Bunuel_Luis_My_Last_Breath

The shoot itself, which took place in Paris in 1972, was marvelous;since the film dealt at length with food, the actors-StkphaneAudran especially-brought all kinds of wonderful things onto theset to eat and drink. I also learned to work with a video setup, ortelevision monitor. Old age had crept up on me, and I was no longerquite so dexterous in adjusting the camera. Now, however, I couldsit >n front of my TV screen, see the same image the cameramansaw, and correct angles and positions without moving from my chair,a technique that saved me endless time and energy.In my search for titles, I've always tried to follow the old surrealisttrick of finding a totally unexpected word or group of words whichopens up a new perspective on a painting or book. This strategy isobvious in titles like Un Chien andzfoa, L'Age dm, and even TheExtminatzng AngeL. While we were working on this screenplay,however, we never once thought about the word "bourgeois~e." Onthe last day at the Parador in Toledo, the day de Gaulle died, wewere desperate; I came up with A bas Mtne, oa La Vzerge u L'ekarte(Down with knin, or The Virgin in the Manger). Finally, someonesuggested L.e Cbam de la boargeozsie; but Carriere pointed out thatwe needed an adjective, so after sifting through what seemed likethousands of them, we finally stumbled upon "discreet." Suddenlythe film took on a different shape altogether, even a different pointof view. It was truly a marvelous discovery.A year later, when the film had been nominated for an Oscar,four Mexican reporters tracked us down at El Paular, where we werealready at work on another project. During lunch, they asked if Ithought I was going to win that Oscar."Of course," I replied between bites. "I've already pad the twentyfivethousand dollars they wanted. Americans may have their weaknesses,but they do keep their promises."A few days later, headlines in Mexico City announced that I'dbought the Oscar. bs Angeles was scandalized; telexes poured in;Silberman flew over in a rage from Paris. I assured him it was all ajoke, but it took quite a while for the dust to settle. Ironically, thefilm did win an Oscar three weeks later.