This Free Members' Screening was proposed by our member Anthony Wall, Director of the film and Executive Producer of the BBC’s flagship arts documentary strand Arena. He will introduce the screening.

Arena: The Life and Times of Don Luis Buñuel was first transmitted shortly after Buñuel’s death. Buñuel’s extraordinary story and his films are juxtaposed with contributions from Jean-Claude Carriere; Carlos Fuentes; Fernando Rey; Catherine Deneuve; Jeanne Moreau; Michel Piccoli and friends and collaborators from his early career. Buñuel himself cannot be upstaged, not only in the artistry of his films, but particularly in himself, memorably expressed through readings by Paul Scofield from his autobiography, My Last Breath, and unique home movie footage in which Buñuel holds court with his friends, reflecting on his own life and work:

- “How did you get into the cinema in the first place, Don Luis?”

- “Bad luck … I spent five hours one afternoon trying to write a decent sentence in Castilian.  I have no ear for music. I am a worse actor than I am a writer.  But I have a knack for images”.

From eye-ball slicing to his plans for deathbed pranks to be played on his family and friends, this classic and rarely seen doc is not to be missed.

Please note, tickets to this members-only screening are restricted to 1 per member. Please log into your membership account before booking.