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Viva la muerte As the Spanish Civil War draws to a close, Fando, a young boy, is tormented by violently conflicting feelings towards his mother, who he suspects may have had a role in his father’s capture by fascists; feelings that manifest themselves as a nightmare onslaught of terrifying and bizarre imagery. Based on Fernando Arrabal’s own brutal experiences during the Civil War, Viva la muerte is a shockingly provocative work of surrealist cinema from the artist and filmmaker, who co-founded the ‘Panic Movement’ collective alongside Alejandro Jodorowsky. Acclaimed on release by critics and scorned by censors, Viva la muerte would later achieve notoriety as a midnight movie, and was a favourite film of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Restored in 4K with the collaboration of Fernando Arrabal, Radiance is proud to present Viva la muerte on English-subtitled Blu-ray for the first time ever. LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES New 4K restoration of the original 35mm negative by the Cinémathèque Toulouse in collaboration with Fernando Arrabal Audio discussion from the Project Booth podcast featuring Mike White, Heather Drain and Jess Byard (66 mins) Sur les traces de Baal - a short documentary by Abdellatif Ben Ammar in which the filmmaker followed Arrabal’s film and captured him at work on Viva la Muerte! (1970, 20 mins) VIDARRABAL - a feature-length documentary on Arrabal by Xavier Pasturel Barron capturing the life and work of this singular filmmaker, playwright, painter and essayist, featuring interviews with admirers, friends and family, including members of the Panic Movement he founded (2011, 98 mins) Interview with scholar and Spanish cinema expect David Archibald (2024) Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork Booklet featuring new writing by Sabina Stent and archival interview with Fernando Arrabal Limited Edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings WATCH TRAILER This item is included in the multi-month Bundle Package "2024 Bundle", customers who ordered this package will automatically receive this release as part of Bundle 8 which includes: Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza, Viva la muerte and World Noir Vol 2. Viva la muerte is also available in USA/Canada from our partners MVD, Diabolik, Orbit, Grindhouse, Rough Cut Canada and others Year: 1971 Cert: 18 Format: Blu-ray Region: ABC RAD066BDLE EAN: 5060974681266 Release date: 26/08/24
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Long Live Death (1971)
90 min
At the end of the Spanish civil war, Fando, a boy of about ten, tries to make sense of war and his father's arrest. His mother is religious, sympathetic to the Fascists; his father is accused of being a Red. Fando discovers that his mother may have aided in his father's arrest. Sometimes we witness Fando imagining explanations for what's going on; sometimes we see him at play, alone or with his friend Thérèse. Oedipal fantasies and a lad's natural curiosity about sex and death mix with his search for his mother's nature and his father's fate. Will Fando survive the search?