La voie lactée (1969)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers:

Luis Buñuel (writer)
Jean-Claude Carrière (writer)

Release Date:

15 March 1969 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Two tramps going on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, meet different christian heresies. They meet too the Marquis of Sade. |

Plot Keywords:

Campfire | Surrealism | Christianity | Blindness | Vagabond

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Paul Frankeur	...	Pierre
Laurent Terzieff	...	Jean
Alain Cuny	...	L'homme à la cape / Man with cape
Edith Scob	...	La Vierge Marie / Virgin Mary
Bernard Verley	...	Jésus / Jesus
François Maistre	...	Le curé fou / French Priest
Claude Cerval	...	Le brigadier / Brigadier
Muni	...	La mère supérieure / Mother Superior
Julien Bertheau	...	Richard 'maître d'hôtel' / Maitre d'Hotel
Ellen Bahl	...	Madame Garnier
Michel Piccoli	...	Le marquis de Sade / The Marquis
Agnès Capri	...	La directrice de l'institution Lamartine / Teacher
Michel Etcheverry	...	L'inquisiteur / The Inquisitor
Pierre Clémenti	...	L'ange de la mort / The Devil
Georges Marchal	...	Le jésuite / The Jesuit
Jean Piat	...	Le comte / The Jansenist
Denis Manuel	...	Rodolphe, un étudiant protestant
Daniel Pilon	...	François, ami de Rodolphe
Claudio Brook	...	L'évêque / Bishop
Julien Guiomar	...	Le curé espagnol / Spanish priest
Marcel Pérès	...	Le curé de l'auberge espagnole / The Posadero
Delphine Seyrig	...	La prostituée / The Prostitute
Claudine Berg	...	La mère de famille / Mother
Jose Berzosa	...	Le premier diacre de Priscillien
Jean-Louis Broust
Stéphane Bouy
Jean-Claude Carrière	...	Priscillian
Auguste Carrière	...	La religieuse crucifiée / Sister Françoise
Jean Clarieux	...	Saint-Pierre / Apostle Peter
Béatrice Costantini	...	Une fille de Priscillien
Michel Creton	...	Un serveur
Raoul Delfosse
Jean Dhermay
Georges Douking	...	Le berger avec la chèvre (as Douking)
Jean-Daniel Ehrmann	...	Le condamné / Condemned man (as Jean Ehrman)
Pascal Fardoulis
Gabriel Gobin	...	Father
Claude Jetter	...	La Vierge de l'auberge espagnole
Marius Laurey	...	L'aveugle / Second blind man
Pierre Maguelon	...	Le caporal de la Guardia Civil / Civil Guard Caporal
Rita Maiden	...	Une fille de Priscillien
Bernard Musson	...	L'aubergiste français / Innkeeper
Paul Pavel
Douglas Read
Jacques Rispal
Jacqueline Rouillard	...	L'hôtesse
Christine Simon	...	La jeune fille enchaînée
César Torres
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Luis Buñuel	...	(voice) (uncredited)
Michel Dacquin	...	Monsieur Garnier (uncredited)
Pierre Lary	...	Le jeune moine / Young monk (uncredited)
Christian Van Cau	...	Apostle Andrew (uncredited)

Directed by
Luis Buñuel

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Luis Buñuel		writer
Jean-Claude Carrière		writer

Produced by
Serge Silberman	....	producer

Original Music by
Luis Buñuel

Cinematography by
Christian Matras

Film Editing by
Louisette Hautecoeur

Production Design by
Pierre Guffroy

Costume Design by
Jacqueline Guyot

Makeup Department
Jacqueline Pipard	....	wig maker
Jean Pipard	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jean Lara	....	unit manager
Ulrich Picard	....	production manager (as U. Pickard)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michel Breuil	....	assistant director
Pierre Lary	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Pierre Cadiou	....	assistant art director
Ferracci	....	poster designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Dominique Amy	....	sound editor
Jacques Gallois	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Ernest Bourreaud	....	first assistant camera
Paul Cot	....	second assistant camera
Pierre Distinghin	....	still photographer
Bernard Noisette	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jacqueline Moreau	....	wardrober
Françoise Tournafond	....	wardrober

Other crew
Claude Carliez	....	duel arranger
Odette Darrigol	....	production secretary
Jacqueline Dudilleux	....	production administrator
Suzanne Durrenberger	....	script girl
Claude Suné	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Fraia Film
• Greenwich Film Productions
• Medusa Produzione

Distributors

• Media Home Entertainment (1988) (USA) (VHS) (for Media Entertainment/Cinematheque Collection)
• American Cinematheque (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Alliance Video (1997) (Canada) (VHS) (subtitled)
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Rialto Pictures (USA) (re-release)
• Sagres Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Silver Screen (2008) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Marion Corporation (UMC)

Also Known As:

Die Milchstraße (West Germany)
La via lattea (Italy)
The Milky Way (USA)

Runtime:

France:98 min | Germany:101 min | USA:105 min

Country:

France | West Germany | Italy

Language:

French | Italian | Latin

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG | Finland:K-8 | Ireland:12 (DVD rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (video rating) (2001) | UK:15 (video rating) (1993) | UK:A (original rating) | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Forêt d'Halatte, Oise, France

Company:

Fraia Film

Goofs:

Continuity: During the seen with the "free love" Catholics in the forest, the wide angle shots are taken during the day, while the close-ups and medium shots are clearly not during the day.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Buñuel: Athée grâce à Dieu (2005) (V)

the most intelligent film satire of a religion EVER

This masterpiece is Bunuel at his best. It draws from the confrontational and revolutionary fire present in his Mexican films like "Il Brute", the intelligent and informed humor of his earlier religious farce, "Simon of The Desert", and I believe serves as a living picture of the transition his work seemed to under go between the more vivid and shocking Dali inspired surrealism of his early carrer (the obvious example being "Un Chien Andalou") and the more subtle and organic magical-realist influenced surrealism of "That Obscure Object of Desire". This film is certainly not light however. While there are no razor blindings or ant infested ears, the pope does fall victim to a firing squad of radicals. In fact I believe Bunuel succeds in leaving the viewer much more disgusted and upset by confronting him with the stark realities of the Catholic faith, and after all isn't that what surrealism is all about? It must be said that in order to understand and appreciate this film one must have a very good understanding of a variety of religious thinkers and of the history/practices of the catholic church. If you don't have such a background but are still lucky enough to get a chance to view this film, by all means take it, more likely than not it will inspire you to investigate the matter further and Bunuel conveniently mentions the names of all most all the writers he references in the film so take that list to a library, read up and watch it again, you won't be disappointed.