Movie Review - Milky Way (La Voie Lactee) (1969)

Here is yet another example that separates Hollywood from the European film tradition with a chasm hard to cross.

Here is yet another European film that violates probably 9 out of 10 cardinal rules of script writing and story telling...

No Unity of Dramatic Action. No clear Protagonist and Antagonist. Talking Heads Galore. No scene continuity. No 3 Act Structure.

Yet we still watch it because... 1) You're a movie freak like me and will watch anything. 2) It's by Luis Bunuel, the Spanish master. 3) It's made right after that terrible year of 1968 and you want to see its impact on Bunuel.

If you watch this not as a "movie" but as a philosophical fire-side chat on the nature of God and Catholicism and Heresy, then perhaps it's time not wasted. Otherwise go rent Lethal Weapon or something since it is equally inconsequential.

Bunuel, the surrealist master, is questioning Catholicism and how it treated heretics in the past (recommended exercise for all those who think religious fanaticism is a contemporary phenomenon, by the way).

The film has its moments like the lovely scene in which a waiters at a luxurious French restaurant discuss the various theories on Trinity while waiting for the customers.

And the very last scene involving 2 blind men healed by Jesus remains with you, perhaps forever.

Also, do make sure to watch the commentary by film historians and critics that's included as Bonus Materials. They are as good as the film itself.

So, if you're the intellectual type who likes visual metaphors and deep-thinking on Christianity, go ahead and watch it. Otherwise try college football. Why not?

You cannot shoot and distribute a movie with this kind of loose script and poor production values today. A 5 out of 10, given generously.