La Voie Lactee (The Milky Way)

1969, Luis Bunuel, a real delight to watch, on religion. More surrealist than the other Bunuel films we have seen.
Again, the direction is simple and fluid. Let's talk about Bresson; the same idea recurs here, of simplicity in form. Why is this? The suggestion is that when Bunuel wishes to express that which is inexpressible in interpretation and language, in the gap between thoughts and dreams, the conscious and sub/un, he does not do this by focussing on the image. Instead, his surrealist tropes in dialogue, plot, and characterisation somehow portray and grammar that is inaccesible to analysis. The use of the bizarre words of Christ, the religious epiphanies, the absurdities of dogma that are at once rather beautiful...it does something.
This is obviously a film rather scathing about the relation of Church and Heresy, (the Priest coming through the room like light through a pane....) but is also rather more sympathetic than what ne might immediately think. The simplicity of Mary is intriguing. This film is also genuinely funny.
Whether or not the words of the man at the beginning menat anything, whether or not any of it does, is not really the question to be asked. It is the lazy reviewer who reviews a film by saying 'Watch It', but what is going on here can only be described as what goes on, there is no other language to use around it.
It paces well, is entertaining, and has a beauty.