La voie lactée / The Milky Way (1969) – 2/5

Buñuel vs. the Church – Round 1: Fight!

„La voie lactée“ or „The Milky Way“ (doesn’t the English title sound so much more familiar?) is a co-production between France, Italy and West Germany from 1969, so this film will have its 55th anniversary next year or probably it happened already unless you came here really briefly after me posting this review. There are also all kinds of different languages included here, but French is really the dominant one, which also makes France probably the defining country. I am still a bit surprised to see West Germany listed here because I have seen and reviewed numerous films by writer and director Luis Buñuel recently and he originates from Mexico (and Spain) and most of his films have France listed as a production country or Italy and Spain you will also find often, but Germany is something new. It is also quite something that this is the case for a film that can be considered a definite contender for being Buñuel’s most provocative work, even if it is nowhere near his most see. I would not really call it thought-provoking. I mean I would love to, but to be honest I also think this is maybe the worst from the eight films I have seen by Buñuel over the last week or so. So it is not super great that this is the one that features my country in the production details. Anyway, as with most other French-focused films, Buñuel has Jean-Claude Carrière on board here who was still in his 30s while Buñuel himself was almost 70 and his big awards glory at the Oscars was still ahead. It came for films that are definitely less on the controversial side compared to this one here. But I talked about those on another occasion, so now let’s look at this one here in particular: Maybe you think first of the chocolate bar when you hear the title or you think first of the astronomic phenomenon of course, but you will not really get either with this movie. I am still not sure why it was called like that. Maybe Buñuel just wanted to get in a reference to space and science and how the universe was created and that it was not one almighty person according to him.

This film runs for over 100 minutes, which makes it one of the longer works by Buñuel. He never really got close to the two-hour mark, so this is as long as it gets for him. As for the cast, you will again find some people that Buñuel has worked with on quite a few occasions, but also names that are maybe only in this film from him. I will not go into detail there really, but let me mention Seyrig and especially Piccoli, who has been in so many films by Buñuel. Same is true for Muni, who once again has a one-scene performance here if I am not mistaken. Oh and Carrière you will also once again find in a small role. Same is true for Buñuel himself as I just read. Apparently, he is the one who portrays the pope in here and that would still be nothing special, if it wasn’t a short sequence in which we see the pope stand there and an execution squad shows up and shoots him. Now I mean this is not the first time that Buñuel has made films that the Vatican is probably not too happy about and I read some of the stuff he did resulted in his movie(s) getting banned, but this scene is really taking it to the next level. I mean just see it in perspective of the scene it comes with. Apparently, it was the visual depiction of one character’s thoughts when he was watching a stage show with very young girls from a religious school. Buñuel must really have hated the Church I am sure. I wish he could have made a film though on the issue that also has a good plot, quality writing and nice attention to detail, but this is not it. It was pretty weak from beginning to end. Maybe not completely failure territory, but the absence of subtlety here makes me shake my head. Sometimes less is more indeed and it surely could have been for this film.

Of course, there are more scenes that stayed memorable: One example would be the inclusion of the little boy who is really kind and helps the two men get a car to continue their travel. Then there is the scene with these two protagonists again and they are allowed into a place to eat, but the moment they ask another guest, a religious man, a question linked to the bread, they are punished and thrown out immediately. No critical thinking wanted there it seems. The way the Virgin Mary is depicted here was probably also not too much to the liking of believers. You could say that the first scene, except that they probably would not want her holy women connected to this film whatsoever, was still alright when she shows up and gives one man a chain. But when she lies there in bed towards the end and goes to sleep a little later, she feels very human and I am sure religious viewers were not happy at all with this presentation. And let me not even get started on the scene when that one character really shoots a chain that has the cross (or Cross?) on it. Blasphemy galore. Those two were also the ones, not the original wanderers, who interrupted a holy ceremony with their criticisms and had to fear for their lives as a consequence as they are being chased around. So yeah, the film is really packed with anti-Church symbolisms, scenes and statements in a way where 80 minutes definitely would have been sufficient too. I liked some of the other stuff I watched by Buñuel, but this film here did very little for me, even if I am sure you could elaborate for ages on all the religion-themed inclusions and reference.

Sadly, there is nothing else really. Except one or two beautiful women perhaps. Take the stunning Edith Scob. May she rest in peace. Most cast (and crew) members are here no longer with us of course given the film’s age, but Christine Simon is an exception as she was still a girl back then. Anyway, it may seem unrealistic, but if anybody still has not understood by the end of the movie how much Buñuel despises Christianity, he makes it inevitably clear before the closing credits roll in with a few more letters and words he put on the screen then. Oh and you do not only see the Virgin Mary in here. In fact, we also see Jesus on a few occasions and it was also him I think who on one occasion has the bread to share and first you think he only gives very small pieces to his two friends there, but then you see he gives them everything else too, but quickly you realize that this is not an act of kindness, but he needs his hands free for two girls coming his way there. One of them was actually really stunning. And if these acts from Jesus weren’t questionable enough already, we have him elaborate freely later on how he is on this planet and in the minds of the people not to do them any good, but bring evil, especially if they love their parents, children or partners more then Jesus Christ. So yeah, Buñuel really did not leave anything out here. It is almost fascinating to watch from this perspective. He also gets in a really creepy character on one occasion, who can move as fast and effortlessly as it gets when we see him in the car with the dead man. It is the Angel of Death.

I guess this is almost all then. If there is any reason to watch this film, then it is probably because it is almost a bit of a car crash in motion. Difficult to look at, difficult to look away. Here and there, it has its moments, not gonna lie, but I am not convinced as a whole. I personally found the film also interesting because it includes the Camino a bit, a really famous path for wanderers, also non-religious wanderers, like myself to go on for a few weeks. Still, France is my preference when it comes to that. Anything else I can add before the end approaches? No pun intended. The character limit I mean. Oh yeah, this is maybe the Buñuel film that has more scenes outside than any other. I was not really used to that compared to the other films I watched him over the last months. But it makes sense with the two protagonists and their journey. Was almost a bit symbolic they got thrown out of the car so quickly there. That is all then. Maybe I can still mention the sword fight that was supposed to show how barbaric certain believers are/were or the inclusion of nudity (not too much) and the idea f the woman giving birth at some point to two children where the protagonists are the fathers, so Buñuel also made a close connection there as well between religion and prostitution. He probably did a lot more the Church will hate here that I did not grasp right away, but it is a film I have zero intention to give a rewatch any time soon. I did not find it entertaining or memorable or insightful. So it’s a thumbs-down from me. Pity as I liked the beginning and how it begins almost as a documentary elaborating on Compostela and the origins of the name. But yeah, after having seen the entire thing I have to say: Watch something else instead.