Weeks 1-15

Frequently Read Texts

The following books were used frequently during the course.

[Mi último suspiro] = Buñuel, Luis. Mi último suspiro. Debolsillo, 2012. ISBN: 9788499894447.

[The Films of Luis Buñuel] = Evans, Peter W. The Films of Luis Buñuel: Subjectivity and Desire. Clarendon Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780198159063.

[Discreet Art] = Edwards, Gwynne. The Discreet Art of Luis Buñuel: A Reading of His Films. Marion Boyars Publishers Limited, 2000. ISBN: 9780714528328.

Content by Week

The following pages show the topics, films, readings, and assignments for each week.

Week 1: Introduction to class and discussion of Un perro andaluz

Week 2: Discussion of Un perro andaluz and El discreto encanto de la burguesía

Week 3: Discussion of El discreto encanto de la burguesía

Week 4: Discussion of Las Hurdes

Week 5: Discussion of Los olvidados

Week 6: Discussion of El ángel exterminador

Week 7: Discussion of El ángel exterminador and El

Week 8: Discussion of El and Ensayo de un crimen

Week 9: Discussion of Ensayo de un crimen and Nazarin

Week 10: Discussion of Nazarin, Simón del desierto, and Viridiana

Week 11: Discussion of Viridiana and Diario de una camarera

Week 12: Discussion of Diario de una camarera and Tristana

Week 13: Discussion of Tristana and Ese oscuro objeto del deseo

Weeks 14 and 15: Discussion of Ese oscuro objeto del deseo and individual oral reports on the topics of the students’ 10-page papers.

Session 1

Topics

Introduction to class: Lecture on Surrealism and the friendship of Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí, and Federico García Lorca in the 1920’s.

Discussion of film.

Film

Un chien andalou (Un perro andaluz). Directed by Luis Buñuel. Black and White, 16 min. 1929.

View on YouTube: iconauta. “Luis Buñuel: Un Chien Andalou.” July 19, 2013. YouTube.

Assignments

After class (and in preparation for the next class), you should watch this film as often as you can, using the study questions, film script, and chapter by Gwynne Edwards to help you better understand.

Visit the website Centro Virtual Cervantes. Students should view and read the contents of the first three titles:

The images that accompany each title are accessed by clicking the forward arrow to the left of the title / text page.

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Session 16

Topics

Continue discussing Nazarin.

Student group report on Nazarín.

Film

Watch Simón del desierto. Directed by Luis Buñuel. Black and White, 43 min. Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Producción Cinematográfica (STPC), 1965.

Reading

[Discreet Art] “Nazarín.” Chapter 4.

Session 17

Watch Viridiana. Directed by Luis Buñuel. Black and White, 90 min. Unión Industrial Cinematográfica (UNINCI), Gustavo Alatriste, Films 59, 1961.

Reading

“El éxito de una película prohibida: Viridiana (1961).” Centro Virtual Cervantes.

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Session 18

Topic

Continue discussing Viridiana.

Student group presents on Viridiana.

Reading

Rodríguez, José Luis. “Contamination and Transformation: A Kristevan Reading of Luis Buñuel’s Viridiana.” Studies in Hispanic Cinema 1, no. 3 (2005): 169–80.

Session 19

Film

Journal d’une Femme de Chambre (Diario de una camarera / Diary of a Chambermaid). Directed by Benoît Jacquot. Color, 96 min. Les Films du Lendemain, JPG Productions, Les Films du Fleuve, 2015.

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Session 20

Topic

Continue discussing Journal d’une Femme de Chambre.

Reading

[The Films of Luis Buñuel] Chapter 4: “Female Desire” and Chapter 4.1: “Le Journal d’une femme de chamber: Mothers and Daughters.” pp. 138–51.

Session 21

Topic

Watch Tristana. Directed by Luis Buñuel. Color, 95 min. Época Films, Talía Films, Selenia Cinematografica, 1970.

Readings

Freud, Sigmund. “Lecture 33: The Psychology of Women.” In New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. Volume XXII of the Standard Edition. W. W. Norton & Company, 1990. ISBN: 9780393007435.

Session 22

Topic

Continue discussing Tristana.

Readings

Grossvogel, David I. “Buñuel’s Obsessed Camera: Tristana Dismembered.” Diacritics 2, no. 1 (1972): 51–56.

