Tristana (1970)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers:

Julio Alejandro (writer)
Luis Buñuel (screen story)

Release Date:

29 April 1970 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Somewhere between the innocent girl and the not so innocent mistress is the bizarre, sensuous story of Tristana

Plot:

When the young woman Tristana's mother dies, she is entrusted to the guardianship of the well-respected though old Don Lope...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Bizarre | Surrealism | Dream Like | Based On Novel

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Catherine Deneuve	...	Tristana
Fernando Rey	...	Don Lope
Franco Nero	...	Horacio
Lola Gaos	...	Saturna
Antonio Casas	...	Don Cosme
Jesús Fernández	...	Saturno
Vicente Soler	...	Don Ambrosio
José Calvo	...	Bellringer
Fernando Cebrián	...	Dr. Miquis
Antonio Ferrandis
José María Caffarel
Cándida Losada	...	Citizen
Joaquín Pamplona
Mary Paz Pondal	...	Muchacha
Juanjo Menéndez	...	Don Cándido (as Juan José Menéndez)

Runtime:

95 min | Spain:105 min

Country:

France | Italy | Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Company:

Época Films

Trivia:

Voted tenth best Spanish film by professionals and critics in 1996 Spanish cinema centenary.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Settling the Score (2006) (V)

Yet another Buñuel masterpiece.

Luis Buñuel had a mastery of screen technique attained by very few directors. Confronted by the script of Tristana, what contemporary director would know where to start?

Buñuel's attention to detail is extraordinary. Every scene is packed with visual interest. In some strange way, the decor forms an essential part of the structure; it is a facet of Buñuel's unique vision. Moreover, he not only knows exactly when to end a sequence, but how to end it. For instance, when Don Lope (Rey) puts down the dog and walks away, the camera follows not him but the dog: an endearing and brilliant touch, and there are many more. Compelling throughout, even spellbinding.

If this film were a framed picture hanging in a gallery, thousands would come to see it and Buñuel would be acclaimed as a great artist. He was a great artist, in fact, but the cinema is an ephemeral form and people forget. We need to buy the videos and watch these fine movies from time to time, just to remind ourselves that a film can be a significant art form and not merely a commercial product cynically synthesised to extract the largest amount of money from the greatest number of people.