One of my all time favorites.

Fresh and Exciting

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Wow, people writing too serious reviews for a film that is pretty much ordinary. Bunuel's Nazarin or Simon del Desierto are much better movies than this one. You people take the message of the movie and write reviews regarding only the message. Religion sucks. That's pretty much it. Bunuel isn't a genius, he is even quite predictive in his work which makes him boring. I liked Nazarin really much, but all his films are only communist and nihilistic propaganda. World sucks, Church sucks the most, there is no morality etc. I'ts simply boring. We all know the world and how it works, and then he makes bunch of movies where he shows us what we already know from our own experience...come on man. Sure he was big time director in Spain in the time communism was hype, but communism died..and his movies now represent just that - something that died. Viridiana had an interesting opening 15 min....after the death of her uncle the movie just got boring and predictive. This could have been a really nice thriller/drama, but it just looks like Bunuel changed his mind in the middle of the movie, and simply changed course.. Sucks.. I gave a 6 only because it's Bunuel, and interesting first 15-20 min...

And, I ask you - How serious would you honestly think a woman (living at a convent) was about being a nun (and humbling herself before her god) who daily made sure that she was always totally dolled-up in full make-up? Well - I'd say that unless her god fully approved of his female devotees looking like high-fashion Jezebels, then this woman was not in the least bit sincere about following her religious vocation.And, this was, indeed, the very type of woman who I found in the dubious title-character named Viridiana.If you ask me - I think that (considering this movie was made in 1961) hack-director Luis Bunuel knew full-well that his "sneering-at-Catholicism" movie would, indeed, create religious controversy and inevitably be banned in Spain (his homeland).I believe Bunuel knew that regardless of how badly-conceived his movie was, this sort of negative publicity would be great advertising for his pathetic, little movie and, of course, entice all sorts of people to want to see it even more (even though it was/is nothing but a total bore, for the most part).

With having earlier this year seen Luis Bunuel's interesting,surrealist first film (co-directed with Salvador Dali) L'Age D'or,I became very interested in taking a look at a second Bunuel film,when a I noticed a friend mention that they had been interested in seeing a Bunuel movie that involved the optimistic,helpful ideas of a nun being completely torn into shreds.The plot:Prepairing to at last take her vows to officially become a nun,Viridana receives an unexpected invitation from her uncle ( Don Jaime-who is also her only surviving relative) to go and pay a visit to him.Feeling uneasy about accepting her father's offer,Viridana is convinced by her mother superior that accepting Jaime's (who has also help with funding her training) offer would be a good deed.Arriving to Jaime's farm,Viridana discovers that Don lives a reclusive life in a run down farm with a few,worryingly loyal servants.Attempting to stay true to her values,Viridana begins to fear for her life,when Jaime tells her that she reminds him of his deceased wife,who died on their wedding night.Using a number of manipulative ways to increase her sympathies towards him,Don eventually gets Viridana to dress up in his wife's wedding gown.Astonashied by Viridana looking exactly like his wife on their wedding night,Jaime decides to ignore Viridana's angelic pleas,and begins to think about "reliving" the only night that he ever had with his wife,and also of permanently tainting Viridana's innocents.View on the film:Whilst co-writer/ (along with Julio Alejandro) director Luis Bunuel takes a surprisingly restrained approach to the surrealist moments in the film, (with a sharp reenactment of "The Last Supper" and the use of an unsettling song at the end being the two best,and most disturbing surreal moments in the movie) Bunuel display an impressive focus in fully showing the decayed world that Viridana (played by a very cute Silvia Pinal) finds herself enclosed by,with Bunuel using a number of well handled tracking shots to show the rusting world slowly taking the angelic shine off the innocent Viridana permanently.For their adaptation of Benito Perez Galdos's novel Halma,Bunuel and Alejandro show a brilliant take no prisoners approach to all of the character's featured in the film.Making Viridana be someone who sticks to their beliefs with all their might,Bunuel and Alejandro peel away all of Viridana's sheen with a fantastically harsh relish,that goes from her desperately trying to make her uncle happy,to a group of "poor,defenceless" beggars who she does everything to help,completely crushing her so that they can chew and spit out Viridana to the world,as a dead,empty shell.

This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking film initially banned in Spain and completely denounced by the Vatican . Although it was voted best Spanish film by professionals and critics in 1996 Spanish cinema centenary . It deals with the novice Angelic Viridiana (Silvia Pinal) who visits his uncle Jaime (Fernando Rey) in the mansion prior to taking her religious vows . Jaime is stunned by her remarkable resemblance to deceased spouse who passes away on their wedding night . Later on , there appears his nephew (Francisco Rabal). Meanwhile Viridiana attempts to help some local beggars .This prohibited movie is widely considered a Luis Buñuel's masterpiece . It's a parable based on a Benito Perez Galdos' novel titled Halma concerning about a young nun full of illusions and kindness along with some tattered beggars . It is packed with some humor , hilarious situations , brooding drama , corruption and criticism to Catholic Church and useless altruism . The original ending of the film showed Viridiana knocking on her cousin's door, entering, and the door closing slowly behind her , this version was rejected by Spanish censors . After years of living in Mexico, Luis Buñuel was persuaded to make his first film in his native Spain since 1936 by the vanguard of young contemporary Spanish film-makers who admired his work . Buñuel returning his native country , Spain , by making 'Viridiana' but this film was prohibited on the grounds of blasphemy , then Buñuel with his screenwriter Julio Alejandro go back Mexico where realizes in low budget 'Simon of the desert' and also produced by Gustavo Alatriste . The script was initially approved by the Spanish authorities with a few minor changes. They had no opportunity to view the finished film until it played at the Cannes Film Festival where it won the Palme d'Or . Nevertheless they were sufficiently horrified by what they saw to ban the film. Splendid main cast gives superb acting as Fernando Rey , Francisco Rabal and Silvia Pinal as idealist ascetic ex-nun . Large secondary cast formed by ragged beggars as Lola Gaos , Jose Calvo , Jose Luis Martin , Joaquin Roa, and Maria Isbert ,daughter of the great Jose Isbert . It appears uncredited as a little girl Teresa Rabal , Francisco Rabal's daughter . Good and atmospheric cinematography by excellent cameraman Jose F. Aguayo . Religious and classic music score including ¨Haendel's Messiah¨ and the ethereal strains of Alelluya . The picture was originally realized by 'the maestro of Calanda' , Luis Buñuel's location of birth , and was immediately banned . Despite the government's massive efforts to confiscate all copies , some of them were exhibited and the movie won deservedly the Palme dÓr at the Cannes Film Festival . Nice strange story for Luis Buñuel aficionados , being hauled by some reviewers as one of his best films ever made . Rating : Above average, worthwhile watching.