El Ángel Exterminador (The Exterminating Angel)

Opening the film series is a surrealist black comedy from the Spanish-Mexican master Luis Buñuel.

The Exterminating Angel mocks the ‘utopia’ of aristocratic and bourgeoise belonging: The servants mysteriously abandon a lavish dinner party, the guests find themselves unable to leave the mansion, and an eerie, allegorical class satire ensues.

The screening will be introduced by Professor Reidar Due, University Lecturer in European Cinema and Tutorial Fellow in French at Magdalen College, Oxford. A convener of Oxford’s MSt in Film Aesthetics, Professor Due works on philosophical film aesthetics and the ethics of political life, including alienation, dignity and the ideals of democracy. These questions sit right at the heart of Buñuel’s dinner party that no one can leave.

Part of Utopia Now!, a season exploring the role of the arts in making a better future possible.

About the Laughing at Utopia Film Series

This film series, curated by the TORCH Humour Network in collaboration with Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford’s oldest independent cinema, explores the playful and provocative relationship between utopia and satire.

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Films in the series

• Tuesday 20 October: El ángel exterminador  (The Exterminating Angel), 1962, Buñuel.
• Tuesday 10 November: Playtime, Jacques Tati. (Please note: This screening is taking place at Ultimate Picture Palace)
• Tuesday 17 November: Kynodontas (Dogtooth), Yorgos Lanthimos.
• Tuesday 1 December: Yek Tasadof-e Sade (It Was Just An Accident), Jafar Panahi. (Please note: This screening is taking place at Ultimate Picture Palace)