Luis Buñuel's “The Exterminating Angel” adaption by Joan Ollé in the Theatre Today!

Joan Ollé’s adaption of the infinitely successful film “The Exterminating Angel”, or in original Spanish “El ángel exterminador”, by Luis Buñuel, is hitting the stage in Barcelona on Thursday 10th July. There is plenty of central Barcelona accommodation so you can be close to the theatre. A film which explores the relationship between reality and dreams, this show is set to be an exciting portrayal of human nature in the most dire situations. The film, originally entitled "The Outcasts of Providence Street", was renamed "The Exterminating Angel" after Buñuel picked it from an unfinished play his friend José Bergamín was writing at the time. After a night at the opera, a group of wealthy aristocrats meets for dinner. As the evening draws to a close, none of the guests are able to leave the dining room. There is no reason for this; they simply find themselves trapped. The days wear on, and etiquette is gradually forgotten. Food becomes short, and the filth begins to pile up. Conflicts begin to appear amongst the trapped partygoers. The movie was released in Mexico in 1962, and was just as critical as its predecessor “Viridiana” had been.

Bunuel made “El ángel exterminador” following his long exile from Spain after the Spanish Civil War, where he was invited back to his country of origin in 1960 by General Francisco Franco and asked to direct a film of his choice. Buñuel wrote and directed Viridiana, which starred Silvia Pinal and was produced by her then-husband, Gustavo Alatriste. It was the first film Buñuel made in his native country. Released in 1961, it sparked great controversy both in Spain and the Vatican, and as such, all existing negatives were ordered to be destroyed. The film, however, won the Palme d'Or at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival, and copies of the movie that had been shipped to Paris survived and were subsequently distributed. Viridiana was released in Spain 16 years later, in 1977.

The play is set to take place at Teatre Grec, Pg Santa Madrona, 36 (Poble Sec) and it would be an idea to rent a Barcelona hotel or Barcelona apartment in the centre of Barcelona (only a few stops away from Poble Sec on the green line). The play is being held here between the 10th and 13th of July and starts at 10pm, costing 28€ per person.



Of his adaption, Ollé says that just as Marcel Duchamp painted a moustache on Mona Lisa, he has painted a moustache on Bunuel. Olle describes his work as a game that ‘won’t do any harm to the film’ as his script stays loyal to the film. Olle hasn’t wanted to speak about the political motivations of Bunuel’s film as he sees them as obvious and it’s just as obvious that the interpretations speak of a fear of freedom, rites of sacrifice and of the opposition between activism and passiveness.