Don Luis Bunuel is the only film director who never disappointed me. I've seen 20 his films from different periods of his life, and I like a lot all of them. Each is interesting and memorable in its own way. Made in 1951 during Bunuel's Mexican period, "Susana" aka "Carne Y Demonio" or "The Devil and the Flesh" is not an exception. The story of Susana (Rosita Quintana) , a sexy fame fatal, a walking temptation, is known as a "lesser" Bunuel and the film critics and the viewers often seem to apologize for liking the film, motivating that it lacks Bunuel's trademark surrealism. Bunuel was good in everything he ever done, even in "perfectly routine" pictures, and "Susana" has his touches all over. First of all, the music fits the story very well with its sensual creepiness. Bunuel's cinematography is masterful. The opening scene in the solitary reformatory cell is appropriately dark, devastating but in general - ironic when Susana is able to escape after praying to God and asking Him for help. One of the night scenes shot from three angles when three men watch the object of their desire thru the window is a work of art. The eponymous heroine of the film is a bad girl, a sensuous troublemaker who ruins the established order of one family's life simply by being there but pay attention how much in love is the camera with her. She is a walking temptation which is hard to resist. Susana has no regrets, no scruples regarding her goals and the ways to reach them but the truth of the matter is that she is young, beautiful, and irresistibly desirable for every male she simply passes by. The final sequence of the movie is a pure Bunuel and it is sarcastic in his best traditions. The storm has passed, everyone seems happy in Don Guadalupe's household after Susana was returned to prison by force, even Don Guadalupe's favorite Arabian mare recovered after serious illness . Everyone praises the Lord and ready to forget that Susana ever happened in their lives and to move on. Well, something tells me it would not be very easy to shake the memories of Susana for everyone who knew her.
18 Reviews
The Devilish Woman
claudio_carvalho21 July 2012
In a stormy night, the sexy Susana (Rosita Quintana) escapes from the reformatory and reaches the ranch of Don Guadalupe (Fernando Soler), a family man that lives with his wife Dona Carmen (Matilde Palou) and their beloved son Alberto (Luis López Somoza). When they see Susana, Dona Carmen, who is Christian and Good Samaritan, gives shelter to the youngster that lies to them, but the old maid Felisa (María Gentil Arcos) is not convinced that she is telling the truth. The seductive Susana uses her beauty and sensuality to seduce Don Guadalupe, Alberto and the henchman Jesus (Víctor Manuel Mendoza) and destabilizing the family.
"Susana" is a melodramatic film by Buñuel with a simple story of a sexy woman that uses her body to seduce man and gets what she wants. The conclusion is moralist and conventional, but the film is good and Rosita Quintana is perfect for the role of Susana. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Susana"
"Susana" is a melodramatic film by Buñuel with a simple story of a sexy woman that uses her body to seduce man and gets what she wants. The conclusion is moralist and conventional, but the film is good and Rosita Quintana is perfect for the role of Susana. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Susana"
Good film about an unstable young delinquent getting away from a reformatory and finds solace at a wealthy home , being well directed by the Spanish Luis Buñuel
ma-cortes12 August 2020
Susana is a gorgeous , mean delinquent girl (Rosita Quintana) who escapes from a reform school of wayward women and deceptively finds shelter at home of good family . Along the way the sultry , ambitious young attempts to break an agreable family to get her egoistic aims . The apparently friendly young woman is invited to stay in the family home of the wealthy owner, Don Guadalupe (Fernando Soler) , proprietary a luxurious hacienda . He's a good man , well married , and living happily along with his wife (Maria Arcos) and only son (Luis López Somoza) . The-not-so-innocent girl becomes at the beginning an enjoyable guest but she ruthlessly uses everyone in his goals . There is also a foreman (Victor Mendoza) who is equally seduced and a snooper maid . Susana skillfully attempts to break the family harmony . As orderly lives of the members of the attractive family become into a frenzied chaos and unrest . Step by step she causes mayhem and discord among the decent members of the household.
The movie is well worthy thanks to razor-sharp performances as well as certain critical revealing the hypocrisies of modern society , in which a wayward girl uses the power of manipulation and eroticism to get her dark purports and eventually causing distresses until they are virtually struggling with each other . The picture features exceptional work by Rosita Quintana , she's magnificently charming as well as hateful playing the insidious Susana who attempts to dissect the harmonious family group . Her acting result to be a phenomenal precedent to the character who played Sue Lyon in ¨Lolita¨ or Carrol Baker in ¨Baby Doll¨ . The baddie female is really a selfish young , a manipulating babe who hates and seduces , as well as uses her feminine wiles to tempt all around . Furthermore, a beautifully cinematography in subdued black and white by José Ortiz Ramos , being shot , as usual , in Estudios Churubusco Azteca, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. And atmospheric and appropriate musical score by Raúl Lavista.
The motion picture was competently directed by Luis Buñuel , belonging to his Mexican period and it won Ariel Awards, Mexico 1952 and Nominee Silver Ariel Best Young Actor Luis López Somoza . After shooting Spanish and French films as "Un Chien Andalou" (1929) , and ¨Age of Gold¨(1930) , ¨Hurdes tierra sin pan¨ (1936) , Buñuel went on his Mexican period in which he teamed up with producer Óscar Dancigers and after a couple of unmemorable efforts shot back to international attention with the lacerating study of Mexican street urchins in ¨Los Olvidados¨ (1950) , winning him the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival . But despite this new-found acclaim, Buñuel spent much of the next decade working on a variety of ultra-low-budget films, few of which made much impact outside Spanish-speaking countries , though many of them are well worth seeking out . As he went on filming "The Great Madcap" , ¨The brute¨, "Wuthering Heights", ¨El¨ , "The Criminal Life of Archibaldo De la Cruz" , ¨Robinson Crusoe¨ , ¨Death in the garden¨ and many others . And finally his second French-Spanish period , usually in collaboration with producer Serge Silberman and writer Jean-Claude Carrière with notorious as well as polemic films , such as : ¨Viridiana¨ , Tristana¨ , ¨The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" and his last picture , "That Obscure Object of Desire" . Susana rating : 7.5/10 . Essential and indispensable seeing for Luis Buñuel aficionados.
