Donnerstag, 22. Juni 2023, 20 Uhr
Jordi Xifra (Barcelona)
TRISTANA: The Impulse of Memory and Reputation
It is no exaggeration to state that TRISTANA (1970) is a film that works like a shock. Suddenly, when it looks like it’s heading towards a canonical conclusion, Buñuel suspends his complacency and leaves the audience in a state of astonishment, undermining any sense of certainty. We receive a shock that dilutes what we had understood, imposing itself on us as if everything in it were yet to be comprehended. This refers of course, to the series of images at the end of the film that rewinds the story, redirecting it again to the beginning. A set of images offered to the audience as a final coda whose meaning is hard to grasp: is it the exception that proves the rule? During the film, other moments provoke the same effect. What do those enunciative gestures bring about? What meaning can we attribute to them? What link do they have with the rest of Buñuel’s films? Jordi Xifra´s presentation will try to answer these questions with the aid of Gilles Deleuze’s concept of the impulse-image.
Jordi Xifra is professor of the Department of Communication at Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona) and director of Centro Buñuel Calanda, the foundation devoted to promote and preserve the life and work of Luis Buñuel. He has edited the conversations of Max Aub and Buñuel, and Buñuel’s complete literary works.
Vortrag in englischer Sprache
Film: TRISTANA (MX 1970, 94 Min.)