Simon of the Desert - Criterion Collection

Product Details

Simón's ritual ordeal ends abruptly in a wildly anachronistic coda, a stroke as brilliant as it is zany ... though how much that was Buñuel's original intention is open to question. The picture runs a mere 45 minutes. In his memoir Buñuel says that producer Gustavo Alatriste "ran into some unfortunate financial problems ... and I had to cut a full half of the film." Alternatively, in a 2006 interview conducted for this Criterion release, Silvia Pinal claims that she and her producer-husband Alatriste had the notion to make an omnibus film starring her in all three short-story episodes: Buñuel's, plus a segment directed by Federico Fellini, plus another by Jules Dassin. Then Fellini and Dassin each proposed casting their actress-wives (Giulietta Masina and Melina Mercouri, respectively) instead of Pinal, so only Buñuel's episode got made. Whichever explanation is true, Simon at 45 minutes is more movie than most films of conventional length, and its unclassifiability as either feature or short subject seems like yet another Buñuelian jest. (U.S. art-house exhibitors in 1969 paired Simon with Orson Welles's 58-minute The Immortal Story to create a viable feature-length program.)

Also on the disc
Filling out the Criterion disc is A Mexican Buñuel, an hourlong 1997 documentary focusing on the director's life in Mexico and how he managed to do his unorthodox thing in that country's commercial cinema from 1947 to 1965. Emilio Maillé's film includes testimony from frequent screenwriting partner Luis Alcoriza (Sancho Panza to Buñuel's Don Quixote, according to Carlos Fuentes), editor Carlos Savage, and actors Roberto Cobo (the horrific Jaibo in Los olvidados, quite delightful in old age), Ernesto Alonso (Archibaldo de la Cruz), and Katy Jurado, among others. All remember their director as "brusque but cordial, always joking," and we hear how he demanded that the great Gabriel Figueroa, cinematographer of Simon of the Desert and other key Buñuel films, forgo the dramatic storm-sky style for which he was celebrated. There are also passages with Buñuel's wife of half a century (with whom he never talked about his work) and clips from a '60s Buñuel interview conducted in English ("I am the black humor!"). Alcoriza speaks of himself and Buñuel as "atheists intrigued by religion," and the film is framed by images of a 1997 attempt to reclaim Simón's column from the peasant's field where it lay for 32 years, taking up ground that might otherwise support "four or five stalks of corn." --Richard T. Jameson

Stills from Simon of the Desert (Click for larger image)

Product Reviews

(5 stars) - apocatastasis
criterion collection usually brings us masterpieces of cinema in the best possible shape,
and they did the same with this classi
somebody who has enjoyed the works of Bunuel( or criterion dvds) can be grateful with this edition, affordable, beautiful, full of nice extras,ect
solo lamento el hecho de que los dvd de criterion no tiene subtitulos en espanol, solo en eeuu mas de cuarenta millones de personas hablan espanol, (que es el tercer idioma mas hablado en el mundo, el primero es el mandarin y el cuarto solo lo hablan en la india asi que solo el ingles y el espanol son idiomas universales)
cuando les pondran subtitulos en espanol a las maravillosas ediciones de criterion?

(3 stars) - Bunuel does religion
Any movie been released by Criterion is an event. Luis Bunuel (not one of my favorites) gets the deluxe treatment his stature deserves with two new titles. The Exterminating Angel ($39.95; Criterion) is one of the surreal provocateur's most accessible works, the amusingly scathing (as opposed to tiresomely scathing, which is where I often find Bunuel resides) look at the upper class by showing a dinner party where the guests simply can't leave. It's like a Voltaire take on Twilight Zone, with this simple premise taken to its logical extreme. The film looks great and extras include a substantial documentary from 2008 featuring arguably the greatest screenwriter (and certainly the greatest adapter) of all time, Jean-Claude Carriere among others, plus some other new interviews. But that's one of his most famous titles. Who but Criterion would also put out Simon Of The Desert ($24.95; Criterion),a 45 minute short about a prophet who camps out on a pillar for six years, six months and six days to show his devotion to G-d only to be sorely tempted by the devil. Extras include interviews, essays and a 1997 documentary. Visit me at michaelgiltz dot com.

(5 stars) - On a column
In perhaps his most overtly anti-religious-institution film, Luis Bunuel depicts a holy man who decides to live an ascetic life atop a column in the Mexican desert. The story was inspired by the story of Simeon Stylites, a Syrian saint who allegedly spent 37 years living atop a pillar. In Bunuel's story, Simon (Claudio Brook) finds himself tempted by Satan, who appears to him as a luscious blonde woman (Silvia Pinal). Even though Simon performs miracles, the local priests are largely unimpressed and try to use him for their own purposes. The movie incorporates elements of Bunuel's trademark surrealism, particularly in the wild ending.

With a runtime of just over 45 minutes, "Simon of the Desert" falls somewhere between a feature length and a short film, resulting in a lean movie. The movie was originally intended to be part of a trio of shorts, and Federico Fellini and Jules Dassin were approached to direct the other two segments. However, they apparently wanted to use their own muses (Fellini was married to Giulietta Masina and Jules Dassin would later marry Melina Mercouri) instead of long-time Bunuel collaborator Silvia Pinal, who balked at this arrangement.

The humor is most definitely anti-religion, especially anti-Catholic, so viewers should beware. I'm not a fan in general of movies that explore religious themes, but Bunuel keeps it light and funny here, even when viciously skewering his subjects. Although Bunuel had made several other anti-Catholic films in Mexico (e.g., "Viridiana"), "Simon of the Desert" was extremely controversial and effectively ended Bunuel's career in Mexico. Bunuel would then move his movie making to France, starting with the masterpiece "Belle de Jour."

The DVD includes two extras: an outstanding documentary delineating Bunuel's filmmaking in Mexico and a short interview with Silvia Pinal. At 55 minutes, the documentary on Bunuel's Mexico phase of his career is actually longer than the movie it accompanies!

(5 stars) - Classic Bunuel!
Is this Bunuel's greatest film? No, not by any stretch. (For me personally that would be Exterminating Angel.) But it offers his classic take on religious hypocrisies in a brisk 45 minutes. The reaction when Simon produces his first miracle especially is one of the great moments in film. (Really, there are so many wonderful small Bunuelian touches. His take on the "priesthood" is hilarious.) I could go on, but it's 45 minutes, just watch the damn thing!

Thank you to Criterion for the flawless print. The film looks and sounds pristine!

(3 stars) - A shorter film but still good
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Simon of the Desert (Simón del desierto) is another Buñuel film that has been talked about for a long time.

It is about a man who has stood on a high column for years without leaving and has people bring him food. He later experiences visions and is tempted by the devil.

This is one of Buñuel's films that has a religious theme and like the other sparked some controversy.

Based on the brevity of this film, people have suggested it be a supplement to a DVD of another Buñuel film, but this DVD also has a supplement which are quite good. The main supplement is a retrospective of all of Buñuel's Mexican films. The other is an interview with Silvia Pinal, who appeared in this film.

I too think the material on this release could have been included on another Criterion DVD of a Buñuel film, but this is still worth buying.

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