The movie is well worthy thanks to razor-sharp performances as well as certain critical revealing the hypocrisies of modern society , in which a wayward girl uses the power of manipulation and eroticism to get her dark purports and eventually causing distresses until they are virtually struggling with each other . The picture features exceptional work by Rosita Quintana , she's magnificently charming as well as hateful playing the insidious Susana who attempts to dissect the harmonious family group . Her acting result to be a phenomenal precedent to the character who played Sue Lyon in ¨Lolita¨ or Carrol Baker in ¨Baby Doll¨ . The baddie female is really a selfish young , a manipulating babe who hates and seduces , as well as uses her feminine wiles to tempt all around . Furthermore, a beautifully cinematography in subdued black and white by José Ortiz Ramos , being shot , as usual , in Estudios Churubusco Azteca, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. And atmospheric and appropriate musical score by Raúl Lavista.
The motion picture was competently directed by Luis Buñuel , belonging to his Mexican period and it won Ariel Awards, Mexico 1952 and Nominee Silver Ariel Best Young Actor Luis López Somoza . After shooting Spanish and French films as "Un Chien Andalou" (1929) , and ¨Age of Gold¨(1930) , ¨Hurdes tierra sin pan¨ (1936) , Buñuel went on his Mexican period in which he teamed up with producer Óscar Dancigers and after a couple of unmemorable efforts shot back to international attention with the lacerating study of Mexican street urchins in ¨Los Olvidados¨ (1950) , winning him the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival . But despite this new-found acclaim, Buñuel spent much of the next decade working on a variety of ultra-low-budget films, few of which made much impact outside Spanish-speaking countries , though many of them are well worth seeking out . As he went on filming "The Great Madcap" , ¨The brute¨, "Wuthering Heights", ¨El¨ , "The Criminal Life of Archibaldo De la Cruz" , ¨Robinson Crusoe¨ , ¨Death in the garden¨ and many others . And finally his second French-Spanish period , usually in collaboration with producer Serge Silberman and writer Jean-Claude Carrière with notorious as well as polemic films , such as : ¨Viridiana¨ , Tristana¨ , ¨The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" and his last picture , "That Obscure Object of Desire" . Susana rating : 7.5/10 . Essential and indispensable seeing for Luis Buñuel aficionados.
The Fragility of an Apparently Well Established Order
two-rivers7 October 2000
Susana is a fallen girl. At the beginning we see her in a reformatory, but the reasons that brought her there remain in the dark. We just find out that she has learned nothing new in the two years she has spent there and that she behaves in the same unruly and rebellious way like when she was first admitted to the place.
She is brought into a dark and sinister cave which is teeming with rats and spiders. We know nothing about the reasons for this punishment and we can't avoid feeling sorry for her: Whatever she might have done, it does not justify an inhuman treatment such as this.
Susana is religious, and the god she calls on is kind and generous. So the miracle happens, the bars of the prison cell at which she is rattling suddenly give way and she succeeds in escaping into a night full of darkness and relentless rain.
She even can make it into paradise: A landowner's family takes her in, after she has told them a pack of lies. She is allowed to work as a maid and gains the confidence and the affection of the mother, while the father at first has a disapproving attitude towards her.
But the family's son and the steward live on the estate, too, and they don't fail to notice Susana's outstanding physical attraction. As the girl also knows how to place her charms, they both fall victim to her.
Susana, however, does not seem capable of developing any true feelings. Life is just a villainous game for her in which the rules are set by herself. The aim is to destroy the well established order. When finally even the landowner succumbs to the lure of love the initial situation becomes reversed and nothing stays the same: the mother turns into an enraged enemy, while father and son become rivals and the steward is dismissed.
It is then the latter who sets the decisive ball rolling which leads once more to a reversal of the circumstances: He finally makes use of his knowledge of Susana's escape from the reformatory, which up to now he kept to himself in order to increase his chances of winning Susana's favor, and Susana, however fiercely she may be defending herself, cannot avoid being arrested.
The game is lost, and, as it often happens in a melodrama, it is the refused lover, who makes it break down. In the end, the episode with Susana means nothing more than the memory of a nightmare for the landowner's family. And, after the re-establishment of the initial situation, the characters cannot help asking themselves if everything has really happened.
The attentive spectator will come to a different conclusion. He will notice the fundamental fragility of an order that is well established only in appearance. And he will not be able to avoid drawing a frightful parallel to his own life, in which nothing is secure and reliable either.
She is brought into a dark and sinister cave which is teeming with rats and spiders. We know nothing about the reasons for this punishment and we can't avoid feeling sorry for her: Whatever she might have done, it does not justify an inhuman treatment such as this.
Susana is religious, and the god she calls on is kind and generous. So the miracle happens, the bars of the prison cell at which she is rattling suddenly give way and she succeeds in escaping into a night full of darkness and relentless rain.
She even can make it into paradise: A landowner's family takes her in, after she has told them a pack of lies. She is allowed to work as a maid and gains the confidence and the affection of the mother, while the father at first has a disapproving attitude towards her.
But the family's son and the steward live on the estate, too, and they don't fail to notice Susana's outstanding physical attraction. As the girl also knows how to place her charms, they both fall victim to her.
Susana, however, does not seem capable of developing any true feelings. Life is just a villainous game for her in which the rules are set by herself. The aim is to destroy the well established order. When finally even the landowner succumbs to the lure of love the initial situation becomes reversed and nothing stays the same: the mother turns into an enraged enemy, while father and son become rivals and the steward is dismissed.
It is then the latter who sets the decisive ball rolling which leads once more to a reversal of the circumstances: He finally makes use of his knowledge of Susana's escape from the reformatory, which up to now he kept to himself in order to increase his chances of winning Susana's favor, and Susana, however fiercely she may be defending herself, cannot avoid being arrested.
