KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Phillida Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

roddekker 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).

Jackson Booth-Millard From director Luis Buñuel (Un Chien Andalou, Land Without Bread, Belle De Jour, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie), this was a Spanish film that I found in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and I knew nothing about it, but was willing to watch. Basically young novice Viridiana (Silvia Pinal) taking her final vows as a nun, when her only living relative, uncle Don Jaime (The French Connection's Fernando Rey), invites her to visit him, she is pressured by her Mother Superior into accepting, as she is reluctant having only met him once before. Don Jaime lives in seclusion on his farm, with his servants as company, Ramona (Margarita Lozano), Monco and his daughter Rita (Teresa Rabal), and he is haunted by the fact that his niece has a strong resemblance to his dead wife, and he has oddly requested her to wear his deceased wife's wedding dress, she reluctantly complies because of his financial support. Ramona informs Viridiana that her uncle wants to marry her, she is shocked, but he apparently drops the idea, but then Ramona drugs her, and while she is unconscious he was intending to rape her, before he changes his mind, but to make sure she stays he lies to her that he took her virginity, meaning she cannot return to the convent, he eventually confesses, but she still questions what happened that night. She is later prevented from leaving by the authorities when heading for the bus stop, her uncle hangs himself and the property is given to her and his illegitimate son Jorge (Francisco Rabal), she is disturbed and does not return to the convent, she instead helps beggars and creates a place to educate and feed them, Moncho leaves in disgust. Jorge starts renovating the house and moves in with his girlfriend Lucia (Victoria Zinny), she senses that he has feelings for Viridiana, and after she leaves he makes a pass at unwilling Ramona, later while the house is empty and paupers break in and there is drunken and riotous party like behaviour, and when the owners return they find it in shambles. One beggar who threatens Viridiana pulls a knife on Jorge, he is struck on the head with a bottle and goes unconscious for a few moments, eventually after the wannabe rapist is stopped in his tracks the police come in to calm the situation, in the end Viridiana is changed, it is a question whether she feels for Jorge, especially after she catches him in a suspicious way with Ramona. I will firstly admit that not all the description is my own input, but I followed enough of the story to almost agree with critics giving the film five out of five stars, the leading performance of Pinal is absolutely the best as the innocent, vulnerable and declining former nun, the scenes I found most watchable were certainly her relationship with the uncle and her work with the homeless people, and there are some good small moments mocking religion that work well too, an interesting satirical drama. Very good!

Sergeant_Tibbs Luis Buñuel is one of those directors I really want to love. Los Olvidados was a winner for me but Exterminating Angel, Discreet Charm, Belle de Jour and now Viridiana are films I consider good but not great. Perhaps their meanings just fly over my head. There's no doubt that Viridiana has Buñuel's finest cinematography. With its deep whites and blacks and brilliant framing, it's one of the finest shot films of the 60s at the very least. But there's something about the story that doesn't sit with me right. I just don't know what Buñuel is trying to say with his stories. The plot progresses and it's interesting watching this character be tested throughout these obstacles and it never feels like it's trying to say something that isn't cryptic. Is it about morality? Class comparison? Religion? I don't mind when films don't spell it out for me but when a film like Viridiana is so exquisitely shot and acted, it's quite unsatisfying and a little frustrating to not get anything out of it. Maybe it does touch those who love it in a way that I just don't relate to at all to even recognize. Still, very good on the surface.7/10

lreynaert While 'Viridiana' contains some well known aspects of L. Buñuel's movies, like fetishism or voyeurism, its main target is, like in 'L'Age D'Or', religion and more particularly Catholicism with its gospel of pity and altruism. This gospel is personified in an aspirant-nun, played sublimely by the Mexican actress Silvia Pinal. But, faced with utterly disgraceful behavior on the part of the poor people she wanted to help, she becomes on the tones of Haendel's music an anti-Messiah.For the Catholic Church this movie is fundamentally a blasphemy, symbolized by its hellish parody of the Last Supper (the picture by Leonardo Da Vinci) with the apostles painted as vile and vicious paupers and beggars. Another of L. Buñuel's more controversial viewpoints is his misogyny expressed by Don Jaime's illegitimate son, Jorge: 'all cats are grey at night'.With a formidable casting, Silvia Pinal being the jewel of the team, this movie didn't lose even a shadow of its subversive bite at Christian morality. A must see for all lovers of world cinema.