Viridiana
| Viridiana | |
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Viridiana poster
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| Directed by | Luis Buñuel |
| Produced by | Gustavo Alatriste |
| Written by |
Julio Alejandro Luis Buñuel |
| Starring |
Silvia Pinal Francisco Rabal Fernando Rey Margarita Lozano |
| Music by | Gustavo Pittaluga Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Georg Friedrich Handel Ludwig van Beethoven |
| Edited by | Pedro del Rey |
| Distributed by | Films Sans Frontières |
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Release date
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Running time
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90 min. |
| Country | Spain Mexico |
| Language | Spanish |
Viridiana (pronounced: [biɾiˈðjana]) is a 1961 Spanish-Mexican film directed by Luis Buñuel and produced by Gustavo Alatriste. It is loosely based on Halma, a novel by Benito Pérez Galdós.
Viridiana was the winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival.
A novice named Viridiana (Silvia Pinal) is about to take her vows when her uncle, Don Jaime (Fernando Rey), invites her to visit him. Her only living relative, she has met him only once and is reluctant to comply. Her mother superior pressures her into accepting.
Don Jaime is a recluse, living on a neglected farm with a couple of servants—Ramona (Margarita Lozano), her daughter Rita, and Moncho. When Don Jaime sees his niece, he is struck by her strong resemblance to his deceased wife.
The night before she is to leave, Viridiana, grateful for her uncle's longtime financial support, reluctantly complies with the odd request to don his wife's wedding dress. When Ramona informs Viridiana that Don Jaime wants to marry her, she is aghast and Don Jaime seems to drop the idea. Ramona secretly drugs her drink. Don Jaime carries the unconscious woman to her room with the intention of raping her. At the last moment, he decides otherwise.
The next morning, he lies and tells Viridiana that he "took her virginity", i.e. raped her, so she cannot go back to her convent. When she is undeterred, he confesses he lied, leaving her uncertain as to what happened that night. At the bus stop, the authorities prevent her from leaving. Her uncle has hanged himself, leaving his property to her and his illegitimate son, Jorge (Francisco Rabal).
Deeply disturbed, Viridiana decides not to return to the convent. Instead, she collects some beggars and installs them in an outbuilding. She devotes herself to the moral education and feeding of this motley group. Disgusted, Moncho departs.
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