Quote:
Originally Posted by fortunato
El ángel exterminador (The Exterminating Angel) (1962)
I think I'd have to consider this Buñuel's ultimate masterpiece. While the man famously denied any symbolism or metaphor to be read from his works, there's no doubt that it's there. The surrealist in him lends itself very well to the film, which could be interpreted in as many different ways as there are people that have seen it, but I feel it's a spiritually-driven deconstruction and distillation of those institutions Buñuel felt were toxic: the ever-spited bourgeoisie and the church. The way the film plays with ideas of madness, life, death, and survival give it a pseudo-horror feel; completely engrossing and wonderfully bold.
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Great review, I definately agree with your ideas. I'm glad you enjoyed your revisit- have you checked out Criterion's release of
Simon of the Desert yet? One of his funniest and most potent films (the cut production never bothers me, the runtime and ending feel just right) and there's an excellent documentary of the disc which covers his Mexican career.
*edit* Wow, I sound like a spokesman for Criterion.