Ok, he's just hung himself and his lifeless hand is clutching a book. Why did he do it and what’s book have to do with it? I can’t read Spanish.
WHAT THE HELL IS AN ALUMINUM FALCON!?!
I think he hung himself because his church had been burned and the republicans who had just taken control were secular. Too much *beep* to handle, I guess.
I have no idea about the book.
I know this answer is late, but he definitely didn't commit suicide because of the reds burning his church: the place he hang himself was the church, so that explenation is stupid. The book that he has is one by Miguel de Unamuna, a notable Spanish philosopher of the first half of the 20th century, very influential especially during the 20s and 30s. At first he was strongly religious but he lost his faith as his philosophy took him to conclude that the christian god couldn't exist. He wrote his thoughts in several books, and probably the priest was inspired by the thoughts and agreed, so decided to commit suicide as he lost his faith. It is, apart from a comic move (even if he hangs himself, they take it lightly and kiss and ignore religion), a comment on the Spain of those times: arcaic, with very traditional customs, but the traditional church was dying in favour of modernization - or so they thought during the republic.
The three best films ever:
Smultronstället
La Règle du jeu
La Caduta degli dei
Reds?
shareI wondered about that too but history doesn't support it.
shareHints are given of the priest’s uneasiness but not enough, in my view, to explain his suicide. I think we just have to take it that he felt the bleak existential despair outlined in the book by Unamuno, a man he had met and admired.
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