101 Great Films- # 89 Los Olvidados

#89

1950

Los Olvidados  “The young and the Damned”

Directed by Luis Bunuel

Los Olvidados, is a tough film to watch. 

Critics have called it callous, cold, & sadistic. 

The producers of the movie, were so unhappy with the end of the film they re-shot a alternate happier ending, 

Thankfully Luis Bunuel’s original version is still intact, and the alternate version has been discarded.  

Luis Bunuel

Bunuel’s 1950 masterpiece is not a Hollywood movie, 

IT does not have a sentimental ending; the film  does not have any answers. I’m not sure the film has any compassion at all,

A scene from Los Olvidados

so maybe it is cold, certainly Bunuel gives no help to his audience, he gives very little breathing room.

 Luis Bunuel is an artist, and this is a tough masterpiece

Los Olvidados, loosely translated meaning- The young and the damned,   is a film that I have only watched 

once,some films are just too painful, but don't mistake that comment as bad, this film has some amazing 

images, including one character’s dying vision of Death- as a mangy mutt, leading the dying boy down a long 

dark road, that image will stay with you a long time, maybe those critics are right.

This is what "Precious" could have been if it had been made by a master filmmaker.

Cast and crew of Los Olvidados

 101 Great Films: Los Olvidados

101 Great Films:

101 One False Move

100 Friends of Eddie Coyle

99 Tampopo

98 The Thing

97 Nanook of the North

96 The Battle of Algiers

95  The Third Man

94 Au Revoir Les Enfants

93 Meshes of the Afternoon

92 Alien

91 Young Frankenstein

90  Bull Durham