Alicia I love this movie so much

GamerTab That was an excellent one.

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

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.

cking-37-372041 Simon of the Desert is a wonderful and tasteful depiction between good versus evil. I enjoyed this movie although it had it slow parts and was hard to sit through at the very beginning. The film starts off with Simon standing on a pillar after dedicating years of his life to praying for everyone sins a crowd has formed around him to move him to a new pillar to continue his dedication. Simon is very hard on his self and sometimes relents to physical torture to show his loyalty to god with hopes that he forgives the rest of the people. This movie then becomes comedic once one of Simon's miracles gives a thief his hands back. Once this person has hands again the first thing he does is smack one of his children and drags them out of the crowd formed around Simon. The director then showcases the devils mysterious ways by casting a young female as the Satan. She attempts to lure Simon off his pillar to join her in celebration of the devils life by exposing her breast to him. He refuses and she vanishes, but returns throughout the movie in different characters. Simon portrays himself as a loyal disciple of God, but judges everyone who comes to the pillar to feed him or ask for a miracle. I found Simon as the ultimate hypocrite. The film is full of suspense after Satan makes his first appearance. Mostly because Satan can appear in Simon's dreams and day dreaming at any time in the most mysterious ways. He enjoys sending beautiful nudes to see Simon to persuade him to the dark side. The movie then moves forward showing Simon and the female in a different period partaking in smoking, drinking and dancing. I felt the overall theme for this movie is atheism. It is obvious the director does not believe in God after watching this movie. I would recommend this film to anyone who loves to watch the conflicts between being Christian and atheist.

parkermenn Most Christians, today, go to church (some tithe), they say prayers (usually not enough of them), they try their best to be good Christians and live life like the bible and our preachers teach us to (but not all read the bible consistently or go to church consistently). Very few Christians, that I know of, fast. I think it is safe to say that nobody in the world is attempting something like Simon by standing on a column for almost a decade. With today's media, something like that would have already gained world wide attention and publicity.Everybody has temptations to deal with, but they are in the form of the world and the desires that are in the world. If anyone claimed that Satan was torturing them, they would probably be considered insane. Simon is so well disciplined he is not tempted in normal ways. The way Simon is set apart from other Christians makes it believable that it would take Satan himself to tempt Simon and cause him to stray. I think this makes for a very good movie. We get to see Luis Bunuel's version of Satan as a temptress. We also see how devoted Simon is. He treats everybody the same and rebukes even holy men.I think Satan is sent by God (or allowed by God) to tempt Simon because Simon has surpassed normal temptation. Therefore, temptation of a higher degree (for lack of better words) must come to Simon to test his perseverance and build his effectiveness as a Christian even further. This is the basic premise for making an effective Christian. They go through trials or hard times, but with the help of God (by trusting God and taking cover in God's refuge) they overcome, persist and persevere.I thought the ending was neat. Satan takes Simon on a journey that takes them to a club of some sort. Simon is being shown the world outside of his normal column and what it is becoming. The youth dancing to vulgar music. To the normal person the youth or the music do not seem vulgar. But, to Simon the whole scene stinks of the devil's schemes of subversion. And, the devil loves the revelry.

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."