Simon of the Desert

In his Mexican exile during the Spanish War, Luis Buñuel produced some fine films, including this one starring Claudio Brook (Alucarda, The Exterminating Angel) and Silvia Pinal (Viridiana, The Exterminating Angel) as The Devil.

This is a strange film, supposedly based upon the acts of a real saint, about an ascetic who sits atop a tall column in the desert praying, while his mother waits below.

The Devil continues to return to tempt Simon. Seeing the Devil as a woman with large breasts exposed was interesting, and would have temped me.

Simon is finally shown the futility of his penance as the world goes on despite him.