France
1969
101 minutes
Color
1.66:1
French
402
The first of what Luis Buñuel later proclaimed a trilogy (along with The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Phantom of Liberty) about “the search for truth,” The Milky Way (La voie lactee) daringly deconstructs contemporary and traditional views on Catholicism with ribald, rambunctious surreality. Two French beggars, present-day pilgrims en route to Spain’s holy city of Santiago de Compostela, serve as Buñuel’s narrators for an anticlerical history of heresy, told with absurdity and filled with images that rank among Buñuel’s most memorable (stigmatic children, crucified nuns) and hilarious (Jesus considering a good shave). A diabolically entertaining look at the mysteries of fanaticism, The Milky Way remains a hotly debated work from cinema’s greatest skeptic.
| Pierre | Paul Frankeur |
| Jean | Laurent Terzieff |
| Jesus | Bernard Verley |
| The Virgin Mary | Edith Scob |
| Mother Superior | Muni |
| Richard- "maitre d'hotel" | Julien Bertheau |
| French priest | Francois Maistre |
| Man with cape | Alain Cuny |
| Marquis de Sade | Michel Piccoli |
| The devil | Pierre Clementi |
| The Jansenist | Jean Piat |
| The prostitute | Delphine Seyrig |
| Priscillian | Jean-Claude Carrière |
| Director | Luis Buñuel |
| Screenplay | Luis Buñuel and Jean-Claude Carrière |
| Producer | Serge Silberman |
| Cinematography | Christian Matras |
| Editing | Louisette Hautecoeur |
| Production Design | Pierre Guffroy |
| Costume design | Jacqueline Guvot |
In the mid-sixties, Luis Buñuel became fascinated by the youth rebellion that culminated with the events of May 1968 in Paris and also manifested itself in music, fashion, opposition to institutions, family, and state. Buñuel felt that the forces of his own youth were moving again. As a young . . .
From the moment Luis Buñuel released his iconic Un chien andalou in 1929, ushering avant-garde cinema out of its infancy with the slice of an eyeball, it was clear how much he relished shocking his audiences. But audiences had changed by the time of The Milky Way, four decades . . .
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