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

BallWubba Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) This is a 43-minute black-and white short film written and directed by Luis Buñuel in his 60s at this point already. It is about a very religious and humble almost prophet-like man who looks apparently a lot older than he actually is because of his long beard and also than the actor who plays him.. When we see him transformed near the end, he looks entirely different and much younger. Anyway, we witness this man's (Claudio Brook's) interactions with all kinds pf people, including the devil in the human form of a blonde woman who exposes herself repeatedly in order to lure the man into sin. Brook was a fairly prolific actor and this can also be said about several of the other actors in here, even if they are probably completely unknown outside the Spanish-speaking parts of America. Oh yeah, with regard to that, you will also need subtitles to understand what's going on if you are not fluent in the language. Finally, I felt that this movie looks even older than from 50 years ago. All in all, I did not enjoy it too much. It had its moments, but all in all I found it underwhelming. Not recommended.

valbrazon This is the second movie of Bunuel as i see. The first one was "Un chien andalou" and i didn't like much. "Simon of the Desert" is completely different and i really liked it.I liked it because the story is really original. It's maybe not a surrealist movie like he did for other movies, but there is something strange in it, for example the ending which is different from the rest of the film. Otherwise, i like the running time which is only 42 minutes, it's not too long or too short.It's based on a true story of the ascetic 5th-century Syrian Saint Simeon Stylites, who lived for 39 years on top of a column.Bunuel could not achieved all desired sequences, due to lack of funds.

Aditya Gokhale It is typical of every religion to preach that self-sacrifice is the path to find God. That giving up all the "pleasures" of the world will purify man. Wonder where those teachings came from, but it is quite a common trait, no matter what religion. Embrace asceticism, rid yourself of the so-called "worldly pleasures" or "sins" and achieve your spiritual or religious goals! The ultimate path to salvation is here! The Catholic teachings are no different, and Luis Bunuel has always been highly critical of organized religion. He has dedicated so many of his films as tools to launch razor sharp, scathing attacks on these beliefs or the Church in general.Loosely based on the real life story of the 5th century ascetic Saint Simeon Stylites, who spent 39 years atop a column ,"Simon of the Desert" is no exception. Picture a bearded monk, Simon (Claudio Brook), devoting his life to ascetic ways. He has already spent six years, six weeks and six days atop a pillar in the middle of the desert, praying for spiritual purification. He has gained a good amount of followers; mostly peasants, some priests and other village folk who believe that he has been blessed with special powers. They come to him for help or deliver some food from time to time. He is offered a brand new, taller pillar as a token of their faith and respect for his sacrifice. Simon continues his act of good faith, keeps delivering sermons and can even seemingly perform miracles.....Sounds like a serious, religious, deeply meaningful, preachy biography of a Saint? Not in the Luis Bunuel universe! Trust Bunuel to turn something that sounds very deep and heavy into a darkly humorous, absurd mock-fest that is unrelenting and uncompromising in its ways so much so as to scandalize half the audiences who could be believers! So this whole God-fearing stuff takes a dramatic turn as some of the priests and peasants start getting critical of Simon and think it is all in vain. Simon is taken to be an arrogant man by some, and a few others think he is faking it. Simon himself begins to deem his actions futile on several occasions. What's more...the Devil shows up too, and tries to "tempt" Simon in his many ways by appearing in the form of a beautiful woman (Silvia Pinal) in an attempt to seduce Simon out of his saintly ways! Will Simon yield to the temptation? Bunuel takes only about 45 minutes to drive his point across and does it with his masterful touch. Accompanied by Gabriel Figueroa's beautiful camera-work, Bunuel makes unpredictable transitions from realism to surrealism to hilarious absurdism all in the miniscule time frame that was available to him. Apparently Gustavo Alatriste, the producer could no longer fund the film for some reasons and that is how Bunuel was forced to abruptly end the film (with a bizarre ending that has been criticized in several write-ups, but do not be misled...it does have its place..and its own charm based on the interpretation), while in reality he wished to add more material to the film. Whatever the reasons, the end result is a highly original, savagely funny and one of the most eccentric works of cinema from the twisted mind of Luis Bunuel.Pay especially careful attention to certain scenes in which Simon mutters random religious ramblings on seeing some ordinary creatures like an insect (that has absolutely no idea of what is going on!) and later tries to do the same with an inanimate object but gives up! Or the scene in which Simon performs a miracle and gives a cripple a new pair of hands...and the eventual consequence of it! Or that brutally funny scene in which some of the priests don't seem to know the meaning of a particular Biblical reference. Every scene drips a lot of really clever writing....and there is no question that this is an exemplary work of genius from the great director.Bunuel's pick of actors add to the amazing experience with their superb performances, especially Claudio Brook, Silvia Pinal and the midget Jesus Fernandez."Simon of the Desert" is the kind of film that leaves you wanting more. Another 45 minutes of running time perhaps? Check out this masterpiece...do not waste anymore time.Score: 10/10.

ErinKan214 Louis Bunuel's "Simon of the Desert" is a great intro into surrealism is you have never viewed a surrealist film before. Simon is a very religious and spiritual man who takes worshiping God to the extreme (in my opinion). The locals seem to praise him but he encounters the devil in multiple forms. The way Bunuel presented the devil was quite funny and made the film a little more lighthearted, even though it still manages to offer up some social commentary on religion. I was shocked to see slight nudity in the film but it really made the film quite funny. I felt that the ending was a little bit too abrupt. I wanted some closure. However, after scrolling through some reviews on IMDb, I found out that Louis Bunuel actually ran out of funds and had to stop production early. What a shame! This film could have really turned into something magnificent. I already think very highly of this film though, it has a nice balance of crazy and sane. Still, Bunuel managed to work the ending in quite well. I had no idea it was not supposed to be so abrupt. This is definitely a film that is layered in symbolism and rich detail. I want to go back and watch it a few more times in order to truly understand what Bunuel was trying to say with this film. Other than the abrupt ending, "Simon of the Desert" is beautiful filmmaking. The characters are strong, the film has funny moments when you do not expect and it is a great example of the extraordinary work Luis Bunuel did.