The Milky Way

1969 Director Luis Buñuel

This is the first of what Luis Bunuel later proclaimed a trilogy about "the search for truth". The Milky Way (La Voie Lactee) daringly deconstructs contemporary and traditional views on Catholicism with ribald, rambunctious surreality.

Two vagabonds are making their way from Paris to Spain on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of Saint James are believed to be kept. While their journey begins in the 20th Century, as they travel they seemingly develop the ability to move through time and space as they pass through a variety of historical scenes taken from a broad range of theological texts and all involving heresy in one form or another. As they walk the long road to Santiago de Compostela they encounter Jesus who decides not to shave his beard to keep his mother happy; a young boy with stigmata and unusual powers; the Marquis de Sade who patiently struggles to teach atheism to a young girl he's captured; an eccentric priest who has an irreversible belief in transubstantiation until he changes his mind; two men who put their debate over Catholic dogma to the test in a duel with swords; and Satan who shows up just in time for a car wreck.

This is a diabolically entertaining look at the mysteries of fanaticism. The Milky Way remains a hotly debated work from cinema's greatest skeptic. While Luis Bunuel never made a secret of his skepticism about the existence of God, he was also raised as a strict Spanish Catholic and remained fascinated with the church's teaching throughout his life. Apparently, each of the film's historic episodes was adapted faithfully from an actual biblical text or historical account.