The Exterminating Angel

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The Exterminating Angel

1963

1h 32m

Comedy

Drama

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

33 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Edmundo Nobile invites friends over for an opulent dinner party. While the guests enjoy their food, the servants disappear one by one. Afterward, the visitors retire to the salon for an evening of music and conversation -- but in the morning, they are mysteriously incapable of leaving the room. As days go by, and they run out of food and water, panic and madness set in. The army and the police arrive, but fail in their attempts to enter the house as conditions inside deteriorate.

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Critics Consensus

Societal etiquette devolves into depravity in Luis Buñuel's existential comedy, effectively playing the absurdity of civilization for mordant laughs.

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Wael Khairy

RogerEbert.com

Sep 28, 2022

Almost 60 years after it was originally released, his film “The Exterminating Angel” has never been more relevant.

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Ed Gonzalez

Slant Magazine

Sep 7, 2003

4/4

If not necessarily Buuel's greatest film, this unclassifiable creation must count as one of the most twisted stunts ever mounted for the screen.

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

May 20, 2003

2/5

My feeling is that his canvas is too narrow and his social comment too plain to keep our interest fixed upon his people and their barren stewing for an hour and a half.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Dec 30, 2024

4/5

…investigates a shared reality tilting towards communal atrophy; it’s a haunting, visionary work by one of the 20th century’s consummate film-makers..

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Penelope Gilliatt

Observer (UK)

Mar 9, 2024

Like all metaphors, The Exterminating Angel is not meant to be extended and explained: it is about panic and suggestibility, about the unconscious, about the reassurance that people feel in the traps of class and superstition.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Oct 9, 2023

7/10

A film in which Buñuel, with a surrealist aesthetic, magnifies a sharp satire on social classes and the chiaroscuros of the human condition. [Full review in Spanish]

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Mix R

@Foxxxy Mar 25, 2026

It was nice, though I think it would be even better if Buñuel was allowed to make it darker and more violent. But otherwise a very good "eat the rich" film.

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Tom M

@RT77934561 Nov 5, 2025

It's the idea behind this that matters. Not as funny as it should be considering its ridiculous premise. But the cast play it for real and the allegory works.

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Eye C

@ECinc Sep 14, 2025

Un interesante pero bizarro experimento social que prende al espectador más por enterarse de qué está pasando que por otra cosa. Las actuaciones van de lo regular a algunas buenas, pero no es lo que sobresale.

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g j

@g.username Mar 9, 2024

An absolute masterpiece. Feels 40 years ahead of its time with a premise that remains chillingly unique and original to this day.

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S R

@ScottR Jan 31, 2024

1001 movies to see before you die. An impressive allegory, full of themes and frustrations of being stuck somewhere. I enjoyed it despite there being no real reason behind things. RUS.

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Alec B

@Alec97 Nov 10, 2023

I love that Buñuel takes these characters seriously while placing them in the most absurd of scenarios. This kind of consideration makes the satire more potent and I bet this movie still makes rich people angry.

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Luis Buñuel

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Silvia Pinal

Leticia "La Valkiria"

Jacqueline Andere

Alicia de Roc

José Baviera

Susan Barrett

Enrique Rambal

Edmundo Nobile

Augusto Benedico

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Synopsis

Edmundo Nobile invites friends over for an opulent dinner party. While the guests enjoy their food, the servants disappear one by one. Afterward, the visitors retire to the salon for an evening of music and conversation -- but in the morning, they are mysteriously incapable of leaving the room. As days go by, and they run out of food and water, panic and madness set in. The army and the police arrive, but fail in their attempts to enter the house as conditions inside deteriorate.

Director: Luis Buñuel
Producer: Gustavo Alatriste
Screenwriter: Luis Alcoriza, Luis Buñuel
Distributor: Reel Media International [us], Facets, Hen's Tooth Video Inc. [us]
Production Co: Producciones Gustavo Alatriste
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 15, 1963, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 17, 2017
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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