The Milky Way (1969)

Two drifters go on a pilgrimage from France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Along the way, they hitchhike, beg for food, and face the Christian dogmas and heresies from different Ages.

Director:

Luis Buñuel (as Luis Bunuel)

Writers:

Luis Buñuel (as Luis Bunuel), Jean-Claude Carrière

Stars:

Paul Frankeur, Laurent Terzieff, Alain Cuny

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Frankeur	...	Pierre
Laurent Terzieff	...	Jean
Alain Cuny	...	L'homme à la cape / Man with cape
Edith Scob	...	La Vierge Marie / Virgin Mary
Bernard Verley	...	Jésus / Jesus
François Maistre	...	Le curé fou / French Priest
Claude Cerval	...	Le brigadier / Brigadier
Muni	...	La mère supérieure / Mother Superior
Julien Bertheau	...	Richard 'maître d'hôtel' / Maitre d'Hotel
Ellen Bahl	...	Madame Garnier
Michel Piccoli	...	Le marquis de Sade / The Marquis
Agnès Capri	...	La directrice de l'institution Lamartine / Teacher
Michel Etcheverry	...	L'inquisiteur / The Inquisitor
Pierre Clémenti	...	L'ange de la mort / The Devil
Georges Marchal	...	Le jésuite / The Jesuit

Storyline

Two drifters go on a pilgrimage from France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Along the way, they hitchhike, beg for food, and face the Christian dogmas and heresies from different Ages.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to the virgin mary | nun | philosophy | absurd | blindness | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

M/PG

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French Italian Latin Spanish

Release Date:

28 February 1969 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Milky Way

Filming Locations:

Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,174

Company Credits

Production Co:

Greenwich Film Productions, Fraia Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an interview to magazine "Telerama", Jean Sorel said that although he did not get along well with director Luis Bunuel during the filming of "Belle de Jour" in 1967 , he offered to him the role of Jesus in "la voie lactée" .But Jean Sorel turned it down because, at this time, he had an assignment for a movie in Italy.

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Goofs

During the seen with the "free love" Catholics in the forest, the wide angle shots are taken during the day, while the close-ups and medium shots are clearly not during the day.

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Quotes

Rodolphe, un étudiant protestant: Faith doesn't come to us through reason but through the heart

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Connections

References Weekend (1967)

User Reviews

Bunuel's road movie!

-He who commits sacrilege with an impious movie.

-Let him be an anathema!

By the late sixties,Louis Bunuel,who was an atheist,thanks to God,did not take himself seriously anymore.However this work ,"Le Charme Discret de la Bourgoisie" "Le Fantome de la Liberté" or "Cet Obscur Objet du Désir" were not that much different from "Nazarin " "Simon du Désert" "Viridiana" or "La Mort en ce jardin" .One thing Bunuel's oeuvre does not lack is unity.

"La Voie Lactée" deals with religion.If you've been brought up a catholic,if you have a good knowledge of the gospels ,it can help you appreciate such a film crowded with incident,taking place far away on a road with two pilgrims on their way to Spain (St Jacques de Compostelle),or long ago in Jesus Christ 's times.There is an ironical "documentary prologue" at the beginning of the film - a trick the great director had already used in "Hurdes" when,out of the blue,he began a lecture on the mosquitoes.And if the message is not clear enough,the last message reads "all documents,theories and quotes from the gospels " are historically accurate! In his final movies,Bunuel shows his great sense of humour;Jean-Luc Godard ,he is not.He is so much better!An intellectual director whose work is accessible to anyone.Whatever he films,a spoof on the wedding feast at Cana or George Marchal fighting a duel with Jean Piat (and one of them saying " My liberty is a phantom!!!) because of a disagreement about theology, students cursing the heathen ,he rules.

Bunuel tackles the Christian dogma :his priests and holier-than-thou characters such as the butler in front of his luxury buffet or the headmistress of the chic girls school are often contradicting what they said before .And the humble people they meet ask sometimes relevant questions ;dig this one: "what will become of the host (our Lord's body) in the human stomach?".And Bunuel does not confine himself to the Christian religion:"nowadays",the vicar says,"the entire world is catholic! " "What about the Muslims?the Jews?" "The Muslims ARE catholics;so are the Jews ,mainly the Jews." The scene of the crazy priest might have been borrowed from the Fernandel sketch of "Le Diable et Les Dix Commandements " by Julien Duvivier (1962).The scene at the inn,-perhaps inspired by Autant-Lara 's anti-clerical "L'Auberge Rouge"- with its priceless tale of a Virgin Mary's miracle and the mystery of the passing of the hours of the night will be used again in the "Fantôme de la Liberté" with gusto.

The cast is a who's who of the French actors of the era:Laurent Terzieff,an intellectual thespian ,is cast against type as an uneducated tramp (but the films suggest he might have been a revolutionary man);Edith Scob is the perfect Virgin Mary;Delphine Seyrig, the future stand out of "Le Charme Discret ..." has only three minutes to shine ,and she succeeds brilliantly .Plus Michel Piccoli,Julien Berteau,Alain Cuny,Bernard Verley,Denis Manuel,Pierre Clementi and many more.

Do go on a pilgrimage to Saint-Jacques de Compostelle with Luis Bunuel!