So obscure!

Heath 2022-11-06 13:46:31

This surreal work by Luis Buñuel is so obscure that I don't think I've figured it out until the moment before the end of the film (as a group of soldiers with guns swoops down the street) .
The film actually alludes to the political life in the Franco dictatorship period after the Spanish Civil War. people”), otherwise, they will be arrested or killed indiscriminately, just like the group of people who demonstrate and resist in the streets at the end of the film.
But these centre-lefts (communists, anarchists, democrats...) who rebelled against Franco's dictatorship were not a uniting force, (symbol: the people in the room were chomping at each other from time to time ton) They also fight each other from time to time.
Of course, in Spain at that time, there seemed to be some ordinary people who could live a peaceful life and had nothing to do with the political life of the country. But what do they do? Just like the spectators outside the "house" in the film, "it's none of my business, just hang up".
Ending: "The people in the house" finally seemed to want to understand something (remembering his life before he was "detained"), as if everything suddenly became clear, and they walked out of the house in groups. Back to a peaceful life. (It can be seen as these "social elites", the "middle class" who finally gave up their resistance to dictatorship).
Finally, let’s talk about the two metaphors in the film: the
servants left the “house” early: the middle and lower classes of society are obviously not as numb and insensitive as those so-called “social elites” to social changes and turmoil.
Religion: In this film, it is both praised and criticized. It protects the populace, but it cannot lead the populace against the dictatorship. (Symbols: a lot of "religious paintings" in "The House" and some scenes about the church at the end of the movie).









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Extended Reading

The Exterminating Angel quotes

  • Lucía de Nobile: Aren't they going a bit far, taking off their tuxedo jackets?

    Edmundo Nobile: Don't forget Leandro lives in the United States. Besides, this is the time when the body's most relaxed, and with the pleasant temperature in here...

    Lucía de Nobile: I'm sure they'll feel ashamed when they look back on their behavior.

  • Edmundo Nobile: I'm confused. What's going on here? I don't know how we got to this point, but there's a limit to everything.

    Lucía de Nobile: What can I say? For now we have to offer them breakfast. I'm sure they'll go home after that.

    Edmundo Nobile: Of course. I trust in their discretion.