Luis Buñuel’s Palme d’Or-winning masterpiece Viridiana launches TIFF Cinematheque’s Luis Buñuel: Desire and Deviance retrospective in this Toronto Premiere of a new 4K restoration courtesy of Janus Films.
Banned in Francisco Franco’s Spain and denounced by the Vatican upon its premiere, Luis Buñuel’s irreverent vision of life as a beggar’s banquet is regarded by many as his masterpiece. In it, novice nun Viridiana (Silvia Pinal) does her utmost to maintain her Catholic principles, but her lecherous uncle (Fernando Rey) 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, Viridiana is as audacious today as ever.
This retrospective also features other landmark works by Buñuel, including The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Belle de jour, That Obscure Object of Desire, Diary of a Chambermaid, Él, Los Olvidados, L’Âge d’or, Un chien andalou, The Exterminating Angel, and Wuthering Heights.
