Movies - Viridiana

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	Movies - Viridiana

Viridiana is a 1961 film film directed by Luis Buñuel and produced in Mexico by Gustavo Alatriste. Along with The Long Absence, it was a winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival. It is one of several Buñuel films critical of Catholicism; here this is manifested in its theme that people in poverty need not necessarily be noble.

Plot

The film focuses on a nun named Viridiana, who is told by her convent that she should visit her uncle, Don Jaime, her only living relative. After some time on his large country estate, he tries to seduce her, seeing her as resembling his deceased wife. Hearing of his desire to marry her, Viridiana attempts to flee the house immediately, but is calmly subdued by Jaime and drugged with the help of his servant Ramona. He takes her to her room and considers raping her in her sleep, but appears to decide otherwise.

The next morning he tells her that he took her virginity, and says that therefore she cannot return to her convent. In this he intends to make her wish to stay, but instead she is disgusted and starts to pack. He tries to correct the situation by telling her that he lied, only hoping it would convince her to stay, but this does little to alleviate her. Asking for her forgiveness, she ignores him and leaves the house. Before she can return to her convent, however, she is stopped, and lead back to the home, where in the meantime Don Jaime has commit suicide, hanging himself from a tree branch.

Viridiana takes residence in the house, and gives a group of paupers residence in a large outhouse nearby and feeds them. Meanwhile, Don Jaime's son Jorge moves into the house with his girlfriend, Lucia. He takes a dislike to Viridiana's beggars, who often act much rowdier behind her back. He also makes attempts, like his father, at Viridiana, who tends to scorn him in reply. Lucia gets upset and leaves the house, and Jorge begins wooing his servant Ramona.

When they all leave to town, one of the paupers breaks into the house, and the others follow, initially just planning to look around. However, they eventually end up eating a fancy dinner there and drinking some quantity of alcohol. Things regress further, with one couple for instance copulating behind a couch, and one breaking a number of pieces of expensive china. The members of the household return earlier than expected to find the house in disarray. One of the beggars pulls a knife on Don Jorge; when he grabs a chair to defend himself, another comes from behind, breaking a bottle over his head and knocking him out. When Viridiana comes in to scold them, the knifed beggar attempts to rape Viridiana. Jorge, either weak or tied up, offers the other a sum of cash to kill the other. He takes the money and beats the other with a shovel.

The film concludes with a shift in Viridiana's character. Where previously she appeared annoyed at people's attempts to woo her, she now looks into the mirror and puts more caution into her appearance. Jorge and Ramona, now apparently lovers, begin to get somewhat frisky in his bedroom when there is a knock on the door. Viridiana enters, and he tells her they were only playing cards, and she joins with them. This conclusion is often seen as implying a ménage à trois, which was indeed Buñuel's intent.

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