Milky Way, The (1969)

Milky Way, The (1969)

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“My hatred of science and my loathing of technology will one day lead me to this absurd belief in God.”

Synopsis:
As French pilgrims Pierre (Paul Frankeur) and Jean (Laurent Terzieff) travel across historical eras from Paris to the holy site of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, they encounter a variety of individuals debating and/or living out Christian theology.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Christianity
  • Delphine Seyrig Films
  • Historical Drama
  • Luis Bunuel Films
  • Road Trip
  • Satires and Spoofs

Review:
Following the success of Belle du Jour (1967), Luis Bunuel made this more personal film — the beginning of what he referred to as his “trilogy of truth,” followed by The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) and The Phantom of Liberty (1974). As Carlos Fuentes writes in his essay for Criterion, the movie represents a “filmic space-time continuum” in which the lead characters seamlessly move between different eras during their journey, beginning with modern times as they encounter a mysterious prophet in a black cape (Alain Cuny):

… and hopping back and forth between biblical and medieval eras (thus prompting some to note the film’s clear influence on Monty Python).

In a different article for Criterion, Mark Polizzotti provides a nice overview of the film’s Christian themes, noting:

… it is devoted to the six primary mysteries of the faith and to the objections (or heresies, depending on your view) they have inspired. These are: the dual nature of Christ (man or divinity?), the three-in-one nature of the Holy Trinity, the Immaculate Conception, transubstantiation (is the host literally Christ’s body or only a metaphor?), the concept of free will, and the existence of evil (if God is omnipotent, how could he allow sin and temptation?).

Given this focus, the hitch-hikers first land at an inn where a policeman (Claude Cerval) and a priest (François Maistre) are debating — naturally; why not? — transubstantiation, before the priest is hauled away by men in white to a mental institution.

From there, Jean and Pierre encounter a host of historically diverse characters, including the Virgin Mary (Edith Scob):

… Jesus Chris (Bernard Verley) and his followers:

… nuns following Jansenism (a French Catholic movement “which arose as an attempt to reconcile the theological concepts of free will and divine grace”):

… a rock star-ish angel of death (Pierre Clémenti):

… the Whore of Babylon (Delphine Seyrig):

… and the Marquis de Sade (Michel Piccoli), who seems to appear in the film simply to state the following: “There is no God. All religions are based on a false premise, Therese — the necessity of God the creator. But this creator does not exist. All religions bear the emblem of imposture and stupidity. But if one especially deserves our contempt and hatred, it is the barbarous laws of Christianity” (all said as we see faithful ‘Therese’ [Christine Simon] literally shackled).

We also witness a gathering of a Priscillianist sect preaching the belief in dualism (i.e., humans strive towards the Kingdom of Light but we are trapped by our earthly bodies):

… a performance by girls at a boarding school who explain and describe the various heresies as “anathema”:

… a duel between a Jansenist (Jean Piat) and a Jesuit (Georges Marchal) over “predestination and irresistible grace for sinners” (meant to satirically show that the truly faithful will literally put their lives on the line for what they believe):

… and a Spanish priest (Julien Guiomar) breaking the fourth wall — and a literal wall — as he first tells stories about the Virgin Mary, then counsels Jean and Pierre while they’re in their hotel rooms with uninvited guests.

There’s more — but the meandering “storyline” merits viewing rather than reading about if it sounds at all of interest to you. While I applaud Bunuel for deeply exploring interesting and contentious tenets of his faith, this film won’t be for all tastes.

Note: In case you were curious, according to Wikipedia:

The title of the film is taken from a popular name used for the Way of St. James, a route often traveled by religious pilgrims that stretched from northern Europe to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. This is where the remains of St. James were reputed to be buried.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Fine historical sets and costumes

Must See?
No; this one is only for Bunuel fans.

Links:

2 thoughts on “Milky Way, The (1969)”

  1. First viewing (7/30/21). Skip it.

    Once again, Bunuel can’t resist going on and on about Catholics. What’s different this time is that he’s being a bore about it. This is among his worst films.

  2. Never heard of this one but have seen some other Bunuel films down the years (Belle de Jour, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, That Obscure Object of Desire). However, Leonard Maltin’s movie guide certainly liked it a great deal:

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    “Two men making religious pilgrimage through France form basis for string of Buñuel “jokes,” parables, surrealistic visions. Heretical, funny, haunting, thoroughly enjoyable.”

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