Review of Simon of the Desert (1965) by John H — 14 Feb 2013
SIMON OF THE DESERT is patched together from the fragments of a feature begun by Bunuel but cancelled mid-stream because of missing resources, and it shows. Even for a surrealist feature, it lacks coherence (yes, surrealist features have coherence.
.. shut it) and is made up entirely of rough edges and unfinished ideas. But the Bunuelian dryness and wryness is still there, and the subtle lampooning of religious fanaticism is spot on. Yet it's not quite as damning a satire as, say, the secular DISCREET CHARM or EXTERMINATING ANGEL; its affection for Simon is real in spite of his delusion, and there's an odd sense of loss about him during the finale.
Pier Paolo Pasolini once said that he was "an unbeliever with a profound nostalgia for belief". SIMON may reveal that to also be true of Bunuel... at least a little.
This review of Simon of the Desert (1965) was written by John H on 14 February 2013.
Simon of the Desert has generally received very positive reviews.
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