Nothing Is Sacred: Privation and Piety in 'Simon of the Desert'

A surreal Mexican comedy about the temptations of a hermit sworn to spend the rest of his life on a pillar in the desert in religious contemplation, this mid-length work marked a transition point in the career of master filmmaker Luis Buñuel. While its satire is razor-sharp, the film nonetheless reflects its director's complex and at times contradictory relationship with spirituality, as César Albarrán-Torres argues.

Additional keywords:
Beyond the Multiplex, senior secondary, Luis Bunuel, Simeon Stylites, history, legend, religion, Devil, Mexico, Francisco Franco, Spanish Civil War, politics, atheism