Nazarin (1959) Blu-Ray

"Nazarin follows the great tradition of mad Spaniards originated by Cervantes. His madness consists in taking seriously great ideas and trying to live accordingly". -- Octavio Paz, Mexican poet

Luis Bunuel's Nazarin is a blisteringly ironic, hauntingly beautiful parable about an idealistic young priest whose attempts to lead a truly Christian life are ridiculed by the thieves and prostitutes who make up his urban parish. Driven out, he wanders the countryside begging for food, but when his prayers seem to cure a dying child, he becomes a Christlike figure, pursuing his mission with two former prostitutes as his apostles.

Bunuel tells the story in a manner of a Christian parable masterfully and uniquely combining admiration and irony for the main character and strong criticism of formal religion and hypocrisy. The film is simple and profound as well as beautiful, ironic, and heartbreaking.

Despite winning an award at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, the film's treatment of religion proved so controversial that it was not released in the US until 1968. Out of distribution for many years, Nazarin was restored in 2019 by Mexico's Cineteca Nacional and Fundacion Televisa, and now takes its place as one of Bunuel's masterworks.
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