Labanyi, Jo. “Fetishism and the Problem of Sexual Differences in Buñuel’s Tristana (1970).” In Spanish Cinema: The Auteurist Tradition. Edited by Peter William Evans. Oxford University Press, 2000, pp. 76–92. ISBN: 9780198184140.

Session 23

Watch Buñuel’s last film: Cet obscure objet du désir (Ese oscuro objeto del deseo). Directed by Luis Buñuel. Color, 102 min. Greenwich Film Productions, Les Films Galaxie, In-Cine Compañía Industrial Cinematográfica, 1977.

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Session 2

Topic

Continue discussing Un chien andalou (Un perro andaluz). Directed by Luis Buñuel. Black and White, 16 min. 1929.

Readings

Guión. “Un perro andaluz.” In Escritos de Luis Buñuel. Edited by Luis Buñuel and Manuel Lopez Villegas. Editorial Paginas de Espuma, 2000. ISBN: 9788493124304.

Freud, Sigmund. “E. Representation By Symbols in Dreams – Some Further Typical Dreams.” In The Interpretation of Dreams: The Complete and Definitive Text. Basic Books, 2010. ISBN: 9780465019779.

[Discreet Art] “Un chien andalou.” Chapter 1.

Note: Freud’s book was originally published, in German, in 1900, but the material in this particular section started to appear only in the 2^nd and 3^rd editions of 1909 and 1911. The text of the Avon edition (1965) reproduces a later edition and incorporates changes added in editions subsequent to the third. In 1923, the first Spanish translation of the book was published in Madrid as La interpretación de los sueños; the translator was Luis López Ballesteros.

You can download an entire Spanish-language version for free from the Internet Archive.

Students should start familiarizing themselves with the section “Obsesiones” of the Centro Virtual Cervantes website. Buñuel includes recurring images (of gestures, objects, animals, human body parts, etc.) in his films throughout his long career. Students should also access the section “Filmografía y bibliografía.” Read the contents of the first page and beginning of the second, which include the filmographies of Buñuel’s first two films, “Un chien andalou” (Un perro andaluz," 1929) and “L’Age d’or” (“La edad de oro,” 1930).

Please note that the list of actors for Un perro andaluz is incomplete. The man on the beach at the end of the film is played by Robert Hommet. I recommend you download and retain the pages of the Filmography.

If students wish to view early paintings by Salvador Dalí, that is, up until the mid-1930’s, when his friendship with Buñuel ended, the most complete website organized chronologically is on ABCgallery.com.

Session 3

Topic

Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie (El discreto encanto de la burguesía). Directed by Luis Buñuel. Color, 102 min. Greenwich Film Productions, 1972.

Readings

Freud, Sigmund. “Family Romances.” In The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud: Volume IX. Hogarth Press, 1959. ASIN: B00B2QKOI4

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Session 4

Topic

Continue discussing Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie (El discreto encanto de la burguesía).

Readings

[The Films of Luis Buñuel] Chapter 1.

[Discreet Art] Chapter 9. If you found Edward’s discussion of “Un perro andaluz” helpful, you may also profit from reading this chapter. It is clear and contains fewer errors of fact than his chapter on “Un perro.”

Session 5

Topic

Las Hurdes (Also known as Tierra sin pan or Land Without Bread). Directed by Luis Buñuel. Black and White, 30 min. Ramón Acín, 1933.

Readings

[Mi último suspiro] Chapters 12–14: “España Y Francia (1931–1936),” “Amores, amores,” y “La Guerra de España (1936–1939).” pp. 157–99.

Sections 3.1–3.12. Media: Cine por el Ministerio de Educación del Gobierno de España.

Assignment Due

Reading notes for Chapters 1–14 for Mi último suspiro.

Session 6

Topic

Continue discussing Las Hurdes.

Readings

Vilar, Pierre. “The Crisis of the Monarchy (1917–31)” and “The Republic (1931–1936).” In Spain: A Brief History. Pergamon Press, 1977. ISBN: 9780080214610.

Mauer, Barry. “Asynchronous Documentary: Buñuel’s ‘Land Without Bread’.” In Lowering the Boom: Critical Studies in Film Sound. Edited by Jay Bech and Tony Grajeda. University of Illinois Press, 2008, pp. 141–51. ISBN: 9780252075322. [Preview with Google Books]

Buñuel, Luis. “Tierra sin pan.” (Lecture presented in New York in 1940) and “El cine, instrument de poesía.” (Lecture presented in Mexico in 1953). In Escritos de Luis Buñuel. Editorial Paginas de Espuma, 2000. ISBN: 9788493124304.