The game is lost, and, as it often happens in a melodrama, it is the refused lover, who makes it break down. In the end, the episode with Susana means nothing more than the memory of a nightmare for the landowner's family. And, after the re-establishment of the initial situation, the characters cannot help asking themselves if everything has really happened.
The attentive spectator will come to a different conclusion. He will notice the fundamental fragility of an order that is well established only in appearance. And he will not be able to avoid drawing a frightful parallel to his own life, in which nothing is secure and reliable either.
SUSANA is a fetching microcosm of Buñuel's views on human frailties, unambitious, simple but integral and surprisingly gratifying
lasttimeisaw4 April 2016
Buñuel's fifth feature, a small-budgeted moral parable made in Mexico, almost exclusively confined in the hacienda of a middle-class rancher owner Don Guadalupe (Soler). In an unusual tempest night, a sultry young woman Susana (Quintana) escapes from a reformatory and winds up at his doorstep, she is taken in by the kind-hearted matriarch Doña Carmen (Palou), Guadalupe's wife, as a domestic help. But soon the seemingly perfect family will disintegrate from inside when Don Guadalupe, his adolescent son Alberto (Somoza) and the masculine ranch helper Jesús (Mendoza) are all attracted to Susana's sex appeal, only the God-fearing maid Felisa (Arcos) sees through her innocuous front, but who can save the family from the ultimate rupture in the climax? Only Buñuel's deus ex machina.
In fact, the movie itself is grounded on a surreal precondition, in the opening scenes, Susana is locked up in a solitary cell, she entreats God in front of a cross materialised by the shadows of the metal bars, to give her a way out since she can not change her nature, which is made by God himself, so God grants her wish, as if he wants to cast a prank on us, releases the snake into the Garden of Eden. The script runs formulaic-ally where three different types of men all become the victims of Susana's seduction, Rosita Quintana successful captures her carnal allure with crude histrionics, for the spunky Jesús, she is the unattainable wench who promises him something sweet but refuses his pushing courtship; for the bookish Alberto, she is a proactive seductress from whom he is too green to resist, and for the patrician Guadalupe, she becomes a damsel in distress, who inadvertently rekindles his sexual urge which a married middle-age man can no longer obtain from his wife. While men are succumbing to their primitive lust, after seeing through her veiled pretence, Carmen and Felisa strike up, only that would be too late if Buñuel had opted for a more sinister finale.
The happy ending is a policy of appeasement, even the mare miraculously regains its vitality, but the re-gained conformity and harmony appear so ironic thanks to Buñuel's poker-faced mockery - how simple a weed in the field can bring about moral corruption to a conventional middle-class family. SUSANA is a fetching microcosm of Buñuel's views on human frailties, unambitious, simple but integral and surprisingly gratifying.
In fact, the movie itself is grounded on a surreal precondition, in the opening scenes, Susana is locked up in a solitary cell, she entreats God in front of a cross materialised by the shadows of the metal bars, to give her a way out since she can not change her nature, which is made by God himself, so God grants her wish, as if he wants to cast a prank on us, releases the snake into the Garden of Eden. The script runs formulaic-ally where three different types of men all become the victims of Susana's seduction, Rosita Quintana successful captures her carnal allure with crude histrionics, for the spunky Jesús, she is the unattainable wench who promises him something sweet but refuses his pushing courtship; for the bookish Alberto, she is a proactive seductress from whom he is too green to resist, and for the patrician Guadalupe, she becomes a damsel in distress, who inadvertently rekindles his sexual urge which a married middle-age man can no longer obtain from his wife. While men are succumbing to their primitive lust, after seeing through her veiled pretence, Carmen and Felisa strike up, only that would be too late if Buñuel had opted for a more sinister finale.
The happy ending is a policy of appeasement, even the mare miraculously regains its vitality, but the re-gained conformity and harmony appear so ironic thanks to Buñuel's poker-faced mockery - how simple a weed in the field can bring about moral corruption to a conventional middle-class family. SUSANA is a fetching microcosm of Buñuel's views on human frailties, unambitious, simple but integral and surprisingly gratifying.
What happened to Susana?
andrabem25 January 2008
"Susana" lacks the usual touches of irony and surrealism present in other Buñuel films. Buñuel tells a straightforward story - the sort of melodrama that dominated the Mexican movie theaters at the time.
Susana escapes from the reformatory in which she was locked. It's a dark and stormy night. Meanwhile in a ranch nearby the members of a peaceful family follow their occupations. An old servant maid is mumbling that in nights like this the devil walks around. Thunder and lightning. Susana's face appears in the window. She faints. She is brought inside the house. Susana is a young girl with a wayward sensuality (remember, we are in 1951). Her presence will bring discord and threaten the stability of the family.
Buñuel, even in his most surrealistic films, was always deeply anchored in the reality. That is why his films are so strong. His films have a taste of earth, humanity, sensuality. "Susana" is in fact a very sensual film. The camera subtly follows Susana, her chaotic sensuality, and the other characters' reactions to her. She's the main character but not much is told about her. She was locked in a reformatory. Why? We are not told. The world doesn't accept her and her ways. Does she know what she really wants? Unfortunately it was not possible for Buñuel to give us a deeper portrait of Susana. We see her mostly through the eyes of the outside world. Why is Susana like that? What happened to Susana?
"Susana" is an over-the-top melodrama - seemingly innocent, but in the "happy ending", that seems to come out of a fairy tale, some people may detect a hidden laughter. The film was a big success in Mexico and contributed to establish definitely Buñuel as a commercially viable director.
Rosita Quintana as Susana proves her wide acting range (a shy governess in "La Ausente" and a sensual temptress in "Susana"). She's beautiful and in "Susana", she's a real volcano. Fernando Soler also distinguishes himself as the pater familias (he was also the moralist judge in "Sensualidad" and the dissolute drinking father in "Oveja Negra").
