This first DVD release of Luis Buñuel's 1930 surrealist masterpiece--the director's second film, made in collaboration with Salvador Dali--boasts an excellent restoration made by France's Centre Georges Pompidou. Granted, in our permissive era, L'Age d'Or no longer has the same capacity to shock; still, the woozy succession of episodes, vaguely tied together by a sort-of narrative about a man and woman whose mutual lust is continuously obstructed by the forces of repressive religion and bourgeois convention, remains pretty potent stuff. The combination of brazenly sacrilegious images (a Christ figure emerging from an orgy, a cross festooned with scalps) and wonderfully cheerful cruelties (a man kicks a dog, slaps an old woman, and knocks down a blind passerby) retain the feeling of a half-forgotten dream, and the result is often scabrously funny. Unfortunately, the DVD contains very few extras: an unannotated Buñuel filmography, a stills gallery with very gritty reproductions, and an audio commentary by art historian Robert Short that is informative, but also couched in language so pretentious that it seems more of an exercise in pedantry. It's a pity the ancillary materials are so mediocre, because this is an important release, which is highly recommended despite the flaws. (F. Swietek)
L'Age d'Or
Kino, 63 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.95 Volume 20, Issue 1
L'Age d'Or
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: