Objects of Desire: conversations with Luis Bunuel [Hardcover]

Rizzoli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1993

interviews in Mexico, 1975-77, ed & tr Paul Lenti

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Only serious cineastes will seek out this collection of conversations with Luis Bunuel (1900-1983), but their efforts will be amply repaid with a wealth of information about the Spanish filmmaker's techniques. Mexican film scholars de la Colina and Perez Turrent spent some 50 hours interviewing Bunuel; here they supply transcripts in which his quicksilver wit fairly gleams. Meanwhile de la Colina and Perez Turrent, so earnest and so eager to cite their colleagues that they seem almost to parody their profession, serve as foils. Offering interpretations of Bunuel's work (for example, his decision to cast two actresses in a single role in That Obscure Object of Desire ), they are met with Bunuel's good-natured but staunchly surrealist dismissals. They elicit memorable anecdotes, whose subjects include Salvador and Gala Dali, Louis Aragon and other luminaries of surrealism. However, Bunuel himself refashioned most of these same stories in his 1982 autobiography My Last Sigh ; because of its broader focus and more provocative structure, that volume remains the book of choice for generalists.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Marsilio (March 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941419681
• ISBN-13: 978-0941419680
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,376,109 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Look At A True Genius Of The Cinema., September 14, 2000

By 

Mr. Fellini "Fellini" (Orange County, California United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Objects of Desire: conversations with Luis Bunuel (Hardcover)

This is probably the best collection of interviews with a filmmaker ever published. It is not some retread to "My Last Sigh" but a great read full of insight, intelligence, that typical Buñuel style and of course, a study of great cinema. It's a fascinating book, where Buñuel discusses his life and works and how he came to be inspired to make some of his greatest films like "Un Chien Andalou," "Viridiana" and "That Obscure Object Of Desire." And it's also great to read as Buñuel discusses his philosophies of life and surrealism. The interviewers create a great conversation with a genius and take us into his mind. Some of the classic works of the cinema are dissected here in intricate detail and Buñuel offers some sly humor to the discussions. A surprise is that you realize that Buñuel's personal life is as interesting, fascinating and incredibile as his movies. Some people may not want to take a look at this book after reading "My Last Sigh," thinking it's basically the same stuff, well, it's not. Luis Buñuel was a very complex man in his thinking and this book gives us a good tour of the man. A must for lovers of great cinema and fans of surrealism and Buñuel. Lorca, Dalí, and the surrealists are all discussed here, even the gruesome, fatal fates of the two actors of "Un Chien Andalou." Great book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Bunuel, July 12, 2003

By 

albemuth - See all my reviews

This review is from: Objects of Desire: conversations with Luis Bunuel (Hardcover)

This is absolutely essential reading for fans of the enigmatic and reclusive Bunuel, whose career in motion pictures spanned 50 years. He is interviewed, and at times interrogated, by his friends, allowing the discussion to veer into his personal life and various obsessions with good humor and mutual understanding. The verbal sparring is a joy to observe.

The book has been compiled in a chronological order and it will give you a good sample of his long life, from his friendship with the key Surrealists like Salvador Dali, to his amusing anecdotes of Hollywood. An easy and entertaining introduction to the life and art of a complex genius, and a fantastic guide to each of his film -- Criterion has reprinted some of these as supplements to their new DVD editions.