L'Age d'or (1930) *****

Brilliant and scandalous film by Luis Bunuel. It opens with a documentary about scorpions and its dramatic structure bears a certain resemblance to that animal's anatomy - the conclusion (i.e. the tail) is venomous, guaranteed to offend every pious Christian. The second instalment in Luis Bunuel's "surrealist quartet" of French comedies, preceded by "Un Chien andalou" (1929), and followed by "Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie" (1972) and "Le Fantome de la liberte" (1974).