Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

felixoteiza The most ironic thing I see in this Buñuel is how strenuously Simon fights his sexual urges, violently awakened in the occasion by a sultry, curvaceous, Devil...while standing on what must be the biggest phallic symbol a hundred miles around. I think such image resumes the best what SOTD is all about: the fact that the farthest we humans think we have gotten away from our own nature—through physical effort, willpower--the tighter we are attached to it. That's the tragedy and comedy of our human condition, that we can't escape our nature, that of being minds and souls striving to reach a spiritual reality while being incapable of escaping our animal trappings, urges. We may expel them through the front door, thought they have gone for good, yet in the meanwhile they have gotten back by the kitchen door. That's, I think, the subject on which Buñuel focused his film, consciously or not--the futility of all asceticism, the lack of meaning of any human search for spiritual transcendence or purity--rather than just trying to mock established religion. Buñuel is that misleading to many; they think for ex. that The Exterminating Angel is about nothing, just a joke, while it really focuses on the mental traps we build for ourselves.Now there's nothing insulting in saying that Buñuel wasn't aware of what he was doing when shooting this or his other films. That's how real genius generally works, with the artist not even realizing what he's doing. True genius is not rational but intuitive. The artist does his artwork in a given way, including diverse elements, some of which apparently shouldn't be there, not because the logical mind tells him to do so, but simply because "it seems right". Such a thing, image, sound, fits there nicely so he'll add it to the whole. It's only when the art wok is complete that is makes sense, or should maybe.SOTD works very adequately that particular no man's land straddling the humane and the divine, between the everyday and the transcendental; something that has always intrigued me, because also an inescapable element of our human condition. For ex., one thing that has always intrigued me is how Man creates--or acknowledges, if you are a believer--the divine only to smirch it, to make it pedestrian in the next step. I'm thinking, for ex., about an old "recipe" for hard boiled eggs--put them in boiled water the time for three Hail Marys. Or wondering how Jesus handled events that usually make any of us fume; for ex, while he was still a kid, helping Joseph in his carpenter shop, did he let go a swear word when he hit his thumb instead of the nail?. That's another angle on which SOTD works; when, for ex., Simon mixes his prayers with trivial comments about his body functions, symptoms; or about the stupidity of someone around, about even the sudden realization that he may be talking nonsense instead of reaching new peaks of wisdom. But the best ex. is that of the thief hitting his kid with his miraculously given back hand. Buñuel's message here is clear: Man can't just handle divinity, transcendence; all he can do is to build mockeries of them. Just like the pillar--phallus on which Simon carries out his futile endeavor.The cinematography here is adequate without being superb--many shots from atop the pillar and the corresponding under it, looking up, as to emphasize the only two possible locations for every character—but we have to marvel at Figueroa's work, when all what he had in front of his lenses was the pillar and the desert. As for direction, Buñuel seems to have given great freedom to his actors, just told them what to do, do a few takes and then select the one he liked better. This is particularly true for Pinal and Brook. One has to admire also the great versatility of Mexican actors, for whom no scene seems to be too shocking, absurd or surrealistic. Both elements together make for great comic moments, amongst others, Simon pompously giving the could shoulder to his mom--his "mission" is far more important--and Pinal's Devil acting as a happy-go-lucky, carefree girl. The ending may be interpreted in many ways, but I think the idea behind it is, how things in life that tempt us--and to which we resist for a time, as Simon does towards earthly pleasures--appear trivial, ordinary once we succumb to them. Pinal herself, a sultry vixen while only a temptation, becomes a regular gal in night clothes when she finally gets him where she wants him. Man can't handle the transcendental I said, because even the transcendental he turns it into the pedestrian.In all a daring, imaginative, if short, surrealistic movie; one that will surely leave an impression on you, whatever that impression may be. Also said to have inspired Monty Python's Life Of Brian. Unfortunately that inspiration doesn't seem to have gone deep enough to make this last go beyond the lame joke and the man-in-drags routine. 8/10.

