
The Phantom of Liberty
1974, Comedy, 1h 44m
23 Reviews 5,000+ RatingsYou might also like

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The Phantom of Liberty Photos
Movie Info
This Surrealist Spanish film, with a title referencing the Communist Manifesto, strings together short incidents based on the life of director Luis Buñuel. Presented as chance encounters, these loosely related, intersecting situations, all without a consistent protagonist, reach from the 19th century to the 1970s. Touching briefly on subjects such as execution, pedophilia, incest, and sex, the film features an array of characters, including a sick father and incompetent police officers.
Cast & Crew
Jean-Claude Brialy
Foucauld, Mr. Foucauld
Foucauld, Mr. Foucauld
Monica Vitti
Mme Foucaud , Mrs. Foucauld
Mme Foucaud , Mrs. Foucauld
Milena Vukotic
L'infirmière, Nurse
L'infirmière, Nurse
Claude Piéplu
Le commissaire de police , Commissioner
Le commissaire de police , Commissioner
Michel Piccoli
Le second préfet de police, Second Prefect
Le second préfet de police, Second Prefect
Julien Bertheau
Le premier préfet de police, First Prefect
Le premier préfet de police, First Prefect
Critic Reviews for The Phantom of Liberty
Audience Reviews for The Phantom of Liberty
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Oct 08, 2015The Phantom of Liberty is straightforwardly surreal and absurd. The film has a knack for maintaining interest by making one alternatively wonder at what strange thing will happen next and to what extremes it can be taken. It is also amusing enough to earn a passing grade.Robert B Super Reviewer
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May 15, 2014Buñuel at his most playful and hilarious, it might also be his most daring film. It jumps from one absurd scenario to another without bringing any of those pieces to a satisfying conclusion but the film never feels inconsistent or jarring.Alec B Super Reviewer
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Jun 10, 2013The final segment's ending reminds of El Ángel Exterminador (1962); the only difference is that you shouldn't make a meaning out of it. Since La Voie Lactée (1969), Buñuel was now irremediably obsessed with religion and contradictions. Since the religious side had already been explored, it was the turn for, once again and for the last time, mocking at the "relativity of moral consensus". You cannot argue with Buñuel's logic (except religion; he was quite ignorant). Artistic freedom had always been his wet 24-fps dream. 90/100Edgar C Super Reviewer
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Feb 29, 2012"The Phantom of Liberty" (the penultimate work of director Luis Bunuel's amazing career) is a tricky film to get a handle on, because it's structured like a "Monty Python's Flying Circus" episode. Nothing but quirky vignettes and transitions, with no sense of overall narrative shape. A DVD interview with screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere reveals the perverse concept was to follow a story that is abandoned just when it turns most interesting, and then switch to a less interesting story. Wow. Notable sequences span a missing child who isn't really missing, a visit with a sadomasochistic couple, a surreal night of insomnia and the strangest dinner-table scene you'll ever see. Other pieces will fade from memory as soon as the film ends. The cast is stuffed with European actors whose faces are more familiar than their names, including Monica Vitti, Michel Piccoli, Jean Rochefort, Michael Lonsdale and Adolfo Celi.Eric B Super Reviewer
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