Over the years critics have tried to offer various metaphorical, political, and symbolic explanations for what happens in this film (a group of wealthy diners find themselves inexplicably trapped in a drawing room)—to imbue it with meaning that makes sense to them—but such interpretations ultimately fall apart because none of them were intended. Thus, it is probably best to view it as Buñuel’s ultimate cosmic joke against meaning itself. It’s a cruel joke, but one that works, even as it produces a film that purposefully frustrates. (DVD)