Assignments

By this session, students need to have informed the professor of their film choice for their 10-page paper, due by the end of the semester. See the Assignments section.

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Session 7

Topic

Los olvidados. Directed by Luis Buñuel. Black and White, 80 min. Ultramar Films, 1950.

Reading

[Mi último suspiro] Chapters 15–18, pp. 201–29 and 231–38.

Session 8

Topics

Continue discussing Los olvidados.

Student group report on Los olvidados.

Readings

Freud, Sigmund. “The Uncanny.” The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Volume XVII. Hogarth Press, 1964. ASIN: B0045EIZRM

Assignments

Reading notes for Chapters 15–17 and part of 18 of Mi último suspiro due to professor by the end of the week.

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Session 9

Topic

El ángel exterminador. Directed by Luis Buñuel. Black and White, 95 min. Producciones Gustavo Alatriste, 1962.

Reading

Freud, Sigmund. Excerpt from “The Uncanny.” The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Volume XVII. Hogarth Press, 1964. pp. 358-361. ASIN: B0045EIZRM

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Session 10

Topic

Continue discussing El ángel exterminador.

Student group report on Los olvidados.

Readings

Miles, J. Robert. “Crossing the Line in Mexico?” Luis Buñuel’s El ángel exterminador." In Latin American Cinema: Essays on Modernity, Gender, and National Identity. Edited by Lisa Shaw and Stephanie Denison. Mcfarland & Comapny Incorporation Publication, 2005. ISBN: 9780786420049. [Preview with Google Books]

[Mi último suspiro] Chapter 18 and 19: “El ángel extermindaor.” pp. 280–82 and 239–71.

Session 11

Film

El. Directed by Luis Buñuel. Black and White, 82 min. Producciones Tepeyac, 1953.

Reading

Freud, Sigmund. “Fetishism.” The Penguin Freud Reader. Penguin, 2006. pp. 149-157. ISBN: 9780141187433

Assignments

Reading notes for pp. 280–82 and 239–71 from Mi último suspiro are due at the end of the week.

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Session 12

Topics

Prepare for discussion by reading “Preguntas sobre El de Luis Buñuel.”

Student group report on El.

Reading

[The Films of Luis Buñuel] Chapter 3: “Male Desire.” pp. 90–97 and Chapter 3.2: “El: Fetishism and Paranoia.” pp. 111–24.

Session 13

Topic

Ensayo de un crimen. Directed by Luis Buñuel. Black and White, 89 min. Alianza Cinematográfica Española, 1955.

Reading

[Mi último suspiro] Chapter 20, pp. 273–80 and Chapter 21, pp. 297–303.

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Session 14

Topic

Continue discussing Ensayo de un crimen. Directed by Luis Buñuel. Black and White, 89 min. Alianza Cinematográfica Española, 1955.

Student group report on Ensayo de un crimen.

Reading

[The Films of Luis Buñuel] Chapters 3 and 3.1, pp. 97–111.

Session 15

Topic

Discussion of film Nazarin. Directed by Luis Buñuel. Black and White, 94 min. Producciones Barbachano Ponce, 1959.

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Session 24

Topic

Continue discussing Cet obscure objet du désir.

Reading

[The Films of Luis Buñuel] Chapter 3.3: “Cet obscure objet du désir and Sado-masochism.” pp. 124–33.

Session 25–27

Individual oral reports on topics of 10-page papers.

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Course Info

Instructor

Departments

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Level

Topics

Learning Resource Types

Advanced Topics in Hispanic Literature and Film: The Films of Luis Buñuel

Frequently Read Texts

Content by Week

Session 1

Topics

Film

Assignments

Session 16

Topics

Film

Reading

Session 17

Reading

Session 18

Topic

Reading

Session 19

Film

Session 20

Topic

Reading

Session 21

Topic

Readings

Recommended

Session 22

Topic

Readings

Session 23

Session 2

Topic

Readings

Session 3

Topic

Readings

Session 4

Topic

Readings

Recommended

Session 5

Topic

Readings

Assignment Due

Session 6

Topic

Readings

Assignments

Session 7

Topic

Reading

Session 8

Topics

Readings

Assignments

Session 9

Topic

Reading

Session 10

Topic

Readings

Session 11

Film

Reading

Assignments

Session 12

Topics

Reading

Session 13

Topic

Reading

Session 14

Topic