Do you see that plaque? It commemorates Luis Buñuel a key figure of 20th-century cinema. This building was his Madrid home from 1960 to 1980.
Luis Buñuel was born in Calanda Spain in 1900. He first studied with Jesuits. Then he enrolled in the University of Madrid majoring in science. There he met Salvador Dalí and Federico García Lorca.
Inspired by Fritz Lang’s film Destiny Buñuel went to Paris. He wanted to study film during the 1920s. This was amidst a flourish of avant-garde experimentation. He became an assistant to experimental filmmaker Jean Epstein. In 1928 he collaborated with friends including Salvador Dalí. They created Un Chien Andalou. It became a surrealist classic.
The film provoked a scandal. But Buñuel continued. He filmed L’Age d’Or in 1930 creating another scandal. L’Age d’Or was the last collaboration between Salvador Dalí and Buñuel. They fought over the film’s anti-Catholicism.
After L’Age d’Or Buñuel further pursued his interests in anti-clericalism. He turned his attention to making a documentary called Land Without Bread in 1932. It studied the contrast. It showed the poverty disease and death of the Spanish people. It also showed the lush jewel-filled world of the Spanish Catholic Church.
Buñuel worked for foreign branches of major Hollywood studios. He did dubbing for Paramount in Paris. He supervised co-productions for Warner Brothers in Spain. He produced more Spanish pictures. Then he left Spain for the United States during the Spanish Civil War.
In the United States he directed documentaries. He worked at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He also worked for major Hollywood studios again. He supervised Spanish-language versions of films for MGM. He made documentaries for the U.S. Army. He also did dubbing for Warner Brothers.
After a creative break of almost 15 years Buñuel began directing films again. He went to Mexico. With producer Óscar Dancigers he made a series of films. These included Los Olvidados in 1950. El came out in 1952. The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz was released in 1955. These films brought Buñuel international acclaim.
With his Mexican films Buñuel fully developed his unique style. It was a mix of surrealist humor and social melancholy. He combined a documentary sense with surrealist qualities. This created a loose discontinuous form of narrative. His films continued to follow this style. He paid close attention to the details of average Mexican life. Buñuel continued to make films in Mexico. One notable film was Nazarin in 1958.
Buñuel returned to France in 1955. He began three co-productions. These placed him in the center of cinematic art. His first chance to work and live in Spain came with Viridiana in 1961. The script was approved initially. But the film was banned upon release. This was because of its anticlerical images. One was Buñuel’s parodical shot of Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Nevertheless the film achieved international recognition.
Controversy and problems with distribution or censorship continued. This happened throughout his career. His French film Belle de Jour from 1967 went out of distribution for many years. Martin Scorsese re-released it in 1996. Despite the complications Buñuel remained one of the most creative and productive film directors. He died in Mexico in 1983.
So as you pass this plaque remember Luis Buñuel. He was a cinematic visionary who lived and worked here. His films challenged conventions and continue to inspire.