Wednesday 2 October 2013

THE HUNTER and VIRIDIANA at CULTIVATE FILM CLUB



VIRIDIANA and THE HUNTER



This week’s double bill screenings look at creative questioning of the state with one of Spain's most famous exiles, surrealist filmmaker Luis Bunuel’s VIRIDIANA. Denounced by the Vatican and Franco’s government and banned from release in Spain; Franco’s attempts to get VIRIDIANA withdrawn from competition at Cannes failed, and it went on to win the PALM D’OR in 1961. Bunuel’s stinging attack on religious obsession and the Catholic Church and its principles is seen as a social as well as a political indictment on Franco's Spain, Bunuel uses the fate of an idealistic novice nun Viridiana determined to keep her faith while those closes to her attempt to strip her of it as a peg to hang his many visual and intellectual arguments. The use of religious iconography underlined with political subtext drew the critics in hailing it as visual masterpiece, noted as being one of his greatest works and listed in the top 50 best films ever made this is a must see for any film lover. Next up is THE HUNTER from Iranian filmmaker Rafi Pitts, set amongst the political backdrop of Tehran Pitts cleverly weaves together an engrossing thriller in the style of the Jean-Pierre Melville using the iconic political imagery of the 70’s American political thrillers such as the PARALLAX VIEW and the CONVERSATION with a great punk soundtrack it totally subverts the genera.



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