Abismos de pasión

While it's certainly true that Emily Bronte's classic novel appealed strongly to the Surrealists, with the love between Heathcliff and Cathy an almost textbook case of l'amour fou, it must be said that much of Buñuel's adaptation is surprisingly lifeless, a fact perhaps attributable largely to the severe shortcomings of his lead actors. Despite impressive use of arid locations and numerous Buñuelian 'touches' depicting man's capacity for cruelty and violence it's only in the final moments, when Alejandro/Heathcliff, consumed with passion, breaks into Catarina's funeral vault for one more kiss, that the director appears fully engaged with his material.