Continuous characters are involved in unrelated events which are meant to make the viewer question socially accepted norms of behavior.
Most of this was incoherent. It just seemed like there was no point. Some of it made a great deal of sense, though. There were 3 scenes that I wish to highlight.
In the first scene, a group of people sit at a table which has toilets instead of chairs. As the scene goes on, it is revealed that they find food to be disgusting. 1 man from the group gets up and goes to "the dining room" to eat in private.
The second scene involves a school girl who has disappeared. Her parents are notified and they rush to the school. When they enter the classroom, the teacher is trying to explain the situation and the girl walks up to tell them she is there. The teacher calls roll and the girl stands up when her name is called. The parents and child go to the cops where the man filling out the report examines the girl who is standing right next to him in order to fill in hair color, eye color, clothing, etc.
A man with a rifle is in a tall building and picks off people on the street. The court hears his case, sentences him to death and he walks out with everyone else like nothing happened.
By using nonsense, absurdity and opposites, Bunuel has created something more than just a comedy. Unfortunately, the people who get it and understand some meaning are the ones who would not need these preconceptions questioned. AND Those who need these preconceptions questioned and should think about them would not understand the film enough for it to prompt them to reflective thought. Using this line of thought, it could be seen as a film used to boast mental superiority. Smart people who get it would show it to their dumb friends and laugh when the friend did not understand. I rate this adequate because what I understood of it was quite funny.
No comments:
Post a Comment