The Phantom of Liberty (La fantôme de la liberté)
Directed by Luis Buñuel
Written by Luis Buñuel and Jean-Claude Carriere
1974/France
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel
Foucauld: I’m sick of symmetry.
Buñuel’s follow-up to The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) continues in the comic vein.
The setting is Paris. The film proceeds in a stream of consciousness manner without a unifying theme. We get memorable scenes such as cigar-smoking monks, the peculiar disappearance of a little girl, a sniper and his trial, incest between aunt and nephew and brother and sister, dining room chairs that are toilets, random wild animals, etc. etc. Food is viewed as shameful while there is much talk of excrement. The huge cast is a who’s who of European stars of the day.
I enjoyed this but not so well as Buñuel’s prior film where we had basically the same cast throughout and (not) eating as a central theme. Buñuel of course uses this opportunity to skewer religion, middle-class morality and customs, sex, government officials, etc. etc.
Clip
