The Phantom of Liberty
Filed Under: Film, Reviews | Article Tags : DVD review
By: Denis Blot
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While the vast collection of Luis Bunuel’s brilliant films remain unavailable on DVD, Criterion has done their part in releasing a few titles including their most recent: The Phantom of Liberty. The film was Bunuel’s second to last film, and demonstrates the strength of his surrealist sensibilities. The scenes are playful attacks on religious and social conventions and conformity, which was part of the surrealist agenda. Likewise, the surrealist notion of “chance” is also presented in the film within a scene where a sharpshooter randomly shoots people from a building. Bunuel, who owned a gun collection and found wonderment in the power they contained, manages to express his own curiosities in this scene.
Considering the film’s complete lack of any sort of traditional narrative structure and its surrealist and absurdist scenarios, one could easily find this film to be Bunuel’s most non-conventional work since L’Age D’Or. It is almost as if Bunuel had come full circle, pursuing the sublime dream aesthetic of his first two films. After those two very original achievements he had difficulty attaining funds for additional projects, and after several moves and jobs he found himself working in the Mexican film industry. His first few films in Mexico were very standard fair, though he eventually began to imbue them with surrealist aspects both through the visual and occasionally the narrative. His ability to take the melodrama genre that the Mexicans adore and creatively manipulate it to both embrace and mock the genre by adding strangeness, zany characters, and often weird mise-en-scene, created an aesthetic which could only be called Bunuelian. After repeated successes at Cannes Bunuel attained an international status, and began to take larger risks with his films. He had a willingness to take on taboo subjects, as well as serve the surrealist agenda, though always encapsulating it within the confines of a traditional narrative structure.
The Phantom of Liberty’s unconventional form might bother viewers who are used to a basic plot with beginning-climax-end and who are not interested in the unexpected or bizarre scenarios that could only be a product of one’s subconscious. However those with a penchant for the unusual and who have a quirky sense of humor will undoubtedly embrace the film. Likewise those with a familiarity of Bunuel’s films will appreciate some of the actors who have appeared in some of his other works and that the screenplay was written with long time collaborator Jean-Claude Carriere.
Regarding the DVD extras, Criterion, which is normally good at providing a substantial amount (see the extras on Bunuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) of academic and intriguing information, fails to satisfy. A rather short introduction by Carriere of the film and of his collaboration with Bunuel leaves you wanting to hear more. The trailer provided is good to look at for those curious as to how such a bizarre film was promoted. The academic essay by Gary Indiana will be found to be somewhat interesting to those with a moderate understanding of Bunuel, but probably confusing to those with little to no experience viewing his films. The written interview taken from Objects of Desire: Conversations with Luis Bunuel is provocative, providing a look at Bunuel’s thought process and his surrealist influence.
The film’s new translation and film transfer is certainly better than the VHS version and is a must buy for Bunuel enthusiasts, but for everyone else it certainly deserves at least a rental.
Reviewer’s Opinion: RENT IT!!
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