THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (1962)
(a.k.a. EL ANGEL EXTERMINADOR)
Article #855 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-18-2003
Posting Date: 12-15-2003
Directed by Luis Bunuel
Featuring Claudio Brook, Silvia Pinal, Lucy Gallardo

Members of a posh dinner party find themselves unable to leave the room after a recital, and eventually courtesy and civilization deteriorate among them.

Title check: I’d have to know exactly what the movie means to say anything about the title, though I suspect it has something to do with the very last moments of the movie.

For those of you not familiar with the work of Luis Bunuel, this bizarre little fantasy (and I call it a fantasy because I’m not sure what else you can call it) will most likely leave you scratching your head. If you are, you might still be left scratching your head, but at least it won’t catch you off guard. I find it fascinating to watch the mental deterioration of those trapped in the room, and I love the little surreal touches that pop up; there’s even a crawling hand segment that might remind you of THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS (I’ve heard rumors that Bunuel was involved with the filming of that one). In some ways it’s a bizarre puzzle movie with an interesting solution, though that is definitely a simplification. At any rate, this is for fans of the offbeat, the bizarre and the surreal.