Tweet
Released by: Radiance Films
Released on: September 10th, 2024.
Director: Fernando Arrabal
Cast: Anouk Ferjac, Núria Espert, Mahdi Chaouch
Year: 1971
Purchase From Amazon
Viva La Muerte! – Movie Review:
Fernando Arrabal ‘s 1971 film, Viva La Muerte! (Long Live Death!), is a semi-autobiographical film set at the end of the Spanish Civil War that focuses on the story of a boy named Fando (Mahdi Chaouch), whose leftist father was sentenced to death for opposing the right wing Spanish political regime in power at the time. Fando's mother (Núria Espert), however, tells him that his father wasn't executed, but that he committed suicide. None of this seems to faze him though, as he seems adamant that his father is still alive somewhere, possibly in hiding, and that one day, he'll find him alive and well.
When Fando finds out that in reality, it was his mother who turned his father in to the authorities, he realizes that his life is not at all what it seems, and his world is fast becoming a very different place from what he thought it was. From here on in, things take on a very hallucinatory quality as Fando tries to figure out the truth of his past and the circumstances surrounding his father’s death.
Filled with disturbing scenes of sex, violence, and an overall sense of freakiness, Viva La Muerte! still has the power to shock even the most jaded viewers thanks to Arrabal’s willingness to take things into some unexpectedly strange, and frequently very dark, directions. The movie also has a few scenes of very real animal cruelty which rival those on display in the likes of the Italian cannibal films of the 80s – something that is always sure to offend a few people, and for good reason.
Heavy on political content, the film has an amazing ability to totally shift gears and go from extremely disturbing to very touching at the drop of a hat. The film is one that warrants repeat viewings, as it is a lot to take in during one sitting, but for those who pay attention and give it some thought, it's a challenging work of art that stands the test of time. The movie casts some pretty big stones at the political establishment as well as the hypocrisy of the Roman Catholic Church, all while exploring life, love, sex and death through the eyes of a pre-pubescent boy.
Featuring a credits sequence with illustrations from none other than Roland Topor, Arrabel’s directorial debut is still poignant and the imagery is as powerful now as it would have been thirty odd years ago when it was made. Arrabel also uses video and film together in interesting ways (the movie is very ahead of its time in this regard), which gives Viva La Muerte! a very unique look. There are times where the film feels repetitive and that some of the more shocking scenes are in there simply because they are shocking scenes rather than appropriate for the narrative, but overall, the movie holds up well. It’s very much a work of surrealism and, as such, different viewers will take away different readings from the picture, but those with an appreciation for the stronger side of arthouse filmmaking will find much to appreciate with this film.
Viva La Muerte! – Blu-ray Review:
Viva La Muerte! arrives on Blu-ray from Radiance Films in an AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer taken from a “new 4K restoration of the original 35mm negative by the Cinémathèque Toulouse in collaboration with Fernando Arrabal” and framed at 1.66.1 widescreen. Overall, the transfer quality is quite good, with the 35mm sequences showing solid depth and detail. The scenes shot on video, which would seem to represent Fando’s fantasies rather than what we interpret as ‘reality’ in the movie, are heavily manipulated and not meant to show the same clarity as the rest of the film. Sometimes the colors look like they’re a bit on the flat side, but otherwise, this looks strong. The disc is well-authored, showing no noticeable compression problems, heavy noise reduction or edge enhancement issues, it always retains a proper film-like quality.
The only audio option on the disc is a 24-bit DTS-HD 2.0 Mono track in French with optional subtitles provided in English only. No problems to note here – the audio is clean, clear and properly balanced and the score sounds pretty decent as well, with a fair bit of depth to it.
