FILM: Theological Follies: Two Films by Luis Buñuel

This one-evening film series explores identity through spirituality in the films of Spanish director Luis Buñuel, perhaps best-known for his Surrealist explorations with artist Salvador Dali. Buñuel’s mid-career films presented here grapple with his ambivalence toward religion, a theme that would preoccupy much of his career.

Date: Friday, November 20 / 7 pm

Simon of the Desert (Mexico, 1965, 45 mins.)
Simon, a deeply religious man, shirks the advances of the Devil by retreating to the top of a pillar. But when Simon finds himself lured to a New York City disco, he begins to question his self-righteousness. This satire on religious fanaticism won the Special Jury Prize at the 1965 Venice International Film Festival. In Spanish with English subtitles. Shown on 35 mm.

The Milky Way (Italy/France, 1969, 98 mins)
Two French pilgrims are met with a series of diversions as they embark on a journey to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela in this comedic stab at religion and faith. The film is the first in what Buñuel would later refer to as a trilogy of “comically surreal satires.” Co-written by Buñuel and Jean-Claude Carriere, the film won an interfilm award at the 1969 Berlin International Film Festival. In French with English subtitles. Shown on 35 mm.