THE MILKY WAY (LA VOIE LACTEE)

Spain, 1969,
Paul Frankeur, Laurent Terzieff, Alain Cuny, Edith Scob, Michel Piccoli, Pierre Clementi.
Directed by Luis Bunuel.

Veteran director, Luis Bunuel, had been using religious and Catholic themes as the targets of his critique, Nazarin, El, the Last Supper parody in Viridiana. He made The Milky Way (1969) where his pilgrims on the way to Compostella enter into the Gospel stories: Jesus about to shave and a statue-like Mary urging him to keep his beard, Jesus at Cana and discussions about him laughing.

By this time in his career, Bunuel was back in his native Spain after some decades and prolific film-making in Mexico. The story is told that he said, ‘Thank God, I’m an atheist’. However, he had a Dominican friend, a friar who had denounced Viridiana. Bunuel shows here a great knowledge as well as a satiric appreciation of the Christian, Catholic, tradition. The pilgrims encounter a great number of heresies and discuss Transubstantiation, the equality between good and evil, Gnosticism, the Inquisition and hell – with a flash to the Marquis de Sade.

The screenplay was written by Bunuel’s collaborator on Belle de Jour, Jean Claude Carriere, who began writing in 1961 and was still writing prolifically after 2000. For more of Bunuel on God, his Simon of the Desert (1965) is a comic meditation on St Simon Stylites.

1. The work of Luis Bunuel. His film career, exile from Spain, antagonism towards the Catholic Church, fascination with religion and its critique, his personal humanism, his contribution to cinema art, surrealism and the influence of Salvador Dali? His age at making this film and its being hailed at the time as one of his last? Its place within his filmmaking?

2. The style and structure of the film: the picaresque form and the succession of events in the life of the pilgrims, their passing through France, journeying to Spain? Stylish colour photography, use of locations? The range of events along the way? The visualising of church history? The lavish presentation of the past? The intermingling of past and present?

3. The final comment of the film on the accuracy of presentation of church doctrine? The opening and the remarks about St. James and Compostella? Christianity and its pilgrimage throughout the centuries? The significance of the title and the image of the Milky Way - religion amongst the stars? The title as a satiric comment on church history? The influence of the past on the present - good or bad, both? The role of religion in the contemporary world, sensible or not, humane or not, truly religious or not?

4. The final comment of Jesus from the Gospel and his coming to cause dissension and bring a sword upon the earth? The highlighting of the consequences of Jesus preaching in the heresies of the church? The presentation of doctrine - the letter of doctrine, interpretation and explanation? The repercussions of doctrine? The six major areas of heresy: the question of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist; the origin of evil and the gnostics; the dual nature of Christ; grace and free will; the Trinity; Marian doctrines?

5. The style of the film: colour photography. the use of locations, the decor and costumes in the range of church history, spectacle and pageant? The presentation of biblical scenes - echoing religious art, popular holy cards, kitsch style? The realism and the parody? The musical score? The use of hymns? The use of a large cast of French stars?

6. The focus on Compostella, the apostolic connection with St. James, a place of pilgrimage, superstition and true religion, the goal of a pilgrimage, its spirit? The irony of the ending with the prostitute saying the shrine contained the wrong bones? The pilgrims and the man with the cape (and his dwarf)? Impact. significance? The quotations from the prophet Hosea about religion, Israel and its relationship with God ? the image of lover and prostitute? The symbolic names of the children? The spirituality of Hosea ? God wanting obedience. not sacrifice? The use of quotations from Hosea in the New Testament ? especially against the Scribes and Pharisees? The literal relationship with the prostitute and the pilgrims at the end of the film? Ambiguous images of religion, from the Old Testament?

7. The portrayal of Jesus? The Jesus figure - Jesus as real person? The parody, how gentle, of the Holy Family at Nazareth? Mary appearing like the statue? The carpenter shop? Jesus and his being about to shave? His mother persuading him to keep his beard? The ironic touch with the humanity of Jesus? This being continued with questions about whether Jesus laughed or not? The marriage feast of Cana and Jesus enjoying it? His telling of the parable of the servant with such vigour? Jesus as an actor and the acclaim of the audience? The dilemma with the running out of wine? Mary and her word to the servants and to Jesus, his traditional answer, the miracle? The final miracle of Jesus with the apostles. the encounter with the blind men, his healing the blind men and their gradually seeing? Jesus' final words about coming to bring a sword, not peace? The reverent/irreverent treatment of Jesus? Bunuel's attitude towards Jesus as a person, his message? As different from his views on Christianity?

