Year: 1965
Director: Luis Bunuel
Country: Mexico
Language: Spanish
A while ago I gave great praise to Luis Bunuel's Belle De Jour, a marvelous film about a depressed housewife who inexplicably decides to become a prostitute. Bunuel not only struck gold with that film, starring French icon Catherine Deneuve, but has also made several other gems including The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Virdinia and the creepy experimental silent Un Chien Andalou. The film currently being reviewed is the religious Simon of The Desert.
In the film, the ascetic Simón believes he is a sinner and decides to self-inflict a sacrifice, living like a hermit on the top of a pedestal in the middle of the desert to be closer to God and resist the temptations of the world. His followers are peasants and travelers that believe that Simón is a saint capable of performing miracles and they crowd to hear his speeches. However, Satan tries to tempt him with the pleasures of the world.
During the 1930's director Luis Bunuel was forced to self-exile from his home country of Spain, due to the ongoing Spanish Civil War. He set his sights on the country of Mexico; due to the poor state of the country's struggling film industry Bunuel was given all the artistic freedom he could handle. Eventually he would make the greatest films Mexico had ever seen, meet his future wife Silvia Pinal and his future producer Gustavo Alariste. Together they made a trilogy of extremely controversial films that would challenge the political and religious landscape. Viridiana, The Exterminating Angel and this movie, Simon of the Desert form this trilogy.
Loosely based on the real life story of Saint Simeon Stylites, a monk who like Simón, decided to spent his days at the top of a pillar, Simon of the Desert is a strange and surreal that almost parodies the real story. This film feels like a smarter version of Monty Python's Life of Brian. Like the Python gang, Bunuel doesn't criticize the religion, but he does criticize the followers of it. The followers are seemingly too passive, and the leaders are dehumanized because they lack humility. Simon isn't a likeable character, he has quite a big ego and thinks he is wiser than everybody else because he assumes that he knows the "right" way to please God.
Simon's holiness is as corrupt as the devil's wickedness. The devil is being played by the gorgeous Silvia Panal, who does a remarkable job. Though the film is only 45 minutes long, it never overstays its welcome. The plot isn't dragged out and the message remains poignant. Perhaps it could have been a bit longer to make the ending have more sense, however Bunuel's films are an inch from insanity, we should not expect total comprehension.
In conclusion, Simon of the Desert is a masterful parody of religious hypocrisy. It remains funny without insulting anybody's intelligence and without insulting the religious values themselves. Monty Python's Life of Brian obviously has a different way of using satire, and both work well, but I enjoyed this just a bit more, especially with the insane ending. Praise it! 5/5
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