This course will provide a general introduction to one of the most remarkable Spanish filmmakers, Luis Buñuel (1900-1983). We’ll offer an in-depth survey of Buñuel’s cinema, from surrealism to realist documentary, to “cinema of the absurd”. The course is designed to focus on the most important moments of Buñuel’s career, paying special attention to his early films (surrealism), the Mexican films, his French films when he returns to Europe from exile, and to those films produced during (and dealing with) the Spanish Dictatorship.

This class counts toward the Spanish major and as elective credit toward the Spanish minor.

Course Requirements:

Students will have to write a mid-term paper or take-home exam (5 pages) and a final paper with an assigned topic (8-10) pages, as well as several short reaction papers to the films. The class will be entirely in Spanish. Some of the readings will be in English.

Class Format:

For Winter 2022:  During certain periods of the term, we will engage in large discussions and activities about the course content in an in-person format; during other periods of the term (1/3 of the classes), we will engage in activities where students collaborate in small-group activities via breakout sessions in Zoom.