That Obscure Object of Desire
(1977)
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Luis Buñuel's last film is as just audacious as any of his classics. Wealthy sadomasochist Fernando Rey falls hard for a young maid and she's only too happy to make him suffer. Buñuel's bizarre stroke is having Carole Bouquet and Ángela Molina alternate playing the maid! |
Luis Buñuel's final film is a fitting end to a dazzling career. A witty, ironic and barbed morality tale, it follows the increasingly desperate attempts of wealthy businessman Fernando Rey to seduce his maid, unaware that his world is collapsing around his ears. Buñuel only hit upon the intriguing idea of casting two actresses in the role of Conchita after Maria Schneider walked off the set, but it proved to be a creative masterstroke, as the switches between Carole Bouquet and Angela Molina teasingly suggest the indecision in Rey's mind as he searches for the elusive woman of his dreams.
Halliwell's Film Guide
Unrecognizable remake of a novel previously filmed as a vehicle for Dietrich and Bardot. Despite the tricking out with surrealist touches (the girl is played by two different actresses) it is not one of Buñuel's best, and amuses only on the surface.