are both entirely Mexican - unsurprisingly, there wasn't much chance of Buñuel making another film in Spain any time soon! Although the Spanish authorities had mellowed by the end of the decade to allow him back to make Tristana, Viridiana itself remained banned in Spain until 1977, after General Franco's death.

[Matt]

I don’t really get the historic pink complaints… if you look up original Viridiana posters a few of them featured pink text and other important elements?

It was a different time, you had to be there.

While a huge fan of Sister Hyde’s work, I am not a huge fan of the typeface, rosary knife, and fishnets on the box (it’s giving Madonna circa Madame X). The individual covers, though, are pretty great with the choice to include dust speckles in the images suggesting a vintage/unrestored print.

[starmanof51]

Apparently the set is region free? Are we surprised they have the rights for that?

[therewillbeblus]

Apparently the set is region free? Are we surprised they have the rights for that?

I was - how is it possible when Criterion's are in print?

[TechnicolorAcid]

Apparently the set is region free? Are we surprised they have the rights for that?

I was - how is it possible when Criterion's are in print?

Most of Radiance’s region locked stuff is specifically MGM catalogue titles or is already readily available in a good quality disc. My guess is that Criterion knew about the problems with the source master for Exterminating Angel and also knew they didn’t have imminent plans to release the other 2 on Blu-Ray so they allowed Radiance to make it region free so long as they don’t sell it in the US since they still have the rights there.

[MichaelB]

Criterion has no say in this; it's entirely down to the rightsholder. Sometimes they'll request region-locking out of courtesy to the film's US distributor, but it's ultimately their decision.

A boutique label can't "allow" another label to do (or not do) something unless they don't merely own the rights, but also own them in the relevant territory (i.e. the UK) - merely licensing them for a single territory for a limited period doesn't grant them that power. Unless of course that transfer of power is specified in the licensing contract, but that's pretty hard to imagine.

Incidentally, Criterion is unusual among boutique labels in proactively region-locking everything. By contrast, the policy of every UK boutique that I've worked for - and I'm not aware of any exceptions - is to go region-free unless the contract explicitly demands otherwise. Which will be invariably the case if it's a major studio (US, European or Japanese), but otherwise rightsholders tend not to be that fussed about region-locking in my experience - this is why I don't think Second Run (which has never dealt with a major) has never locked any of their Blu-rays to my knowledge, even though they've overlapped with Criterion releases.

[MichaelB]

While a huge fan of Sister Hyde’s work, I am not a huge fan of the typeface, rosary knife, and fishnets on the box (it’s giving Madonna circa Madame X).

It might, but it's also unmistakably a reference to Viridiana - the rosary knife being one of the key things that Spanish censors objected to. (Buñuel said he was baffled by this, since such things could easily be bought all over Spain; it wasn't a prop created for the film). And while I don't recall Viridiana actively donning fishnet tights, there's a lot of focus on both what she is and isn't wearing, particularly with regard to her legs.

And, as I argued above, the great thing about this cover is that it doesn't just derive specifically from the imagery in one of the films, but that imagery also carries over to the others - for instance, Silvia Pinal sexually tempting the ascetic Simon as he sits on top of his pillar in Simon of the Desert.

[Aspect]

Call me a heretic, but I’ve been getting rid of these big boxes that only serve to house scanovos. Can’t wait to see these three films in great quality.

[rrenault]

Apparently the set is region free? Are we surprised they have the rights for that?

I was - how is it possible when Criterion's are in print?

Most of Radiance’s region locked stuff is specifically MGM catalogue titles or is already readily available in a good quality disc. My guess is that Criterion knew about the problems with the source master for Exterminating Angel and also knew they didn’t have imminent plans to release the other 2 on Blu-Ray so they allowed Radiance to make it region free so long as they don’t sell it in the US since they still have the rights there.

I do find it a bit odd in all this time a Criterion Blu-ray of Viridiana never happened, considering it’s in that top tier of Euro arthouse “legacy” titles. Then again, Ordet never got the Blu-ray upgrade either.

[MichaelB]

It may not have sold well enough. The thing about upgrades is that the labels in question will be only too aware how well (or otherwise) a title sold on its previous outing.

This is a particularly acute issue with labels like the BFI, whose video department has a chain of command higher up, and to which they have to report regularly, justifying every decision.

[MichaelB]

Trailers from Hell:

As the 1960s came in, Luis Buñuel’s directing career took a sharp upturn. His English-language film The Young One didn’t take hold, but then he connected with the Mexican businessman Gustavo Alatriste, who wanted to produce movies to star his wife, Silvia Pinal. Over five years the trio made three remarkable films — two and a half films, actually. The first was an affront to Fascist Spain, calculated to ignite a scandal. The second two saw Buñuel return to his surrealist roots.

Criterion has released good editions of these Alatriste pictures, but for this collection the English label Radiance was able to tap new 4K restorations for all three. The assembled extras are second to none.

[hearthesilence]

20 years later, I finally got the reference.

[WrathOfAguirre]

Here is yet another release in recent years that completely evaded me until these past couple of days (and thankfully Radiance have allotted 6,000 copies because it's actually still available)!

I came so close to buying Criterion's Simon of the Desert DVD and The Exterminating Angel BD over the years, but never did for one reason or another. I was debating whether or not to preorder the upcoming CC Viridiana 4K, but the version here seems to have great reviews (and very much looking forward to the Michael Brooke commentary). Overall this seems like a better package.

One example (of few, for me) of how not spending money can eventually pay off.