Luis Bunuel

One of my all time favorite directors. My favorite stuff is his surreal stuff, both his first couple (like Un Chien andalou or L'Age D'Or) and his last few, (The Phantom of Liberty, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, That Obscure Object of Desire). His autobiography, My Last Sigh is an absolute joy to read; like all great artists, it's a little bit of truth, little bit of lie. There're a few other biographies of Bunuel available, but I don't really see the point in reading them – I figure Bunuel decided that he wanted those particular lies to become canon, and since it doesn't really matter either way, I'm perfectly willing to indulge him. Anyway, I would assume that in the biographies, some lies'd still sneak through despite the best efforts of the authors. Which is better – reading something you know may or may not be a lie, or reading a lie that you are certain is truth? Anyway, it's much more fun that way, just like Bunuel's films.

Definiely check out My Last Sigh – it finally came back into print; it's a new translation, though, so I don't know how it is, but I figure it's probably OK. The old translation was pretty good, I thought. Anyway, though, I love Bunuel. I would marry him if I could. But I don't think it would work out, what with him being straight and dead and me being straight and alive. But folks can dream, right?