Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Simon of the Desert Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 30, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Nothing is Sacred: Three Heresies by Luis Buñuel set from Radiance Films.

The filmography of Luis Buñuel is liberally sprinkled with enough classics that it might be a challenging assignment to aggregate a "greatest hits" collection, but in terms of Buñuel's early to mid sixties output, Radiance is offering fans two of Buñuel's most celebrated features, with a third somewhat shorter offering that is probably not quite as well known, but which should provide considerable interest along with the two better known works. Buñuel's anarchic spirit is alive and well in all three films, and it's perhaps salient to note that the influence of the director in general and at least one of these films in particular continues to be felt throughout our more or less current cultural zeitgeist, as evidenced by the fact that (as weird as it admittedly sounds) the late Stephen Sondheim kinda sorta adapted both Exterminating Angel and the at least somewhat linked The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie for his final (arguably incomplete) musical Here We Are. On the other end of the zeitgeist spectrum, though, is the kind of amazing fact that as of the writing of this review Viridiana has yet to have a Region A Blu-ray release (the check discs sent to me for purposes of the reviews of the films in this set were all region free).

If Viridiana and The Exterminating Angel both have such outsized reputations that even the so called unwashed masses may have heard of them, chances are even diehard Buñuel fans may be at least relatively unaware of Simon of the Desert, Buñuel's last film to feature Silvia Pinal, star of the other two films in the Nothing is Sacred set. That said, Pinal's devilish character is kind of a sidebar to a story that focuses on Simón Stylites (Claudio Brook), a character based at least in part on a real life fifth century Syrian ascetic. Simón's profound faith has led him to live much of the past several years atop a pillar placed in a barren landscape, where believers flock to look heavenward, thereby catching a glimpse of Simón himself perched over them.

The relatively short running time of Simon of the Desert can make it even more discursive than your "average" Buñuel outing (if that's even a possibility), though rather interestingly the film really doesn't traffic in some of the scabrous anti-religious fervor that tends to inhabit some of Buñuel's other works. There's still a crisis of faith, of course, but Buñuel in typical fashion upsets the veritable apple cart with a female Satan (that would be Pinal) and a sudden segue forward several centuries that intentionally echoes in an ironic fashion some of the quasi-pagan elements earlier in the story.

Simon of the Desert Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Simon of the Desert is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. While Radiance provided check discs for purposes of this review, I was able to secure a retail version and so can reproduce verbiage from Radiance's insert booklet about the transfer (Radiance lumps all three films together on its page devoted to the transfers):

Viridiana and Simon of the Desert were scanned in 4K from the original camera negatives and restored in 4K by Mercury Films in Madrid, Spain. Additional colour correction was applied to Viridiana by Radiance Films in 2024.

The Exterminating Angel was scanned in 4K from the original camera negative by Mercury Films in Madrid, Spain. The film was restored by Radiance Films at Heavenly Movie Corp in 2024. Thousands of instances of dirt, dust, stains and tears were removed and dozens of shots stabilised to attentuate mechanical jitter. The film was graded by Stephen C. Horne.

All three films are presented with their original uncompressed PCM mono soundtracks.

Until this film's completely peculiar third act, the bulk of this story takes place outside in a well lit if barren environment, and as such the impressive cinematography by Gabriel Figueroa is offered with real appeal in this transfer. There's a nicely organic look to the grain field, contrast is generally secure, and detail levels are commendable throughout. Things arguably become slightly murkier in the "endgame", when Simon is "tempted" and some nighttime shots don't provide a wealth of shadow definition. There's no damage or age related wear and tear of any major import.

Simon of the Desert Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Simon of the Desert features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio. While there isn't the same level of hiss and crackle evident here as with the other two films in this set, the very opening has a peculiar moment of phasing that I'm assuming may have been intentionally created to create an appropriately surreal opening. There is still some high frequency whine and hiss that becomes apparent in some of the quieter moments, but as with this film's "siblings" in this set, dialogue is never unduly hobbled. Optional English subtitles are available.

Simon of the Desert Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Richard Ayoade (HD; 14:55) offers his appreciation of the film.


• Abraham Castillo Flores (HD; 32:34) is a really interesting visual essay exploring the relationship between Buñuel, Silvia Pinal and Gustavo Alatriste.


• Buñuel: A Surrealist Filmmaker (HD; 1:27:08) is an excellent 2021 documentary by Javier Espada. Subtitled in English.


• Gallery (HD)

Simon of the Desert Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The brevity of this film may not redound entirely to its benefit, but it keeps things brisk and propulsive. On a surface level, this may not seem to offer the same layers to peel back that both of the other films in this set do, but if you dig a little deeper, especially when attempting to contextualize a completely gonzo denouement, there's significant subtext to ponder. Technical merits are generally solid (video more than audio), and the supplements very appealing. Recommended.