Extras start off with a sixty-six minute audio discussion from the Project Booth podcast featuring Mike White, Heather Drain and Jess Byard. This essentially plays out as a commentary track over the film. As it was recorded originally as a podcast, it isn't a scene specific talk but don't let that dissuade you, as this is a really good dissection of the movie. After they each discuss how they came to see the movie for the first time and their initial thoughts on the movie, they go into the power of the imagery of the movie and some of the dream-like qualities that the movie delivers, Topor's connection to the movie, the depictions of fascism in the movie, the use of 1" video in the movie and how it affects the visuals, the depictions of Catholicism in the movie as well as the subversive elements of this aspect of the movie, the relationship between Fando and his mother and his aunt in the picture, the use of horror in the movie as well as the use of humor in the film, possible influences that worked their way into the film, White's attempts to interview Arrabal, how the movie compares to some of Arrabl's other films and more.
Up next is a nineteen-minute short documentary from 1970 titled Sur les traces de Baal. Directed by Abdellatif Ben Ammar, this piece follows Arrabal as he worked on Viva la Muerte! in Tunisia and, as such, provides a great time capsule of sorts. In it, Arrabel talks about his work, noting specifically that he isn't a filmmaker, he just shoots things while trying to find his way through life. He talks about some of the themes that the movie explores, including the rise of fascism in his homeland, the violence he saw in his younger days, concepts of theological punishment and messianic creation and quite a bit more. The behind the scenes footage here is great but getting the filmmaker's insight into his work during this period is genuinely illuminating.
The disc also includes Vidarrabal, which is a feature-lengthone hundred minute documentary on Arrabal by Xavier Pasturel Barron made in 2011. This covers not only his work as a filmmaker but also his work as a poet and painter. It's made up interviews with Arrabel himself as well as some of the people that he's collaborated with over the years in addition to friends and family members. Along the way, we get his thoughts on religion, art, politics and more. We visit his childhood home, learn about his family life and upbringing and how his parents shaped different aspects of his life and artistic output, instances from his childhood that are worked into specific scenes in Viva La Muerte!, some of his influences (The Marx Brothers are cited by name!), how he wound up studying in Paris, his work in the theater in France, collaborating with Roland Topar and Alejandro Jodorowsky as well as his place in the Panic Movement and much more. It's an excellent piece that provides a lot of welcome background information on the man.
An interview with scholar and Spanish cinema expect David Archibal from 2024 runs twenty-one minutes and sees his speak about Arrabal's background, his move to Paris and involvement in the surrealist movement as well as the revolutionary politics that inspired this. He also covers what the Panic Movement is all about and the work that this group created together and separately, impacts that Arrabal made to French culture, the autobiographical elements of Viva La Muerte! and how it uses surrealism in interesting ways, the use of violence in the film and how it connects to the church and their connections to fascism in Spain, how the movie serves as a history of the Spanish Civil War and other details related to the film. It's an interesting and insightful reading of the movie.
A trailer for the Radiance edition, menus and chapter selection options round out the extras on the disc.
As to the packaging, Radiance supplies, with the first pressing, some really nice reversible sleeve artwork featuring newly commissioned artwork on one side and art from the original Japanese theatrical poster on the reverse. This release also comes packaged with a limited edition full-color booklet featuring an interview with Arrabal conducted by Peter Brunette for Cineaste Vol. II No. 2 from 1976 titled ‘The Future Of Cinema Belongs To The Poets,’ as well as an essay by Sabrina Stent titled ‘The Surreal And The Violent: The Unique Construction Of Fernando Arrabal’s Panic Theater’ along with notes on the restoration and cast and crew details. This limited edition first pressing is being pressed in 3,000 copies and, like all of the Radiance Blu-ray releases so far, comes with a removable Obi strip.
Viva La Muerte! - The Final Word:
Viva La Muerte! won’t be to all tastes, as it is a decidedly strange and confrontational movie that often times uses some extreme imagery to get its point across, but fans of surrealist cinema and provocative arthouse films will get a lot of this truly unique and fascinating piece of filmmaking. The Blu-ray release from Radiance Films presents the movie in very nice shape on a disc loaded with interesting extras that contextualize the film and provide plenty of details on the life and times of the man who made it. Highly recommended!
Click on the images below, or right click and open in a new window, for full sized Viva La Muerte! Blu-ray screen caps!