CoolReviewBro If you hold firm religious convictions and spiritual sentiments you may find this movie offensive and sacrilegious. But if you're open to analyze and interpret a film that is unique, entertaining, surreal, and often times bizarre then watch Luis Buñuel's Simon of the Desert. Indeed, one of the most striking influences in this film is the satanic influence from beginning to end. I don't mean this in the "there are hidden satanic messages embedded in this film that will make you take blood oaths, sacrifice goats, and commit to the life of a fallen angel" but consider that after 6 months, 6 weeks, and 6 days (number of the "satanic beast") Simon leaves his old column and accepts a newer, larger, taller, and more ostentatious column bequeathed by a wealthy townsman who was "inspired" by Simon's spiritual feat. Really think about this moment and the mistake Simon made in accepting the new column.Simon, as an ascetic, continually rejects "earthly pleasures" and material objects like adequate food, water, and rations throughout the film. Additionally, Simon seems to reject Satan's advances and temptations (played by a very attractive she-devil). While this may seem like a portrayal of Simon's spiritual strength throughout the film, know that Simon was ultimately doomed from the start by accepting the larger, newer column. It was 6 months, 6 weeks, and 6 days into his spiritual quest that Simon failed and gave into Satan's temptations by accepting the new column.By accepting the column Simon essentially accepted Satan, which is why he has no say in taking the journey to Hell at the end. Maybe Simon would have been saved if he recognized his folly and repented. However, he didn't, which is why Simon is doomed to Hell (the nightclub) at the end of the film. When Simon tells Satan he wants to go home, she tells him he can't. If you wanna know why, just go back to the beginning of the film when Simon gave into Satan's temptation by accepting the new column. So all in all, Simon should have taken advice from rapper Immortal Technique who suggests that "when the devil wants to dance with you, you better say never because the dance with the devil might last you forever."

Kerrie (FightinTexasAggies) Although this movie seemed a bit weird and strange to me, overall I really enjoyed it. If it had not been for the comedic humor evenly placed throughout the film, I do not think I would have liked it as much. To me, the humor is what made the film stand out.Luis Bunuel is an amazing director full of ideas and symbolism. Throughout the film Simon is constantly being tempted by different things that symbolize the devil. Trying to stay true to God, Simon keeps trying to resist. The devil comes to Simon in many different forms, for example, as a sexy seductress and as an old haggish looking lady. All of the ways in which the devil tried to take over Simon seemed to be very eerie. The end of the movie is where I became confused, just when you think that Simon's prayers to God would not be answered, the film all of a sudden switches to a disco-like scene with everyone partying and dancing around. In this scene you can also tell that the devil never left because it is there with him yet again, but in a different form of another seductress. I took this as a parallel to life and how evil never truly escapes wherever you are. At first, this scene lost me but after thinking about it I began to realize maybe why Bunuel did this. Overall this film was great, as long as you do not hold your religious views to be very strict and serious.

samharmon23 Simon del Desierto was a very different movie to me. Interesting though. I found many parts funny. Comedy is always good to have in film. It also relayed a neat message. This man stands on this pillar for days, weeks, even months just barely eating and drinking only taking in enough to survive. He is trying to be as close to God as possible. To be sinless for the most part. But as he is up on his pillar praying and fasting and just trying to lead the people to do a Jesus would he is constantly being tempted by the devil. The devil reveals himself to the man in many forms. Coming once as a seductive woman trying to get into his thoughts and make him surrender himself to her but he prays to get this devil away from him and his prayer is answered and the devil turns into its true form which was a dirty, nasty, old hag lady. The devil never stops though coming up with different plans of making this man mess up all he is working for. He even posses one of the other clergy men and puts poison into the man on the pillars food but he is caught again and the pillar man orders the devil leave the man and he is cast out of that guys body in and exorcist kind of manner. It is very creepy. But then there comes a time when it seems like his prayers were not answered and all of the sudden he is on a skyscraper in like New York at a party sipping on a drink and the devil is there with him in the form of another attractive lady. That is the part in where it kind of lost me but over all this movie was pretty interesting.