Actors and scenery are harmoniously integrated in "Susana" and Buñuel is (as always) a master of images and very adept in creating mood. Highly recommended!
Susana escapes from the reformatory in which she was locked. It's a dark and stormy night. Meanwhile in a ranch nearby the members of a peaceful family follow their occupations. An old servant maid is mumbling that in nights like this the devil walks around. Thunder and lightning. Susana's face appears in the window. She faints. She is brought inside the house. Susana is a young girl with a wayward sensuality (remember, we are in 1951). Her presence will bring discord and threaten the stability of the family.
Buñuel, even in his most surrealistic films, was always deeply anchored in the reality. That is why his films are so strong. His films have a taste of earth, humanity, sensuality. "Susana" is in fact a very sensual film. The camera subtly follows Susana, her chaotic sensuality, and the other characters' reactions to her. She's the main character but not much is told about her. She was locked in a reformatory. Why? We are not told. The world doesn't accept her and her ways. Does she know what she really wants? Unfortunately it was not possible for Buñuel to give us a deeper portrait of Susana. We see her mostly through the eyes of the outside world. Why is Susana like that? What happened to Susana?
"Susana" is an over-the-top melodrama - seemingly innocent, but in the "happy ending", that seems to come out of a fairy tale, some people may detect a hidden laughter. The film was a big success in Mexico and contributed to establish definitely Buñuel as a commercially viable director.
Rosita Quintana as Susana proves her wide acting range (a shy governess in "La Ausente" and a sensual temptress in "Susana"). She's beautiful and in "Susana", she's a real volcano. Fernando Soler also distinguishes himself as the pater familias (he was also the moralist judge in "Sensualidad" and the dissolute drinking father in "Oveja Negra").
Actors and scenery are harmoniously integrated in "Susana" and Buñuel is (as always) a master of images and very adept in creating mood. Highly recommended!
the delicious snake in their midst.
christopher-underwood29 August 2008
For years I have had a poster for this film on my wall but not until now have I ever seen it. It may have been included in a season at the National Film Theatre many years ago when I know I saw, Ascent to Heaven, but not this one. Even on my poster, Rosita Quintana looks alluring, but not quite as alluring as she is in this, simple yet effective, little known melodrama. The camera-work is marvellous with all manner of angles and shades of black and despite the predictability of the disruption this 'fallen woman' will precipitate, there are plenty of Bunuelian touches. I agree with others that the happy ending is probably nothing of the sort. Even Mexicans don't shrug off a passionate intrusion into their life that easily. The family is surely doomed as soon as the father takes a shine to the delicious snake in their midst.
Satan walks among us...for a night, anyway
melvelvit-111 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This over-heated tale stars tempestuous Rosita Quintana in a morality play of mythic proportions. Supposedly an up-dating of Chekov, SUSANA is actually a remake of a creaky 1929 early Hollywood talkie, THE SQUALL, that had a howler of a performance from Myrna Loy as a fiery gypsy. Bunuel's film purports to tell a Spanish legend as old as time: God in his Heavens with infinite mercy allows Satan one night each year to roam free and do as he will but, like Cinderella, it's over by dawn and those who succumb to the temptations the Devil weaves will pay the price for their own sins because it isn't Lucifer's fault. He is what he is. In 1951, the devil is a woman and, as only Latin film can do, the melodramatic opening thunderstorm sequence (complete with bars, rats, and spiders), sets the film's tone with nary a let-up. Susana breaks out of a prison/psych-ward/reform school through prayer and gets unleashed upon the countryside in much the same way Ann-Margret does in KITTEN WITH A WHIP (another re-make of the Catholic legend?). How she brings a mighty family down to her level is most hypnotic, but you won't mind one bit when Satan's day in the sun is done.
J. Hoberman in "The Village Voice":
"This Mexican pot-boiler is basically a one-joke travesty of "Civilization and Its Discontents" in which a wanton seductress escapes reform school one rainy night to send the libidinal economy of a nearby hacienda into triple-digit inflation."
Highly recommended!
J. Hoberman in "The Village Voice":
"This Mexican pot-boiler is basically a one-joke travesty of "Civilization and Its Discontents" in which a wanton seductress escapes reform school one rainy night to send the libidinal economy of a nearby hacienda into triple-digit inflation."
Highly recommended!
SUSANA (Luis Bunuel, 1951) ***
Bunuel197611 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Last Sunday night, I was simultaneously listening to the Oscar ceremony over the Internet and recording this film being broadcast on Italian TV but shown in the original Spanish language. Every now and then I gave cursory glances at the TV, which I kept on but had the audio turned off, and couldn't help feeling that it seemed to me that SUSANA would be a very minor work from my favorite film-maker.
Indeed, a minor film it undeniably turned out to be when I finally watched it yesterday which I didn't do earlier simply because my 28" TV was bust all this week! but, then, despite its lowly position in Bunuel's canon (check out my personal ranking in "The Great Director's Checklist Series #39"), I couldn't help agreeing with what Vincent Canby wrote about it either: "SUSANA is full of the sort of Bunuelian touches that forever separate all of Bunuel's films, the potboilers as well as the classics, from those of everyone else"!
Anyway, here's my take on the film: though it never reaches the heights of the director's best work from his Mexican period, let alone his greatest, which runs from 1961 through 1977, it's so focused in following through the deceptively simple plot line - which was allegedly inspired by Alexander Korda's THE SQUALL (1929), co-starring Loretta Young and Myrna Loy, and which also reminded me of Jean Renoir's even more anarchic BOUDU SAVED FROM DROWNING (1932) and Pier-Paolo Pasolini's obviously more pretentious THEOREM (1968) - that it becomes a compelling viewing experience, even if in a low-key manner. Bunuel brings to the inherent melodrama his typical preoccupation with the rules and regulations which govern bourgeois lifestyle as well as the religious hypocrisy so crucial to maintaining its respectable façade but never for a moment does he forsake the technique which is required to put across all his points. In fact, SUSANA features effective shadowy lighting throughout, thus ensuring any number of striking compositions and scenes:
1) the very opening sequence with the rebellious Susana being dragged into solitary confinement hissing and spitting at the prison guards
2) the shadow made on the ground by the cross-like bars in Susana's prison cell (which she shares with an assortment of bats, rats and spiders); she casually prays to God for deliverance, since she cannot help being who she is, after which Susana is able to effortlessly remove the bars and escape!
