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JusteLeblanc wrote:Nice way to put it. I was able to catch most of the symbolism, or hopefully most.

what did bunuel really mean when he always laughs at people claiming they know symbolism in his movies. (As said by Jean-Claude Carriere)

From the Criterion February titles press release:

Banned in Spain and denounced by the Vatican, surrealist genius Luis Buñuel's hilarious vision of life as a beggar's banquet is regarded by many as his masterpiece. Young novice Viridiana does her utmost to maintain her Catholic principles, but her lecherous uncle and a motley assemblage of paupers force her to confront the limits of her idealism. Winner of the Palme d'or at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival, this anticlerical free-for-all is as shocking today as ever.

Yeah I guess that's cool, though I'd rather have Una Mujer Sin Amor.

This is great news. I'm still waiting for "The Milky Way" though. That should have been out months ago with "The Phantom of Liberty." Oh well, I'll take whatever Bunuel I can get.

I can't believe you guys are sidetracking this one, this news is monumental as Ugetsu!

The Milky Way, Exterminating Angel, Simon of the Desert, Tristana are pretty much Criterions.

Hopefully, Criterion will include Los Hurdes on one of these dvds. Possibly even Un Chien Andalou.

Fingers crossed Gary Indiana has reworked his now-unreleased BFI monograph on the film into a commentary.

oldsheperd wrote:Hopefully, Criterion will include Los Hurdes on one of these dvds. Possibly even Un Chien Andalou.

Doubtful of Chien but Hurdes maybe, that would certainly make my day! Not that the news of Viridiana hasn't.

oldsheperd wrote:Hopefully, Criterion will include Los Hurdes on one of these dvds. Possibly even Un Chien Andalou.

I can't see Las Hurdes sitting comfortably alongside any of the prospective titles: although it's a crucial film for the director, it's a bit of an anomaly in Bunuel's oeuvre and would probably work best packaged with his two other early films (which would, of course, be a delicious package). Un Chien Andalou, on the other hand, would fit with practically any Bunuel, but, again, its natural partner is L'Age d'Or. Beaver is very keen on the BFI pairing of these two, but I'm sure even that disc could be improved, if only by the inclusion of Las Hurdes.

Back to Viridiana: quit griping! This is the major unavailable Bunuel.

zedz wrote:I can't see Las Hurdes sitting comfortably alongside any of the prospective titles:

We keep talking of other Bunuels... have other Bunuels been announced or is this just speculation? Just let me know so I know whether or not I should take out a second loan for February.

cinephrenic wrote:I can't believe you guys are sidetracking this one, this news is monumental as Ugetsu!

It's impossible to sidetrack this news. It would be like sidetracking that your girlfriend is pregnant. Or that you have head cancer.

cinephrenic wrote:I can't believe you guys are sidetracking this one, this news is monumental as Ugetsu!

The Milky Way, Exterminating Angel, Simon of the Desert, Tristana are pretty much Criterions.

You're absolutely right. This is big news!

This is also the first Criterion release in the spanish language.

From the Criterion February titles press release:

Banned in Spain and denounced by the Vatican, surrealist genius Luis Bunuel's hilarious vision of life as a beggar's banquet is regarded by many as his masterpiece. Young novice Viridiana does her utmost to maintain her Catholic principles, but her lecherous uncle and a motley assemblage of paupers force her to confront the limits of her idealism. Winner of the Palme d'or at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival, this anticlerical free-for-all is as shocking today as ever.

What is the source of this? Just curious.

zedz wrote:I can't see Las Hurdes sitting comfortably alongside any of the prospective titles: although it's a crucial film for the director, it's a bit of an anomaly in Bunuel's oeuvre.

Many critics think Las Hurdes is the key to Bunuel's oeuvre, rather than L'age d'or or un chien andalou, as Bunuel was neither a surrealist or a militant, but rather an absurdist.

I wasn't expecting this one so soon---what a wonderful surprise!

The 40-minute Simon of the Desert would make a great companion piece to Viridiana, but maybe they're saving Simon for another release. According to this thread at Mobius, this disc will be priced at $29.95, so the extra material will likely be limited (though I dream of a commentary track on at least ONE Buñuel release).

Am i dreaming?

Bunuelian am i dreaming?

someone tell me if this is real for sure...

i think i am dreaming, this is incredible news. =D>

FilmFanSea wrote: The 40-minute Simon of the Desert would make a great companion piece to Viridiana, but maybe they're saving Simon for another release.

Possibly with The Exterminating Angel, also aired on TCM with Janus logos?

gigimonagas wrote:This is also the first Criterion release in the spanish language.

That it is. And a helluva opener, too!

bunuelian wrote:Yeah I guess that's cool, though I'd rather have Una Mujer Sin Amor.

You "guess" that this is cool??

Tribe wrote:

bunuelian wrote:Yeah I guess that's cool, though I'd rather have Una Mujer Sin Amor.

You "guess" that this is cool?

Yeah, I mean, who wants one of the most thorougly raging anti-fascist works of art ever created when you can have a great director's worst film?

The joke's gone on long enough.

*slaps Godardslave* Yes, it seems to be real. Or at least, as real as things get on this forum, which so far has been real enough.

Cat: VIR040
Title: Viridiana
UPC: 0-37429-21262-2
SRP: $29.95
Prebook date: 1/24/06
Street date: 2/28/06

This is absolutely fantastic news. However, the greedy bastard in me can't help but wish it was part of a Bunuel boxset or at least a two-disc edition. Regardless, eagerly anticipated.

can I also hope Belle de Jour and Tristana to be released on Criterion ?

(Criterion's Phantom of Liberty, Le Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie have the StudioCanal intro; and there are several Luis Bunuel box set which will be released on November (3 box set to be exact), in France, by StudioCanal : a box set with Tristana/Belle de Jour/La Voix Lactée (aka Milkyway) / another box with Phantom of Liberty/Cet Obscur Objet du Desir/Une Jeune Fille - StudioCanal will probably use the same master (that is to say the Criterion master) for there releases of Phantom of Liberty and Cet Obscur Objet du Desir. But I'm really curious to know how the bonus will differ from the Criterion releases)

I'm absolutely amazed that no documentary has ever been made about this film, especially in Spain, that could be included. It would be awesome if they could get an interview with Juan Luis, too, even just to tell the story (yarn?) about smuggling the negatives to France. Without sufficient context, this film's boiling anger can't be as easily appreciated. Or maybe the cover will mimic those Calvin & Hobbes things you see on the back windows of trucks, but it'll be Bunuel peeing on Franco and the Catholic Church.

The character who comes off best (all things considered) in the film seems to be the Mother Superior (not angelic, mind you -- but less tawdry than the other major characters).