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Movies / On DVD / That Obscure Object of Desire
That Obscure Object of Desire

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That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)

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Reviews Counted: 23

Fresh: 23

Rotten:0

Average Rating: 9.1/10

Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: Luis Buñuel's last film is a celebration of the vigor of sexual obsession and the sovereignty of the subconscious. From the instant Mathieu (Fernando Rey) lays eyes on Conchita (played by both... Luis Buñuel's last film is a celebration of the vigor of sexual obsession and the sovereignty of the subconscious. From the instant Mathieu (Fernando Rey) lays eyes on Conchita (played by both Carole Bouquet and Angela Molina), he cannot help but pursue this beautiful and unknowable young woman. She remains just outside his grasp, teasing him with the promise of fulfilled desire while always, finally, denying him the pleasure he wants. As Mathieu becomes more distraught, he resorts to extreme emotional blackmail by threatening to have her deported from France. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, an anarchic guerrilla group, is blowing up everything in sight. Nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Foreign Language Film, THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE is darkly humorous. Themes of sexual obsession and failed machismo in an atmosphere of civil upheaval recall Buñuel's earlier films like THE CRIMINAL LIFE OF ARCHIBALDO DE LA CRUZ and THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE. Employing his characteristic surrealistic tricks, Buñuel taunts the audience by using two actresses who look alike to play the female lead. The result is a tongue-in-cheek comedy of manners that embodies the familiar themes and extreme characters that Buñuel obsessively portrayed in films throughout his career. [More]

Starring: Fernando Rey, Carole Bouquet, Ángela Molina, Julien Bertheau

Starring: Fernando Rey, Carole Bouquet, Ángela Molina, Julien Bertheau, Milena Vukotic

Director: Luis Buñuel

Director: Luis Buñuel
Producer: Serge Silberman
Screenwriter: Luis Bunuel, Jean-Claude Carriere

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Nov 20, 2001

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for That Obscure Object of Desire

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
09/10/08
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Buñuel made often perverse, always subversive films that drew protests, bans and undying appreciation from colleagues.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
05/06/07
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
10/10/05
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

That Obscure Object of Desire is an intoxicating descent into one man’s experience of the emotional terrorism intended to shake him from his ways.

Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | comment Comment
07/12/05
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

No review available.

comment Comment
06/16/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
07/28/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
06/22/04
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

In the second rank of Bunuelian delights.

comment Comment
03/08/04
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

comment Comment
11/15/03
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

From Un Chien Andalou to That Obscure Object of Desire, Luis Buñuel spent almost 50 years cataloging the frustrated romantic desires of his characters.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
09/17/03
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

This straightforward tale of obsessive love is colored with the always amazing Bunuelian touches.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/30/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It may not be Luis Bunuel’s best film, but this is probably his most complete statement on sexual relations and the dark side of desire.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
07/23/03
Derek Smith
Apollo Guide

With an effortlessness matched by no other director today, Buñuel creates a vision of a world as logical as a theorem, as mysterious as a dream, and as funny as a vaudeville gag.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Buñuel's pot shots in That Object of Desire are well-planned provocative scenarios that show just how difficult it is to understand sexual desires.

Full Review Source: Old School Reviews | comment Comment
10/16/02
John A. Nesbit
Old School Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
09/05/02
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

No review available.

comment Comment
08/01/02
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

One might call it a gimmick, but I saw it as a stroke of genius.

Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
02/28/02
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

One of the director's later works, That Obscure Object of Desire, examines the puzzle of sexual politics.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
01/24/02
Gary Dowell
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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