No Good Deed Goes Unpunished in Viridiana

In Luis Buneul's film, Viridiana, viewers watch the story of a young woman as the realities of life turn her away from her faith. She gives up the convent life because of her uncle and his suicide, and then spends her time on the estate trying to make amends by taking in beggars. However, her generosity backfires when the beggars take over the house and defile its contents. This party scene uses various visual techniques to depict the selfishness of human nature.

The above image shows the beggars' party in full swing, as they use the best linens and china in the house to satisfy their own wants. The table is the focal point for most of this scene and the fine table settings emphasize the filth and depravity that the beggars bring to the house. Close-ups of spills show how the purity of the table is marred. Dining at another man's table is considered an honor and a privilege, and Bunuel really emphasized how the beggars took advantage of Viridiana in this scene. 

The second focus of the scene is of the outcast beggar prancing around to the "Hallelujah Chorus" in Viridiana's aunt's wedding clothes. The clothes serve to emphasize the darkness of the beggar's clothing and his dirtiness. This also crosses the line into impropriety, as trying on another person's wedding outfit, especially to make fun of it, is considered very taboo. It also struck me that he was so willing to try on the wedding veil while Viridiana was so reluctant, which shows a difference in their moral character. 

This last image is perhaps the most controversial of the film, and is the part that religious leaders consider blasphemous. It depicts the beggars on one side of the table in a pose similar to Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. To me, this shot showed just how little Viridiana's faith and generosity were respected by the people she had taken in. Plate described blasphemy as "crossing the lines between the sacred and the profane in seemingly improper ways." This scene fits that definition perfectly as typically profane members of society mock a famous sacred work.