Viridiana

A novice about to take her vows, who has been abused and cheated by her uncle and his illegitimate son, opens up the former’s house to a collection of cripples and beggars. A savage attack on Catholic mentality and rituals, this powerful psychological study was Bunuel’s first film made in his native Spain for over twenty-five years and his last for many more. Although the script had been unaccountably passed by Franco’s censors, the film itself was banned outright in Spain. The notorious set-piece of ‘The Last Supper’ being enacted by social outcasts also caused the Vatican to condemn it. Cast includes Silvia Pinal, Fernando Rey and Francisco Rabal. In Spanish with English subtitles.