3) Susana's face suddenly appearing at the window of the hacienda during a stormy night
4) the pan across the courtyard of the hacienda showing Susana's room being watched by all her three admirers at the same time, without them knowing of one another
5) Susana being violently flogged by Dona Carmen, when she realizes that the girl she has taken in out of kindness has disrupted the harmony of Don Guadalupe's home with her uninhibited behavior
6) Susana being literally dragged out of the hacienda back to prison by the police officials
Besides, Susana's constant dressing-down (provocatively and purposefully exposing herself) before appearing in front of the males of the household, is very amusing as is the put-down, at every opportunity, by them but also Dona Carmen, of the bible-thumping servant-woman who warns of Susana's deceptiveness from the get-go. The love scenes are pretty discreet but those involving the studious young son of the family take place in unconventional settings such as the library of the hacienda (where the couple could be discovered at any moment by his God-fearing mother) and inside a well, in which Susana purposely throws herself in order to be 'saved' (the rugged but equally enamored foreman then appears and, sensing their presence, throws in a rock after them).
While the cast doesn't feature any stars, as some of Bunuel's later international films would, the three main roles are admirably filled Rosina Quintana as Susana, at once sultry and captivating; Fernando Soler as the authoritative yet gullible Don Guadalupe; and Matilde Palou as his long-suffering but indomitable wife. I would also like to say something about the assertion made by Ed Gonzalez in his review of the film which appears in "Slant Magazine"'s section on the director entitled "The Savage Poetry Of Luis Bunuel" that there is an overt connection between Susana's voracious sexuality and Don Guadalupe's prize mare (which is, apparently, sick and unable to breed during Susana's tenure at the hacienda): I wasn't aware of it at the time so it didn't bother me as much, though I obviously wouldn't put it past the film-maker to have intended just such a link. Finally, the so-called "cop-out" ending wherein everything goes back to normal (the mare miraculously recovers and the dismissed foreman, who leads the police on the girl's trail, is reinstated), once the threatening presence of Susana has been vanquished, is nothing more than one last jibe by the director at our inherent complacency and the mistrust we show in the face of anything that would in any way alter our status quo. In fact, I tend to agree with Tom Vick who, in the "All-Movie Guide" database, wrote: "SUSANA's pointedly insincere 'happy' ending is one of {Bunuel's} funniest".
Indeed, a minor film it undeniably turned out to be when I finally watched it yesterday which I didn't do earlier simply because my 28" TV was bust all this week! but, then, despite its lowly position in Bunuel's canon (check out my personal ranking in "The Great Director's Checklist Series #39"), I couldn't help agreeing with what Vincent Canby wrote about it either: "SUSANA is full of the sort of Bunuelian touches that forever separate all of Bunuel's films, the potboilers as well as the classics, from those of everyone else"!
Anyway, here's my take on the film: though it never reaches the heights of the director's best work from his Mexican period, let alone his greatest, which runs from 1961 through 1977, it's so focused in following through the deceptively simple plot line - which was allegedly inspired by Alexander Korda's THE SQUALL (1929), co-starring Loretta Young and Myrna Loy, and which also reminded me of Jean Renoir's even more anarchic BOUDU SAVED FROM DROWNING (1932) and Pier-Paolo Pasolini's obviously more pretentious THEOREM (1968) - that it becomes a compelling viewing experience, even if in a low-key manner. Bunuel brings to the inherent melodrama his typical preoccupation with the rules and regulations which govern bourgeois lifestyle as well as the religious hypocrisy so crucial to maintaining its respectable façade but never for a moment does he forsake the technique which is required to put across all his points. In fact, SUSANA features effective shadowy lighting throughout, thus ensuring any number of striking compositions and scenes:
1) the very opening sequence with the rebellious Susana being dragged into solitary confinement hissing and spitting at the prison guards
2) the shadow made on the ground by the cross-like bars in Susana's prison cell (which she shares with an assortment of bats, rats and spiders); she casually prays to God for deliverance, since she cannot help being who she is, after which Susana is able to effortlessly remove the bars and escape!
3) Susana's face suddenly appearing at the window of the hacienda during a stormy night
4) the pan across the courtyard of the hacienda showing Susana's room being watched by all her three admirers at the same time, without them knowing of one another
5) Susana being violently flogged by Dona Carmen, when she realizes that the girl she has taken in out of kindness has disrupted the harmony of Don Guadalupe's home with her uninhibited behavior
6) Susana being literally dragged out of the hacienda back to prison by the police officials
Besides, Susana's constant dressing-down (provocatively and purposefully exposing herself) before appearing in front of the males of the household, is very amusing as is the put-down, at every opportunity, by them but also Dona Carmen, of the bible-thumping servant-woman who warns of Susana's deceptiveness from the get-go. The love scenes are pretty discreet but those involving the studious young son of the family take place in unconventional settings such as the library of the hacienda (where the couple could be discovered at any moment by his God-fearing mother) and inside a well, in which Susana purposely throws herself in order to be 'saved' (the rugged but equally enamored foreman then appears and, sensing their presence, throws in a rock after them).
