The Exterminating Angel

Introduction

After the international success and critical acclaim that accompanied Viridiana, Luis Buñuel was given carte blanche for his next film and didn`t disappoint, delivering a scathing attack on bourgeois values in Exterminating Angel. In this film, a group of bourgeois dinner guests retire, after dining, to the drawing room where, once in the room and despite the open doors and windows, they are unable to leave. The diners then degenerate into almost primal behaviour as one guest conjures the devil through black magic, two others commit suicide and some sheep, provided for the after dinner entertainment, are killed and barbecued. The usual politics of a Buñuel film are largely absent aside from a stab at the unquestioning conformity of the middle classes and the film enjoyed purely for the surrealist imagery and black humour.

Video

This is a slightly disappointing 4:3 transfer with some softness which fails to showcase the brilliant direction and cinematography. The subtitles are well defined and easy to read against the black and white background.

Audio

A crisp and clear mono soundtrack in the original Spanish.

Features

None.

Conclusion

If you only want to watch one film by Luis Buñuel, this is one of the more accessible with wonderful surrealist imagery, jet-black humour and an ending that you`ll struggle to forget. If the film makes no sense to you (as it didn`t to me), don`t worry as Buñuel never intended it to make sense and enjoy it purely for the bizarre images and scenarios that unfold before your eyes.