I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Luis Bunuel with The Young One (1960). His work has been some of the most interesting I’ve encountered on the 1001 list, but I can’t say that I’ve admired all of it. His early surrealist collaborations with Salvador Dali, An Andalusion Dog (1928) and The Age of Gold (1930), are two seminal works of what would come to be known as “art house” cinema, and are known for their use of disturbing imagery to evoke emotional response. As such, both are monumentally important works in the development of the potential uses of the medium, but neither would score very high on the scale of entertainment value. There is nothing wrong with this, and both are films that are interesting enough to make them worth a viewer’s time, but I think that their primary value is in their influence and not their watchability.
In the final years of his career Bunuel returned to his surrealist roots, making films without any indelible meaning that were ultimately too lofty in their intentions. If this last statement sounds contradictory you must not yet have seen The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972). However, in the middle years of his output the Spanish director made a brief foray into English and French language films, notably with the French Belle de Jour (1967), which many consider to be his masterpiece. The Young One is one of his two works in English, and when I read its brief description on the DVD I was surprised. It’s an exception for Bunuel in both language and subject matter. He did not often make films about “everyday people.” In fact, he didn’t often make films about people at all. As I’ve noted in previous posts, this can be a risk, but such choices defined Bunuel’s career. Often in his movies, characters function simply as the vessels of his message. Here we have three vessels a bit deeper than most of his figures.
A northern black musician, Traver (Bernie Hamilton), who is accused of a rape in the coastal South, escapes to a remote island game reserve. There he meets the small haven’s only inhabitants, Miller (Zachary Scott) the game warden, and Evelyn (Kay Meersman) the granddaughter of a handyman who has just died. While the young girl responds positively to her newfound company, hoping to help him, Miller resents the presence of a black man on what he believes to be his land. The two men tear at each others patience as Traver holds the islanders hostage while he repairs his small boat.
When the regular boatman and a clergyman arrive to handle the issue of the deceased handyman, they inform Miller of the rape allegations made against Traver. As a manhunt ensues across the island the overt racism of the boatman becomes evident. Likewise, evidence emerges to the preacher that his suspicions of an inappropriate relationship between Miller and the young girl are valid. The strained relationships between all five characters are further pushed when, after capturing an injured Traver, inclement weather forces them to spend the night in the island’s two small cabins. The cramped structures are a refuge from rain and wind, but not prejudice and suspicion. As the events play out, Bunuel adopts his usual laissez faire stance, letting the action speak for itself.
Like The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978, # 163) this is a film in which racism deeply affects the lives of its characters. But where Jimmie Blacksmith felt forced and overstated, The Young One presents Traver’s plight as a fact of life that he understands and has a calculated response to. This is not a film of easy answers and a nicely-wrapped ending. Most of the men here have made or must make hard decisions that will affect more lives than their own. The realism in this aspect is a value that can’t be overlooked, and one that make The Young One my new favorite film by a director I’m still trying to figure out.
Grade: 3 Hats Off
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