La Voie lactée
1969 Comedy / Drama
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Summary
Two tramps, Pierre and his younger friend Jean, undertake a pilgrimage to Santiago de
Compostela in Spain, to visit the tomb of Saint James. Along the way, their faith
is tested by an extraordinary range of characters, including Jesus, bizarre priests, the
Marquis de Sade and a prostitute.
Review
Often cited as Luis Buñuel’s most overtly religious works, La Voie lactée
is certainly one of his most intellectually demanding and shamelessly irreverent.
In common with his later satirical films, Buñuel combines a free-flowing narrative
with surreal images and an acute Pythonesque comic slant. The format works well
here because it fits the film’s subject perfectly - the physical journey of the two tramps
is interwoven with a spiritual journey which freely dips in and out of religious history
as and when the mood takes it.
In contrast to many of Buñuel’s other films, La Voie lactée does not directly attack the Church or religion, but rather argues the necessity for and the absurdity of faith. It picks up some of the themes from Buñuel’s earlier film, Simón del desierto (1965), which should be watched in conjunction with this film. Both films contain material which some viewers will find heretical, but both also provide an intelligent and thought-provoking comment on faith and religion. © James Travers 2002
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