Colibel
Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.
YouHeart
I gave it a 7.5 out of 10
Married Baby
Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?
Haven Kaycee
It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
Vorlon007
Viva La Muerte does what it says - Celebrates the idiot class (most humans) and their obsession with death. It shows how far we will go to show our egos, believe in our lies, propagate our savagery. This film shows that despite our belief in sophistication and civility, we are a barbaric species from A-Z. I've read the other reviews on this film and am glad some people found meaning in this portrayal of the lies we perpetuate on ourselves. I believe Arrabel should have been more severe in his depictions of love, lies, hate, nationalism and other bullshit human values. One review said it was a waste of film. I'll tell you what is a waste of film: things like American Beauty, Porky's, Heat, Top Gun, those inane baseball films, and generally most early black and white films. What a load of crap those films are!! Full of snivelling humans crapping on about nothing. Pathetic wastes of time for a pathetic race. Viva La Muerte!!
Joe Stemme
From it's corrosive opening credit sequence accompanied by a haunting child-sung (and used as a sort of chorus throughout and even plays out AFTER the credits end - so stay tuned), to its biting criticism of Franco's regime in Spain (it's title, "Long Live Death" might be considered an ironic echo of Patrick Henry's famous "Give Me Liberty or Give me Death"). The film proper begins and ends with the military proclaiming they will be peace to the country even if they have to kill everybody! The film is told thru patented surrealist devices such as dreams, fantasies, extreme violence, naturist drama & erotic visions - sometimes all at the same time. Arrabal and Cinematographer Jean-Marc Ripert often use imaginative camera tricks including a then-novel use of tinted videotape.With all this, I still can't wholeheartedly endorse the film. Much of it seems random or repetitive. It's clearly indebted to Luis Bunuel, SATRYRICON era Fellini & Jodorowsky (who of course, adapted Arabal's FANDO Y LIS - so the influence is mutual). Some of the visual metaphors are graphic in the extreme: Such as having the Mother (who is clearly symbolic of the morally corrupted country as a whole) actually cutting off the scrotum of a cow (and this isn't faked, in fact this is one film PETA members should not see).A worthwhile curio to seek out. Particularly those partial to Bunuel and Jodorowsky.
damien-16
Whether you like them or not, the images are haunting. I saw this film 31 years ago and still remember some sequences vividly. You might argue that the anarcho-surrealism is intellectualised, a pose. But you cannot deny that it is effective. The message gets across, even if a sledgehammer approach is required. But it also is very poetic: the poetry of cruelty. I suppose this kind of establishment bashing was considered very chic in those days. Now it looks dated, unfortunately. But at the time, it shook me profoundly.
cinemaofdreams
For the reputation it has, Viva La Muerte is a terrific disappointment and a muddled mess that really does not in any way expose the horrors of Franco's Spain but rather exposes Arrabal's juvenile and pretentious preoccupation with perversity and cruelty. The story goes absolutely nowhere, and the characters have all the depth of cardboard. Even fellow "panic" artist Alejandro Jodorowsky (whose first release "Fando Y Lis" is based on an Arrabal play) had a notion of plot and was able to breathe life into the most bizarre characters and shocking situations. For my part I consider this a waste of perfectly good film stock.
