|
Synopsis:
Slave trader Robinson Crusoe (Dan O’Herlihy) is stranded on a desert island, and must learn to survive on his own — until the arrival of “Man Friday” (Jaime Fernández).
|
|
Genres:
Response to Peary’s Review:
In many ways, this film adaptation of William Defoe’s classic adventure novel is stunning to behold—there is nothing quite like a colorful survival tale to get your blood rushing and your heart aching for the “simple” rules of man-against-nature. Unfortunately, however, once “Man Friday” (Jaime Fernández) finally arrives on the island, filmmaker Buñuel does nothing to mitigate the assumed hierarchy between master and slave. One would hope that Crusoe would have learned a lesson in humility by this point, but there is nothing new under the sun here as far as race relations are concerned. As Peary points out, this is not the film to watch if you want to see a “defiant” black man.
Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
- Beautiful, lush Technicolor cinematography
- Dan O’Herlihy’s commanding performance as Crusoe
- Snippets of surreality, which provide evidence of Bunuel’s fascination with this filmic technique
Must See?
Yes, simply as one of Bunuel’s earlier films.
Categories
Links:
|
Posted on July 7th, 2006 by admin
Filed under: Response Reviews
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.