While the cast doesn't feature any stars, as some of Bunuel's later international films would, the three main roles are admirably filled Rosina Quintana as Susana, at once sultry and captivating; Fernando Soler as the authoritative yet gullible Don Guadalupe; and Matilde Palou as his long-suffering but indomitable wife. I would also like to say something about the assertion made by Ed Gonzalez in his review of the film which appears in "Slant Magazine"'s section on the director entitled "The Savage Poetry Of Luis Bunuel" that there is an overt connection between Susana's voracious sexuality and Don Guadalupe's prize mare (which is, apparently, sick and unable to breed during Susana's tenure at the hacienda): I wasn't aware of it at the time so it didn't bother me as much, though I obviously wouldn't put it past the film-maker to have intended just such a link. Finally, the so-called "cop-out" ending wherein everything goes back to normal (the mare miraculously recovers and the dismissed foreman, who leads the police on the girl's trail, is reinstated), once the threatening presence of Susana has been vanquished, is nothing more than one last jibe by the director at our inherent complacency and the mistrust we show in the face of anything that would in any way alter our status quo. In fact, I tend to agree with Tom Vick who, in the "All-Movie Guide" database, wrote: "SUSANA's pointedly insincere 'happy' ending is one of {Bunuel's} funniest".
Pretty straight-forward but highly entertaining film
planktonrules30 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
For those who do not want to see a Surrealist film by Luis Buñuel , this one is a very good example of his "normal" work that followed his very early (and totally bizarre) shorts UN CHIENE ANDALOU and THE GOLDEN AGE but well before his famous Absurdist/Surrealist films of the 1960s and 70s. During this long period in between, he co-wrote and directed some films that seem pretty odd just because they aren't really odd at all--something most Buñuel fans might miss. Now I've gotta admit that his "weird" films aren't among my favorite types of movies, so I actually welcomed a more conventional type of film from him.
The film is about an evil wretch name 'Susana' and she is an incredibly self-centered and conniving woman. At the beginning of the film, she is in a women's prison (why, we never know) but she soon escapes and wanders through a rain storm to the unlucky home of Don Guadalupe and his household. At first they take pity on the muddy lost girl and take her into their home, but over time the girl turns out to be a vixen who uses her body to "divide and conquer"--pitting the men against each other and getting the women to absolutely despise her. It was as if she just enjoyed making everyone "dance" for her enjoyment. Again and again, I thought that one of the family members or their servants would kill this awful woman, but the writers chose to instead end the film on a less satisfying but more realistic note (I REALLY, REALLY wanted to see her killed--the bloodier the better!).
Considering just how awful she was and how much the film got me to utterly hate her, the film was a success. It was very evocative and kept me riveted throughout. While not one of the best films I have seen, it was very, very good and HIGHLY reminiscent of one of Buñuel's last films, "Cet obscur objet du désir"--a weird but terrific little film about an evil maid and her odd boss' infatuation with this twisted lady--except, of course, "Susana" is played pretty straight and the weirdness of the other film just isn't apparent.
The film is about an evil wretch name 'Susana' and she is an incredibly self-centered and conniving woman. At the beginning of the film, she is in a women's prison (why, we never know) but she soon escapes and wanders through a rain storm to the unlucky home of Don Guadalupe and his household. At first they take pity on the muddy lost girl and take her into their home, but over time the girl turns out to be a vixen who uses her body to "divide and conquer"--pitting the men against each other and getting the women to absolutely despise her. It was as if she just enjoyed making everyone "dance" for her enjoyment. Again and again, I thought that one of the family members or their servants would kill this awful woman, but the writers chose to instead end the film on a less satisfying but more realistic note (I REALLY, REALLY wanted to see her killed--the bloodier the better!).
Considering just how awful she was and how much the film got me to utterly hate her, the film was a success. It was very evocative and kept me riveted throughout. While not one of the best films I have seen, it was very, very good and HIGHLY reminiscent of one of Buñuel's last films, "Cet obscur objet du désir"--a weird but terrific little film about an evil maid and her odd boss' infatuation with this twisted lady--except, of course, "Susana" is played pretty straight and the weirdness of the other film just isn't apparent.
Good though not great Bunuel
opusv55 January 2009
This film, judging by some of the reviews on this page, seems to have a provocative effect: one person seems to feel that Susana is evil incarnate and should have been killed. Perhaps that's the point: Bunuel may very well have meant her to be a caricature of the "bad girl." While she uses her sexuality as a weapon, she is merely provoking desires that were always there. The family she inserts herself into is an apparently happy one, and perhaps itself a stereotype, with feelings under the surface waiting to escape, just as Susana herself is an escapee. Her seduction technique is itself pointedly obvious, and Bunuel may very well have been telling something of a joke with this film, neither his best nor worst. And the actress who plays Susana does have nice shoulders.
works OK as a melodrama, sometimes better than OK, but it's still a Bunuel film
Quinoa198412 March 2009
Even as a "minor" work, I was a little surprised to find out that Luis Bunuel didn't care very much for the experience or final product of Susana (aka Devil in the Flesh). It is, I'll admit, not something I would rush out to tell my fellow Bunuel friends to see; part of that is practical, since it's only available on a VHS from the mid-80s and isn't in great condition even if found, but the other part is that it takes a real fan to appreciate it as a Bunuel film. Like Robinson Crusoe to an extent, though I think here more-so, it relies a bit for the audience member to understand what it is that attracted the great surrealist to the project. Temptation, pure and simple: this is at its best a story that allowed for the filmmaker to bask in a long-favored pastime, which was ticking off the uptight religious fanatics and purists who couldn't stand to see any kind of sensuality on the screen.
Sure, it definitely pales in comparison to the desire and temptation on parade and blasting at 11 in Un Chien Andalou or Viridiana. That's because Bunuel is keeping it on the down-low, which has its advantages and sort of disadvantages. On its own Susana is simply a melodrama, a story of this girl Susana (beautiful and talented if two-note Rosita Quintana) who escapes in one of those fun Bunuelian twists from a mental asylum to wind up on a rainy night in the care of a pretty religious farmhouse. She fits in with the chores and such, but also does her best to tempt the prudish on the farm (when she's asked to cover up she does, until no one's looking relatively), but winds up in a real pickle when tempting the wrong man.
