doors open at 20.00, intro + film start at 20.30

CELA S'APPELLE L'AURORE   1956
(This is called Dawn)
Directed by Luis Buñuel
102 minutes
In French with English subtitles

An unexpected oddball flick from Spanish director Luis Buñuel, made after he left Europe, and was then rejected in the United States, and he finally settled in Mexico. Although he made movies principally in Mexico during this period, he would often jump back to France to shoot one. Never heard of this movie? Well, you're not alone.... It is one of the most least seen films by the director. Buñuel claimed it was one of his favorite movies, despite the fact that it was attacked by critics and therefore rarely ever screened.
 
It's set in the Mediterranean island of Corsica and follows the path of a young doctor who lives on little money and prefers to help the people that need it most. By the way, in his character we see a kind of humanitarianism the Dutch medical system had 40 years ago, but which has shamelessly been lost... it was simple... If someone was injured, you helped them. It didn't depend on documentation, money or legality. In any case when this young doctor meets an Italian widow, passion flares up. I won't say anything more about the story, but it takes us on a journey involving greed, sacrifice, fits of passion, learning to do the right thing, acts of murder, the injustice of class hierarchies, poverty and compassion.
 
Interestingly, this movie is more neo-realist than his more famous trippy surrealist projects. That just goes to show how diverse his filmmaking actually was... he was freely flowing between different genres and styles—he wasn't interested in getting stuck in any single corner. But just because the approach in this movie is more straightforward, it doesn't mean it isn't as subversive. As one viewer said, its "transparency is as sharp as crystal, and one of its shards might slit your wrists." 
 
Buñuel was anti-authoritarian, and he was smart enough to know this applies to any institution of power. He had a disdain for clergy, the bourgeoisie, and corrupt police forces. He also knew that if cops are pretending to be nice or generous, they are even more dangerous then otherwise. That's the funny thing about cops... they can help you and keep up a pretty show, but if ordered to by their bosses they will turn on you without a second thought. Buñuel himself described this movie concisely as a "love-yes, police-no" film. Actually, in a way, it can be summed up as a nonconformist love story—about choosing to follow your inner spirit rather than the status quo.