Reflection on ‘Land without Bread (1933)’ and ‘the Atomic Cafe´ (1982)’
Land without Bread (1933)
Land without Bread first premiered in the Spanish capital, Madrid, in December 1932. The film was created just at the same time Spain had become a republic, which was a significant time for progress for the country. The film was first aired to the elite intellectual of Madrid, who was welcomed to a private show. The first instance of friction elicited from the movie was where there was a rift between the director of the film and Gregorio Maranon, a former assistant to King Alfonso XIII of Spain, which happened during the premiere of the film. Gregorio Maranon was regarded as one of the main obstacles to the official screening of the film in Spain (“Land Without Bread’s – Luis Bunuel – Full Movie by Film&Clips,” 2016). There was another rift between the directors of the film again with the former director of the Royal Patronage, which was responsible for settling in the region. The Spanish politicians were enraged by the film in 1932 and later on the Fascists. The main reason why they were infuriated by the film was that it was made at the same time the government was trying to bring proper sanitation to Las Hurdes.
Following the loss of the Socialist government in the November election, the distribution of the film was banned in December 1933. The official statement of the censorship was that the film was defamation of the right name of the Spanish people. Additionally, the film was regarded as an insult to the newly elected conservative government which was responsible for overturning the initial reforms in labor, agriculture and education which formed the backbone of the first years of the governance of Spain as a republic (“Land Without Bread’s – Luis Bunuel – Full Movie by Film&Clips,” 2016). The new government was accused of going against the liberal ideas that were long practiced by the socialists as well as supporting a political agenda that looked to assure the church’s authority and a centrist political ideology in Spain (“Bunuel and the land that never was,” 2017). This led to a public outcry in Spain following the actions of the conservative government censoring the film throughout the country.
Land without Bread has mixed reviews currently. Most of the critical reception has been mostly positive. Slant Magazine awarded the film 4 out of a possible 4. One of the reviewers, Ed Gonzalez, describes the film as a shocking call to arms with amazing open text that resists simple readings and questions humanity’s aspect of progress. Another review, Jeffery Ruoff, calls it a revolutionary film. The film is then covered on how it was filmed at Las Hurdes through a 2018 Spanish-Dutch animated film called Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles. Rotten Tomatoes has awarded the film n audience score of 85% with one of the reviewers saying the film is a savage critique of life in the impoverished Las Hurdes region of Spain (“Les Hurdes (Land without bread) (1933),” 2020).
The Atomic Cafe´ (1982)
There are a couple of points that I agree with within the review by Vincent Canby in the Atomic Café. The setting of the film was the best time in the 40s and early 50s, which about the time America came to know the full effects of the atomic bomb. The review is right about the film giving us a glimpse of a picture that appears to be optimistic about the current nuclear-war capabilities by countries. This is true because there is currently an arms race by the major nations to develop nuclear weapons to significantly improve their military options (“the Atomic Café,” 2019). I agree with the review that science has surpassed the social, political, and intellectual institutions that we had put our trust in. As it is evident today, Science and technology have taken over the world in all aspects, therefore, making the world a global village.
I disagree with Vincent Canby that the film gives the impression that a nuclear war could be fought without making the earth uninhabitable. A nuclear war could potentially be the end of the planet. Additionally, a nuclear war would show how or civil and defenses are pathetic in shielding us against the effects. However much the government spent in the 1950s on resources that addressed the possibility of a nuclear war was rather useless. In today’s society, the government is tight-lipped about the nuclear subject (“the Atomic Café,” 2019). The film acts as a reminder that America is incapable of surviving the devastating effects that it would bring. It would take a couple of centuries before earth can recover. Another concept that I disagree with is the fallout shelters are the answer to defense against a nuclear attack. Studies have shown that a nuclear war to have devastating effects that no form of protection would survive such an attack.
References
Bunuel and the land that never was. (2017, November 30). the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/sep/09/books.guardianreview
Land Without Bread’s – Luis Bunuel – Full Movie by Film&Clips. (2016, May 7). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at-xnnNT8N8
Les Hurdes (Land without bread) (1933). (2020). Rotten Tomatoes. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/land_without_bread
the Atomic Café. (2019, February 25). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF0r1OdDIME