And, on its own terms, it's a pretty decent melodrama. Some good performances, a few very good scenes of dialog and tension, but also on the scale of a very good soap opera all the same. I can see where Bunuel might have had some tension during the making; it feels and is a studio production, and as such he had to stay well within the limitations of the subject matter and low-budget. But it is worth seeing because it is still a Bunuel picture, with moments like that scene at night where the two men look on, tongues practically dangling out of their mouths, watching as Susana simply brushes her hair in silhouette, or a few moments where the twisted humor ratchets up a notch or too (it's rare, but worth it, if only in the unintended or just dated "scandalous" nature of the content). It's safe stuff coming from the director of the Phantom of Liberty, but it's not at all a bad movie either.
Sure, it definitely pales in comparison to the desire and temptation on parade and blasting at 11 in Un Chien Andalou or Viridiana. That's because Bunuel is keeping it on the down-low, which has its advantages and sort of disadvantages. On its own Susana is simply a melodrama, a story of this girl Susana (beautiful and talented if two-note Rosita Quintana) who escapes in one of those fun Bunuelian twists from a mental asylum to wind up on a rainy night in the care of a pretty religious farmhouse. She fits in with the chores and such, but also does her best to tempt the prudish on the farm (when she's asked to cover up she does, until no one's looking relatively), but winds up in a real pickle when tempting the wrong man.
And, on its own terms, it's a pretty decent melodrama. Some good performances, a few very good scenes of dialog and tension, but also on the scale of a very good soap opera all the same. I can see where Bunuel might have had some tension during the making; it feels and is a studio production, and as such he had to stay well within the limitations of the subject matter and low-budget. But it is worth seeing because it is still a Bunuel picture, with moments like that scene at night where the two men look on, tongues practically dangling out of their mouths, watching as Susana simply brushes her hair in silhouette, or a few moments where the twisted humor ratchets up a notch or too (it's rare, but worth it, if only in the unintended or just dated "scandalous" nature of the content). It's safe stuff coming from the director of the Phantom of Liberty, but it's not at all a bad movie either.
A rare Bunuel film where the pious Christian prevails over others
JuguAbraham21 June 2020
This Bunuel film is based on a story written by a certain Manuel Reachi (who incidentally, like the director Bunuel, was born in Spain and died in Mexico). The film indirectly (and in some ways directly) glorifies the pious Christian faithful--here personified by the lady of the house and her chief maid who can spot "the devil" before the others do and is ready to drive it out as Jesus did in the Bible. This is a definite departure for Bunuel, who has never really shown a true Christian point of view in his films (except in Nazarin) but only chose to ridicule often than respect it.
The film is also a major departure for actor Fernando Soler playing the role of the rich landowner who gives a tepid performance compared to the one he gave in the other Bunuel film "The Great Madcap" (1949) made 2 years before this film.
The film is also a major departure for actor Fernando Soler playing the role of the rich landowner who gives a tepid performance compared to the one he gave in the other Bunuel film "The Great Madcap" (1949) made 2 years before this film.
It is the devil who calls the shots .....
PimpinAinttEasy12 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Dear Bunuel,
thanks for reminding me about the fragility of the middle class life as a mad and hedonistic young woman enters into the seemingly perfect world of a kind family. The men become horny and jealous while the women turn cruel. Class and power equations come into play as everyone fights over the beautiful young woman who uses her sexuality to inflame the passions of the males.
Nobility and kindness are always under assault. You can pray to the good lord all you want. But ultimately it is the devil who calls the shots, right Luis?. In fact, The film starts off like a horror film. The amorous woman escapes from the mental institution when her prayer to the good lord is answered and she is able to pull down the window bars with her bare hands. Hohoho! That was a nice touch, Luis.
The annoying soundtrack ruined the film a little bit, Luis. Though it is possible that you used a flowery soundtrack intentionally. The final scene is a bit hilarious. You were obviously trying to needle unsuspecting audiences with your sarcasm.
Rosita Qunitata was very sexy.
Best Regards, Pimpin.
(6/10)
thanks for reminding me about the fragility of the middle class life as a mad and hedonistic young woman enters into the seemingly perfect world of a kind family. The men become horny and jealous while the women turn cruel. Class and power equations come into play as everyone fights over the beautiful young woman who uses her sexuality to inflame the passions of the males.
Nobility and kindness are always under assault. You can pray to the good lord all you want. But ultimately it is the devil who calls the shots, right Luis?. In fact, The film starts off like a horror film. The amorous woman escapes from the mental institution when her prayer to the good lord is answered and she is able to pull down the window bars with her bare hands. Hohoho! That was a nice touch, Luis.
The annoying soundtrack ruined the film a little bit, Luis. Though it is possible that you used a flowery soundtrack intentionally. The final scene is a bit hilarious. You were obviously trying to needle unsuspecting audiences with your sarcasm.
Rosita Qunitata was very sexy.
Best Regards, Pimpin.
(6/10)
Another neglected mid-century Mexican Bunuel production
Polaris_DiB30 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Quite frankly, most people ignore Luis Bunuel's mid-century Mexican films, and those who don't go to lengths to find those particular surrealist themes that we know and love from him in them. I'm pretty sure the man was just taking a break and trying to get a paycheck. Susana, like Woman without Love and Gran Casino, is more noteworthy in how it's not typical Bunuel than how it is. Sure, the themes of sexual exploration by a woman foreshadows his later work like Belle du Jour, but in this case the argument is strictly made that she's insane and, really, a force of the Devil on innocent folk. This strict Christian theme is precisely something that Bunuel doesn't believe in, but minus a few hints to the contrary he just sits back and tells the tale without too much embellishment.
There's some very good shooting here, especially in the beginning (the opening scene isn't too far removed from the horror genre). Rosita Quintana is a good choice for the devious seductress, as she is both physically stunning (helps you believe the men would actually fall for that) and is able to change mood or expression in a heartbeat, depending on which other character is currently confronting her. Never will I argue lack of craftsmanship as far as Bunuel is concerned--even in his Mexican cinema or the not-quite-so impressive Milky Way there's a firm control of narrative devices that make his movies always a pleasure to watch.
