Tuesday 3 April 2012

The Exterminating Angel [1962]


The Exterminating Angel, which competes with quite a few films in the great Spanish screen surrealist Luis Bunuel’s oeuvre, was the final feature film that he made in Mexico, which was his adopted homeland for quite a few years. The movie, which forms a terrific companion piece with The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (the two make for a truly superb double bill on account of their striking thematic similarities), which he made a decade later, was a brilliant work in the domains of surrealism and social satire. A group of wealthy people, representing diverse careers, lives and types, have gathered for a formal dinner party. Post dinner, they retire to the drawing room for casual chitchat and cocktail; however, strangely, when it starts getting late, instead of leaving for their respective homes, they decide to spend the night there itself. Before long we realize that the motley crowd, in essence, has been ‘locked’ in that room – despite there being no blocked doors, they somehow cannot leave the room. Thus, trapped with hardly any food or water, their cheerful and at times pompous demeanours start getting stripped off, and what we find under their veneers of aristocracy and thoroughbred natures, irrationality, hatred, treachery, anarchy, savagery, barbarism, and such baser instincts. Not just a searing examination of human behaviour filled with lashing humour and wry observations, it was also a sly and delectable commentary on class divisions – and more specifically, a satirical caricature of the bourgeoisie and the upper class. Poignant and darkly funny in equal measures, this wonderfully enacted absurdist comedy remains a dizzying masterpiece of world cinema.








Director: Luis Bunuel
Genre: Comedy/Black Comedy/Social Satire/Comedy of Manners/Avant-Garde
Language: Spanish
Country: Mexico

4 comments:

Jon said...

Absolutely hit the nail on the head on this one Shubhajit. One of your best pieces here and love this especially-

"what we find under their veneers of aristocracy and thoroughbred natures, irrationality, hatred, treachery, anarchy, savagery, barbarism, and such baser instincts."

Yes this might be my favorite Bunuel and it's certainly one of the essentials. I agree!!!! I need to see this one again soon. It's been too long between viewings.

Shubhajit said...

Thanks a lot Jon for the kind words. While the humour satire in Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie were understated & low-key, here they were lacerating & bursting through the seams - yet both remain such fascinating films. That this is your favourite Bunuel, I'm already aware of. These two, along with Belle De Jour, are the only Bunuel films I've watched so far, so admittedly, I need to watch quite a few more sooner rather than later.

David said...

"what we find under their veneers of aristocracy and thoroughbred natures, irrationality, hatred, treachery, anarchy, savagery, barbarism, and such baser instincts." very nice written.

Yes,you should find more of his work,I recommend Phantom of Liberty and viridiana.

Shubhajit said...

Thanks David for the good words and the recommendations. I'm planning to watch the two Bunuel films that you've mentioned sooner rather than later.