Bunuel pokes fun at human society by bring up traditions and conditions of modern day life that are taken for granted as truth. This is seen in the various tableaux through out the move, 'Phantom of Liberty' or 'Spectator of Liberty'.
For example, when the nurse is driving along the road to see her sick father, she is stopped by the military. They ask her if she has seen any foxes on the road. She tells them no. Next they ask her if she has seen any foxes crossing the road. She say she did not see a thing. Then the soldier tells the other soldier that there were indeed foxes because, "I had first hand information sir. Maybe it's the storm." As idiotic as this may seem, military wasting their time and money on looking for something that is not there, it is not far from truth in the real world. How much time and money did Bush spend looking for, "Weapons of mass destruction," under Saddam Hussein? In the end of the investigation nothing was found.
Bunuel goes on to mock our culture and taboos when the professor attends a respectable dinner party. All seems normal until the party sits on toilets, instead of chairs, at the table. Later he goes to the bathroom alone for a meal. The professor even goes as far to say that he had to cut his trip in Spain short because, "Madrid was filed with the stench of-pardon my language-food. It was indecent." Bunuel points out the strict guide lines that we adhere to in regard to taking in energy, or nutrients and excreting waste, which are both natural bodily functions. Although this scenario may seem far fetched, one begins to question the necessity of our customs and how ridiculous they may be at times.
In the scene of the sniper, it is shown how killers become famous and are set free. He is dubbed the, "Poetic Killer," by the press and has a big court hearing where he is sentenced to death. Some how he is set free to enter the general public again, signing his autograph as he exits the building, because he is now famous. This has been seen in the news. Sometimes criminals that commit heinous crimes somehow are set free and kill again.
Overall, Bunuel does a incredible job of representing society's morals and cultural taboos through the actions of fictitious characters that serve as humorous symbols of our life.
For example, when the nurse is driving along the road to see her sick father, she is stopped by the military. They ask her if she has seen any foxes on the road. She tells them no. Next they ask her if she has seen any foxes crossing the road. She say she did not see a thing. Then the soldier tells the other soldier that there were indeed foxes because, "I had first hand information sir. Maybe it's the storm." As idiotic as this may seem, military wasting their time and money on looking for something that is not there, it is not far from truth in the real world. How much time and money did Bush spend looking for, "Weapons of mass destruction," under Saddam Hussein? In the end of the investigation nothing was found.
Bunuel goes on to mock our culture and taboos when the professor attends a respectable dinner party. All seems normal until the party sits on toilets, instead of chairs, at the table. Later he goes to the bathroom alone for a meal. The professor even goes as far to say that he had to cut his trip in Spain short because, "Madrid was filed with the stench of-pardon my language-food. It was indecent." Bunuel points out the strict guide lines that we adhere to in regard to taking in energy, or nutrients and excreting waste, which are both natural bodily functions. Although this scenario may seem far fetched, one begins to question the necessity of our customs and how ridiculous they may be at times.
In the scene of the sniper, it is shown how killers become famous and are set free. He is dubbed the, "Poetic Killer," by the press and has a big court hearing where he is sentenced to death. Some how he is set free to enter the general public again, signing his autograph as he exits the building, because he is now famous. This has been seen in the news. Sometimes criminals that commit heinous crimes somehow are set free and kill again.
Overall, Bunuel does a incredible job of representing society's morals and cultural taboos through the actions of fictitious characters that serve as humorous symbols of our life.