My Last Sigh: The Autobiography of Luis Bunuel [Paperback]

Luis Bunuel (Author), Abigail Israel (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 1984

Luis Buñuel lived many lives-surrealist, Spanish Civil War propagandist, hedonist, friend of artists and poets, and filmmaker. With surprising candor and wit, Buñuel offers his sometimes scathing opinions on the literati and avant-garde members of his sweeping social circle, including Pablo Picasso, Jorge Luis Borges, Salvador Dalí, and Federico García Lorca. These colorful stories of his nomadic life reveal a man of stunning imagination and influence.

Luis Buñuel (1900-1983) was one of the twentieth century's greatest filmmakers. His many credits include Un Chien andalou (1924), which he conceived with Salvador Dalí, and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st Vintage Books ed edition (October 12, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394725018
• ISBN-13: 978-0394725017
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,326,449 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This appears to be a slightly shortened version, August 16, 2000

By 

J. Bielawski - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Last Sigh: The Autobiography of Luis Bunuel (Paperback)

The US edition has curious omissions compared to the French original. In one omitted passage (IIRC) Bunuel mentions a postcard he received from Andrzej Wajda. It would be nice if the fine print for the book included "Portions of the original have been omitted for this edition." The recent Ken Mogg's book on Alfred Hitchcock has also been shortened for the American market. I find it quite annoying.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful little book, September 15, 2003

By 

Daniel Fineberg (Northridge, California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Last Sigh: The Autobiography of Luis Bunuel (Paperback)

Bunuel gave some interviews towards the end of his life discussing his long list of movies. That's why I was delighted to find that his autobiography--which is one of the greatest, if not the greatest by a filmmaker--does not dwell on them. Instead Don Luis chronicles his childhood and upbringing, the relationships he cultivated, and meditates on life, love, death, art, alcohol and cigarettes. Many of the stories from his younger days are even more surreal than his movies. He writes in detail about his stormy friendships with Garcia Lorca and Dali, about his half-hearted attempt to try Hollywood on for size, meetings with Hitchcock, Fritz Lang, and others. The book is not somber or sentimental, it's not over-inflated. Bunuel's voice does not intimidate, it soothes. He's a master storyteller, a very gifted and generous writer.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gracias, Don Luis, November 21, 2001

By 

Scott Spires (Prague, Czech Republic) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Last Sigh (Hardcover)

Writings by film directors tend to resemble their films, and "My Last Sigh" is no exception. Bunuel's films are anarchic, funny, unpredictable, subversive, and often disturbing in a way that's hard to pin down. So is this, his autobiography!

Though he disclaims literary talent, Bunuel turns out to be a wonderful writer, and the book is stuffed with piquant anecdotes and elegant observations. I'm afraid to quote examples, because this review would go on forever. Suffice to say that, if you could choose to live any person's life, Bunuel's would be a hard choice to beat, just for the adventure and entertainment value. This may be my favorite book written by a filmmaker.