The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz
UW Cinematheque 821 University Ave., UW Vilas Hall, Room 4070, Madison, Wisconsin
press release: New Restorations
Mexico | 1955 | DCP | 89 min. | Spanish with English subtitles
Director: Luis Buñuel; Cast: Ernesto Alonso, Miroslava, Rita Macedo
Dark and deranged even by Buñuelian standards, this pitch-black, rarely screened comedy stands among the filmmaker’s finest Mexican films. The titular Archibaldo has a fetish for murdering beautiful women, but circumstances thwart his repeated attempts to consummate his warped dream. This being a Buñuel film, the perversion is naturally played for absurdity. Newly restored 4K DCP courtesy Cineteca Nacional Mexico. Presented with the support of UW Madison’s Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies (LACIS) Program.
Screenings mostly take place at 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Avenue. Once-a-month Sunday afternoon screenings take place at the Chazen Museum of Art, 750 University Avenue. In accord with current UW Madison policies, masks are required for entry to our venues. All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public. Please visit our website for a complete listing of programs and descriptions from September 3 through December 18.
In addition to new copies of several restored movies showcased in our other series, Fall Cinematheque calendar is robust with one-off screenings of new digital preservations of several exciting titles from throughout international cinema history, including Luis Buñuel’s pitch-black satire The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz; Melvin Van Peebles’ produced-in-France debut feature The Story of a Three Day Pass; Jean-Louis Roy’s Swiss Cold War oddity, The Unknown Man of Shandigor; and two featurettes by one of Senegal’s leading cinematic voices, Djibril Diop Mambety.