During the ’70s and early ’80s, the weekend Midnight Movie was a major part of cinema culture. People would hit the bars early and then saunter next door to the theater for popcorn and imbibe other refreshments (since you could legally smoke in a movie theater at this time). This was at a time before VCRs so people were eager to see weird and strange movies in a theater that couldn’t be broadcast on the local UHF station in the wee hours. The films that found themselves in these overnight slots attracted an audience that wanted a bit of outlandishness on the screen and not the usual Hollywood studio product. They wanted films that would push boundaries and were a touch trippy. When Viva La Muerte! hit the midnight movie circuit in the eary ’70s; the surrealistic film found an appreciative cult audience. Among its fans were John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Now the film is arriving on Blu-ray so you can see it during daylight hours.
The movie is based on the true story of director Fernando Arrabal’s youth. During the Spanish Civil War his mother turned his father into the Fascists (led by Francisco Franco) for being a loyalist to the Republic government. He originally wrote a play about the moment. Later he brought this family nightmare to cinema to tell the story of how he dealt with the incident and raised by his mother afterward. Fando (Mahdi Chaouch) has a rather simple life in Spain. He has what seems a loving mother and father. That is until mom rats out dad and the fascists taken him away during a family meal. Fando fears the worst from his father since the fascists had no problem executing anyone considered an enemy. How is he going to deal with a mother who could turn him into the troops.
While this could be done as a straightforward story, Fernando Arrabal co-founded the Panic Movement with Alejandro Jodorowsky and Roland Topor. They were about chaos and surrealism. Topor contributed to the credit sequence. In a sense, Arrabal gives us his childhood with the same visual gusto of El Topo and Holy Mountain. Arrabal shot part of the film on black and white video that he had transferred back into film with tinting. This creates a bit of dream state for moments that Fando is imagining including his father buried from the neck down on a beach with horses rushing towards exposed head. There’s a scene involving a cow being butchered by Fando’s mother that doesn’t spare how they make steaks. The movie came out in 1971 when Franco was still in power. The movie didn’t run in Spanish theaters. But it played in France, where Arrabel had been living to escape Franco’s oppression. While Paramount didn’t think the film would do well during normal theater hours in America, it gained a loyal following as a midnight movie. This would have been too much for a straight audience in daylight hours. Easy to imagine John and Yoko being fixated on the screen after midnight in a smokey Manhattan theater. Viva La Muerte is a truly messed up childhood story delivered at the right tone that’s perfect for a midnight movie crowd.
The Video is 1.66:1 anamorphic so there’s slight black bars on side of screen. The Audio is LPCM 2.0 Mono in French. Even though the film is about Spain, it wasn’t going to be playing in Spain at the time. The movie is subtitled in English.
The Projection Booth Podcast Commentary is about 65 minutes long although it plays along with the movie. The three talk about watching the film and its impact. One found the film after watching the works of Alejandro Jodorowsky. She was torn by how vicious the film was and yet had beautiful elements. Another found it shocking in not merely gore, but the emotional hit involving the son.
David Archibald (20:58) has the professor get into the background of the movie. He talks about how the surrealist elements adds to the story instead of distracts.
In The Footsteps of Baal (19:25) is a behind the scenes documentary by Abdelltif Ben Ammar. This was the part of the film made in Tunisia since he wasn’t getting into Spain. Arrabal mentions how he failed at becoming a successful mathematician, painter or musician. In film what he knew of those three things came into play to elevate him as a director. He talks about working with Mahdi Chaouch. We see the shooting of the spaghetti scene.
Vidarralbal (99:36) is a documentary about Arrabal by Xavier Patueral Barron. This was released in 2011. He talks about his family life. He did have two siblings before dad was taken away. There’s also a short history of the Spanish Civil War. Arrabal as of this typing is still with us.
Trailer (1:15) has the father being arrested in front of wife and son. We learn who ratted him out. This isn’t a happy Spanish family story.
Gallery has 16 images of Lobby Cards with that gives a sense of how grotesqu the film gets.
Booklet contains an interview with Arrabel from 1976 and an essay on the film from Sabrina Stent.
Radiance Films present Viva La Muerte! Directed by Fernando Arrabal. Screenplay by Fernando Arrabal. Starring Anouk Ferjac, Núria Espert, Mahdi Chaouch, Ivan Henriques, Jazia Klibi & Suzanne Comte. Running Time: 89 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date September 10, 2024.
