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Simon of the Desert (1965)
"Simón del desierto" (original title)

7.9
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Ratings: 7.9/10 from 4,146 users  
Reviews: 58 user | 35 critic

Simon, a deeply religious man living in the 4th century, wants to be nearer to God so he climbs a column. The Devil wants him come down to Earth and is trying to seduce him. But Simon ... See full summary »

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Title: Simon of the Desert (1965)

Simon of the Desert (1965) on IMDb 7.9/10

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Cast

Cast overview:
Claudio Brook ...
...
Enrique Álvarez Félix ...
Brother Matías
Hortensia Santoveña ...
The Mother
Francisco Reiguera ...
Luis Aceves Castañeda ...
Priest
Enrique García Álvarez
Antonio Bravo ...
Priest
Enrique del Castillo ...
The Mutilated One
Eduardo MacGregor
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Storyline

Simon, a deeply religious man living in the 4th century, wants to be nearer to God so he climbs a column. The Devil wants him come down to Earth and is trying to seduce him. But Simon recognizes him everytime. So the Devil takes him to a nightclub in New York of the 1960s. Written by Stephan Eichenberg <eichenbe@fak-cbg.tu-muenchen.de>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

devil | temptation | saint | desert | miracle | See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

9 February 1970 (Mexico)  »

Also Known As:

Simon of the Desert  »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
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Did You Know?

Goofs

When the coffin is floating through the desert toward Simon's pillar, the wire pulling the coffin can be seen several times. See more »

Quotes

Simon: What's this dance called?
The Devil: "Radioactive Flesh." It's the latest - and the last!
See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Expanse of Heaven (2012) See more »

Soundtracks

"Himnos de los Peregrinos"
Written by Raúl Lavista
See more »

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User Reviews

Simon of the Desert
27 February 2008 | by (Louisville, KY) – See all my reviews

Simon of the Desert (1965)

**** (out of 4)

Bizarre "religious" film from Luis Bunuel is one of the best I've seen from him. Simon (Claudio Brook) climbs a column in the desert to be closer to God but soon has Satan try to tempt him with earthly pleasures. To give anything else away would ruin a few twists and turns along the way but I was pleasantly surprised with this little short. Bunuel has become one of my favorite directors but I find watching his religious films to be very frustrating because he either goes over the top with what I find stupid or I feel he spends way too much time trying to make points but everything here worked pretty well with me. The black humor mixed in with the messages was a great touch and Bunuel did a terrific job with all the temptation scenes. The scene with the nude woman trying to tempt Simon was brilliantly done.


5 of 8 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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Criterion DVD in Feb. EdwardDWoodSr
The song at the club? rimbauddd64
Maybe it was the insomnia, but this was one strange movie. zegras_welfsin
Which part does Gluber Rocha play in the film? nemmesius
Why was the film's release date changed to 1969? twelfthapostrophe
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