8. Pierre and Jean as the pilgrims? Their initial encounter with the man with the cape? The puzzle about his quotations? Puzzle at seeing the dwarf? Their being 20th century pilgrims on the contemporary road., their needing lifts? Their being given one and their swearing in relief and being ousted? Going to the inn where the priest was disputing about the Eucharist and the innkeeper being kind but the police and the priest throwing them out? Their puzzle about the encounter with the shepherd in the storm? Their encounter with the 4th century heretical group and their ceremony? The concert of young children in Bordeaux and the pleasant picnic, the irony of the children uttering the denunciations of doctrine from church councils? Their encounter with Rodolphe and François at the inn. the 16th century men and their moving into the 20th century story? Meeting them finally at the inn? The final encounter with the prostitute in Compostella? Their personalities their interaction with one another? Manner. behaviour. memories? Jean's age, experience, his declaration of his belief in God? The two men representing the ordinary citizen on his pilgrim path?

9. The drama, the parody, the comedy of the individual incidents along the way: the inn and the discussion between the priest and the policemen, the theological argumentation about the Eucharist, the hunger of the pilgrims. their being spurned by the police and the priest, the kindness of the innkeeper, the ambulance men coming for the priest? the restaurant and its stylishness, the master of the restaurant and the discussions about the person of Christ, the guests being involved, their being against the pilgrim beggars? Bordeaux, the friendliness of the institute and the staff, the concert, the children and their concert item quoting church councils and the anathemas? the inn and the two Spaniards, their escape from their pursuers, their involvement with the church group and their denunciation of the Trinity, their changing into 20th century hunters' clothes, their arrival at the inn? the innkeeper and the priest and the discussion about the Virgin Mary, the separate rooms for the hunters, the woman suddenly appearing in the bed, the discussion with the priest outside the door, the Jesuit appearing in the other room? The surreal comedy of these encounters? the prostitute and the final prophecy?

10. The doctrines considered, the nature of heresy in the history of the church, heresy and divisions, orthodoxy, fierce loyalties and fighting? The relevance of the doctrines?
(a) Transubstantiation: the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the language of theology, the discussion in the inn, discussions about bread and wine, realism and symbolism of the Eucharist, literal interpretations, such theological discussion in casual cafe discussion? The priest and his violence, the emergence of his being mad? His being taken away? The comment on a mad priest putting forward doctrines of the Eucharist?
(b) Priscillian and his heresy? The origins of good and evil? Evil as equal to good? The gnostic tradition and the discussion in territory traditionally associated with the Albigensians? The elaborate ritual of the group. the use of Latin for prayer and conversation, the shepherd speaking in Latin? The bishop? The faithful? The finishing of the prayer and the movement towards sensuality and sexuality? The spirituality of the soul unrelated to the needs of the body? Bishop Priscillian and the women? The bizarre aspects of church history and the gnostics and their later successes?
(c) The stylish restaurant? The head waiter and his knowledge about the natures of Christ, the waiters doing their work and suddenly bursting into questions of theology, the involvement of the customers? The flashbacks to visualising Jesus? For example. whether Jesus laughed or not?
(d) The pilgrims finding themselves in discussion about grace and free will? The Jesuits and their traditions of education and theology? The Jansenists and their severity? The clash in the church? The nun being crucified and the satire on strict Jansenist practice? The duel of words, of swords? The later reappearance of the Jesuit in the room of the Spanish young man? The parody in the swashbuckling style of the theological duel?
(e) The Inquisition and its severity, torture, interrogations about orthodoxy, the two young men shouting slogans against the Trinity and their having to escape? The grim aspect of religious persecution?
(f) The discussion by the parish priest in Spain of Mary, visions, the rationale of Mary as mother of God? Disbelief and the young man having a vision of Marg? Her appearance in the style of holy cards and of the flashbacks to Jesus' life?
(g) The flashback to the Marquis de Sade and his sadism, torture, reflections on the meaning of life?
(h) The discussion about Hell and the radio broadcast (Bunuel himself speaking this part)?
(i) The pilgrims and their anger at the car not giving them a lift, the wishful thinking and the crash? The encounter with the Angel of Death and the discussion about judgment, Heaven and Hell? His invitation to take the shoes of the dead man? The wishful thinking for the accident and the parallel with Pierre challenging God to strike him with thunder?

11. The value of the film as entertainment? As exploration of the church and theology? 20th century men and their times. the influence of Christ, the influence of the church and its doctrine? The use of the serious and the absurd for a contemporary fable?