Tristana
Composite Score: 85.1
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Fernando Rey, Franco Nero, Lola Gaos, Antonio Casas, Jesús Fernández, Vicente Soler, José Calvo, and Fernando Cebrián
Director: Luis Buñuel
Writers: Julio Alejandro and Luis Buñuel
Genres: Drama, Coming-of-Age
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic elements and some disturbing images
Box Office: $14,586 worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Tristana is Luis Buñuel’s film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Benito Pérez Galdós about an orphaned young woman whose benefactor makes her into his mistress before she gains her own sense of independence. The film stars Catherine Deneuve in the titular role alongside Fernando Rey as the respected but lascivious benefactor Don Lope and Franco Nero as the amorous but penniless artist Horacio. Tristana was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and it has received acclaim for its production design and its fascinating adaptation of Galdós’s story.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Look, I know that Luis Buñuel is a widely respected and acclaimed filmmaker, and I do think that this film does a lot in championing women overcoming victimizing relationships and in highlighting the inequities of patriarchal societies and even in delivering some gorgeous outdoor shots of Spain. Unfortunately, I feel like the film as a whole just falls flat for me because it feels like films that other directors have also done, but more generic and less innovative in terms of its story. There’s a lot of good parts in Tristana, but the end result leaves something to be desired. I also think that part of this comes from the fac that the film’s villain also probably would have been a major detractor of Spain’s Fascist dictator Francisco Franco, who still ruled the nation at the time that Buñuel made the film, so it feels like he's trying to capitulate to a totalitarian regime by presenting a ridiculously flawed version of their enemies to the national audience. I don’t think that the filmmakers were in any way supportive of Fascism, but their willingness to allow an opponent of it to be portrayed in such a dubious way while it still ran rampant in their country rubs me the wrong way.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Even though its story has been told time and again, Tristana does offer audiences an enthralling version of the story thanks to the aesthetic that Buñuel achieves and the almost haunting nature of Deneuve’s performance. Every shot in this film serves to achieve some sort of artistic effect, feeling at times like an old melodrama produced on a sound stage and at others like a glorious modern period piece that turns its real locations into their old selves to great effect. These two styles blend into one in this particular film to leave the audience with a sense of both melodrama and realism. On the one hand, the exact situation being portrayed probably wouldn’t happen in the world we live in today; however, there is truth to the film’s story about a woman being victimized by the man who has power over her and seeking escape by any means necessary, only to find that said escape doesn’t fully understand her either and still wants some modicum of control. For a film that features the victimization of its titular heroine, by the end, it ends up being strongly anti-patriarchy and pro-women’s lib.
Catherine Deneuve helps the film achieve this end by portraying Tristana in truly enthralling fashion. Though her Spanish sounds dubbed for most of the film, her physical portrayal of the heroine – from youthful innocence to adolescent longing to the jadedness of adulthood – holds the audience’s attention throughout. Her early days as a mournful orphan endear the audience to their leading lady, worrying about her exploitation at the hands of the lecherous Don Lope. As she matures in his house and begins to seek her own pleasures outside of his dwelling, we again see her as this romantic figure, worthy of the passions that Horacio offers. Then as she returns to Don Lope’s dwelling as an independent woman stuck near a man by societal necessity, she fully comes into her own as we see the pent-up fury unleashed in simple but devastating fashion on the man who wronged her. It’s a fantastic performance that you simply can’t look away from.
Deneuve’s leading performance and the overall visual achievement of Buñuel’s film allow Tristana to transcend its predictable trappings and become a great film that champions the cause of wronged women in all walks of life. While the story might underwhelm in certain aspects, the leading performances and the visuals don’t, so do with that as you will. This film can be watched with a Mubi subscription or for free with ads on Tubi if you’re looking to give it a viewing in the coming days.
