Film Forum
209 W Houston St
212.727.8110
This event has passed.
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Viridiana (1961)
- When
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Apr 24, 2009 – Apr 30, 2009
Daily
- Where
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- Price
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$11
- Links
Blasphemy is to Luis Buñuel's iconographic oeuvre as faith is to Catholicism — one-word tenets for worshippers of each Spanish institution. Considered to be his finest single-fingered salute to the Church, Viridiana (1961) features what might be the auteur's most incendiary scene: a Last Supper that casts aside the apostles in favor of beggars and other reprobates. That final, institution-battering tableau is just the capstone; beforehand, this sublime cinematic provocation shadows the curious temptations and tribulations of its titular nun (Silvia Pinal) during her last visit to uncle-benefactor Don Jaime (Fernando Rey). Viridiana also marked Buñuel's return to Spain after a quarter-century exile; although the film claimed the Palme d'Or, Spanish authorities banned it until Generalissimo Franco's death.
