Review of The Young and the Damned (1950) by Ricardo O — 22 Feb 2010
Los Olvidados is Luis Buñuel at his most conventional yet. It owes a lot to the Italian Neorealism movement of the second half of the '40s. While it is a very honest and realistic portrayal of poverty in the capital of Mexico it also still has a few parts that are surreal and very much Buñuel. It's subjects are children living in poverty who rob, vandalize, and sometimes murder just so they can survive in the city. Watching the film I could not help thinking of films such as The Bicycle Thief and Satyajit Ray's incredible Apu Trilogy the whole time. The camerawork is nicely done with some striking angles and the acting from all the children are very realistic, it feels like you're watching more of a documentary than a piece of fiction. The scenes where innocent people are being beaten are pretty shocking at first and showing the beating of a hen was incredible. A review of this film wouldn't be complete without mentioning the dream sequence that is done so sublimely.
This definitely ranks as one of the greatest films of all time and certainly one of the Buñuel's best works. Highly recommended. 10/10.
This review of The Young and the Damned (1950) was written by Ricardo O on 22 Feb 2010.
The Young and the Damned has generally received very positive reviews.
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