Worth viewing for the interested, but nothing near as interesting as Early Bunuel or Late Bunuel.
--PolarisDiB
There's some very good shooting here, especially in the beginning (the opening scene isn't too far removed from the horror genre). Rosita Quintana is a good choice for the devious seductress, as she is both physically stunning (helps you believe the men would actually fall for that) and is able to change mood or expression in a heartbeat, depending on which other character is currently confronting her. Never will I argue lack of craftsmanship as far as Bunuel is concerned--even in his Mexican cinema or the not-quite-so impressive Milky Way there's a firm control of narrative devices that make his movies always a pleasure to watch.
Worth viewing for the interested, but nothing near as interesting as Early Bunuel or Late Bunuel.
--PolarisDiB
A radiant Rosita Quintana sparks this Bunuel trifle
gridoon202411 January 2020
This is a slight comedy-drama from Bunuel's Mexican phase, though the seductive, curvy and funny Rosita Quintana is certainly well-cast as an unscrupulous home-wrecker. The only ironic Bunuel touch I could spot was making the most Christian character also the most hateful and nasty; maybe viewers more experienced in the director's work will find more! **1/2 out of 4.
Decent
Michael_Elliott10 August 2008
Susana (1951)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Bunuel's remake of the 1929 American film The Squall centers on Susana (Rosita Quintana), a mentally unstable woman, who escaped from a reformatory and gets shelter from a kind and caring family. Pretty soon Susana is turning on the sexuality and starts to make the family turn against one another. The original movie is perhaps the worst Hollywood film I've seen from that era so it didn't take too much for this movie to pace it up. With that said, I think overall this is a pretty disappointing film from the director but I'm really not sure if he could have done anything different to make it better. To me, this story just doesn't work because it's just so over dramatic that you can't help but role you eyes at all the "tragedy" that befalls the people around Susana. The only thing this movie tells you that men are dumb and can be changed due to a woman's sexuality. This really isn't too dramatic and in the end the movie begins to drag. Another problem I had with the film is that the characters were all pretty annoying and that includes the old aunt who is constantly screaming religious sayings. I'm not sure if Bunuel made her so over the top for laughs or if this was just his way to go against Christians. Even with all that said this is still a beautiful film to look at with some great cinematography. The performances are also good but I was expecting better considering the director. Quintana is great and really steals the film as she plays the innocent virgin to trick the family very well and on the blink of a dime she can turn into the slut. Fernando Soler is also very good as the head man of the home.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Bunuel's remake of the 1929 American film The Squall centers on Susana (Rosita Quintana), a mentally unstable woman, who escaped from a reformatory and gets shelter from a kind and caring family. Pretty soon Susana is turning on the sexuality and starts to make the family turn against one another. The original movie is perhaps the worst Hollywood film I've seen from that era so it didn't take too much for this movie to pace it up. With that said, I think overall this is a pretty disappointing film from the director but I'm really not sure if he could have done anything different to make it better. To me, this story just doesn't work because it's just so over dramatic that you can't help but role you eyes at all the "tragedy" that befalls the people around Susana. The only thing this movie tells you that men are dumb and can be changed due to a woman's sexuality. This really isn't too dramatic and in the end the movie begins to drag. Another problem I had with the film is that the characters were all pretty annoying and that includes the old aunt who is constantly screaming religious sayings. I'm not sure if Bunuel made her so over the top for laughs or if this was just his way to go against Christians. Even with all that said this is still a beautiful film to look at with some great cinematography. The performances are also good but I was expecting better considering the director. Quintana is great and really steals the film as she plays the innocent virgin to trick the family very well and on the blink of a dime she can turn into the slut. Fernando Soler is also very good as the head man of the home.
The devil came from the storm
dbdumonteil13 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Bunuel did not like the conclusion ;the production probably forced his hand.These people in daylight again praising God can be nothing more than a farce when you know Bunuel's other works.It's impossible to think the great director filmed this sequence without irony.
The first scene is very violent:in the reformatory,Susana is thrown into a dungeon full of rats,bats and scorpions .So she prays the Lord (of the jails) and a miracle happens: no more bars!People who have never seen a Bunuel work might think this is really a divine intervention.In Bunuel's canon,it can only be the devil's although,he did not probably believe in Satan either.
Dona Carmen predates Viridiana's character(1961).Viridiana would take in all the beggars around at great cost.Carmen is another kind of Saint (in the bunuelesque sense of the term: she is probably frigid and her husband is a frustrated man ; see how she's shocked when he tries to take her in his hands)and she is no match for the perverse sensual Susana,who,unlike her name sake in the Bible,is not exactly chaste.We do not know what Susana's motives are: does she want to seduce all the males around only as a revenge,because she probably got a raw deal and she got a score to settle with "them" ? does she want to take Carmen's place?Is she simply a teaser ? There's a sultry atmosphere and Rosita Quintana is sensuality in the flesh.She is akin to Djinn (Simone Signoret) in "La Mort En Ce Jardin" .
The first scene is very violent:in the reformatory,Susana is thrown into a dungeon full of rats,bats and scorpions .So she prays the Lord (of the jails) and a miracle happens: no more bars!People who have never seen a Bunuel work might think this is really a divine intervention.In Bunuel's canon,it can only be the devil's although,he did not probably believe in Satan either.
Dona Carmen predates Viridiana's character(1961).Viridiana would take in all the beggars around at great cost.Carmen is another kind of Saint (in the bunuelesque sense of the term: she is probably frigid and her husband is a frustrated man ; see how she's shocked when he tries to take her in his hands)and she is no match for the perverse sensual Susana,who,unlike her name sake in the Bible,is not exactly chaste.We do not know what Susana's motives are: does she want to seduce all the males around only as a revenge,because she probably got a raw deal and she got a score to settle with "them" ? does she want to take Carmen's place?Is she simply a teaser ? There's a sultry atmosphere and Rosita Quintana is sensuality in the flesh.She is akin to Djinn (Simone Signoret) in "La Mort En Ce Jardin" .
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