Mexican Bus Ride

Okay Mexican era Bunuel about a young man traveling by bus to his dying mother's hometown where she has a will on record. If he doesn't recover that will and have his mother put her thumbprint on it, his oldest brother, a very greedy man, will have the legal right to divide the property amongst the family. Most of the film is about the bus ride and the adventures the people on the bus have. There are some very nice scenes and touches, but it doesn't rank as one of Bunuel's strongest. It does, however, contain probably the best surreal sequence of any of his Mexican films. I haven't seen them all, so maybe I should just say a more prominent surreal sequence than his more famous Mexican films, i.e., Los Olvidados, El, or Nazarin (not counting anything he made after he returned to Mexico from Spain after Viridiana, i.e., The Exterminating Angel and Simon of the Desert, both of which are more "pure" surrealism).

IMHO,a minor work in Bunuel's extraordinary filmography.The beginning is quite surprising:it recalls "Las Hurdes" with its documentary side and its voice over.But of course,it's not as tragic as the 1932 opus.

There's a theme Bunuel would develop (with great results ): the impossibility to do what you want to do: the heroes of "le Charme Discret de La Bourgeoisie " trying to get a good meal; or in "Cet Obscur Objet Du Desir" ,the woman who never wants to have sex with the hero.Here the young man's wedding night is postponed .But he will find solace (or is it a dream?) in Raquel's arms.

A lot of bizarre things happen on the bus,the birth and the death of a child,notably, and surrealism is not far way when apple peelings become some kind of umbilical cord.

As noted by others, this is not top notch Bunuel but it has much charm and it is as if the director is more interested in the Mexicans and their way of life than in bringing out any clever cinema tricks. Having said that the fantasy/dream sequence is excellent and the apple peel that surely represents the umbilical cord both amusing and disturbing at the same time. For it is true to say that through the course of the terrifying bus journey, central to the film, we do have the elements of birth, marriage and death. Plus, animals, music, singing and seduction. Somebody has described the bus driver as 'silly' but it occurs to me that although he seems ready to give up his bus driving upon almost any pretext, he is one of the only travellers who is not dishonest. We have the aspiring politician, not sure about the hen man, there's the scheming and beautiful sex interest, and even our hero desperate to help his dying mother get a will written , is more than a little driven by self interest. So although a wonderfully sunny and joyful film, with that good feeling that all are at one, it is far from as simple as that and just beneath the surface, surely that wily old Bunuel is having more than a little dig

Attractive film about an adventurous bus-ride to a distant city to get his mom's will notarize , that's why the ill mummy wishes her little child inherits solace at a wealthy home , being well directed by the Spanish Luis Buñuel . It deals with a young and good man , justly married , called Oliverio Grajales (Esteban Mayo) finds his woman's honeymoon is cut short when he awares that his mother has fallen sick back at home . The newlywed couple rush there to discover the other brothers neglecting their mom in order to scheme their squandering of the inheritance . Then , the newlywed son bringing out to life the promise done to his mother , as he takes a journey by bus to find a public Notary . Along the way, he meets a baddie female who ruthlessly uses everyone in his purports and really seduces him , she's wayward Raquel (Lilia Prado) , who is extremely a selfish young , a manipulating babe who hates and seduces , eventually causing distresses , as well as uses her feminine wiles to tempt all around . The sultry , ambitious young attempts to break his marriage by seducing Oliverio to get her egoistic aims . Step by step she causes mayhem and discord among the members of the noisy bus . As the bus passengers become into a frenzied chaos and unrest . And to further complicate things he undertakes a race against time by taking the bus , as he drives it to his destination , while resisting Raquel's temptation.

The movie is well worthy thanks to razor-sharp performances as well as certain critical revealing the hypocrisies of modern society , in which brothers are on pins and attempt to catch their mother's inheritance , needles waiting to sort out her will , while a wayward girl uses the power of manipulation and eroticism to get her dark purports . Based on a story and adaptation by Manuel Altolaguirre , film producer too , as Luis Buñuel wrote that the script was actually adapted from the turbulent adventures that really happened to his friend Spanish poet Manuel Altolaguirre , while on a bus trip . The picture features exceptional work for Lilia Prado as Raquel , a similar role starred by Rosita Quintana in ¨Susana (1951) , she's magnificently charming as well as hateful playing the insidious girl who attempts to dissect the harmonious marriage by romancing Oliveiro . Her acting result to be a phenomenal precedent to the character who played Sue Lyon in ¨Lolita¨ or Carrol Baker in ¨Baby Doll¨ . While Esteban Mayo is acceptable as ecstatic Octavio , as he must take a long and dangerous bus trip to the city to contact a notary for his mother's last will and testament , while is faced with multiple temptations . Furthermore, a beautifully cinematography in subdued black and white by the great cameraman Alex Phillips who worked both , American and Mexican productions . Being shot on various locations in Puerto Marquez, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico and Estudios Tepeyac, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexicoc. And atmospheric and appropriate musical score by Gustavo Pittaluga, including Mexican songs.

The motion picture was competently directed by Luis Buñuel , belonging to his Mexican period . Buñuel wrote his autobiography, "My Last Sigh" in which detailed his exiled trajectory in Mexico and the troublesome shootings . After filming Spanish and French films as "Un Chien Andalou" (1929) , and ¨Age of Gold¨(1930) , ¨Hurdes tierra sin pan¨ (1936) , Buñuel went on his Mexican period in which he teamed up with producer Óscar Dancigers and after a couple of unmemorable efforts shot back to international attention with the lacerating study of Mexican street urchins in ¨Los Olvidados¨ (1950) , winning him the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival . But despite this new-found acclaim, Buñuel spent much of the next decade working on a variety of ultra-low-budget films, few of which made much impact outside Spanish-speaking countries , though many of them are well worth seeking out . As he went on filming "The Great Madcap" , ¨The brute¨, "Wuthering Heights", ¨El¨ , "The Criminal Life of Archibaldo De la Cruz" , ¨Robinson Crusoe¨ , ¨Death in the garden¨ and many others . And finally his second French-Spanish period , usually in collaboration with producer Serge Silberman and writer Jean-Claude Carrière with notorious as well as polemic films , such as : ¨Viridiana¨ , Tristana¨ , ¨The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" and his last picture , "That Obscure Object of Desire" . Susana rating : 7/10 . Essential and indispensable seeing for Luis Buñuel aficionados.

Subida al cielo is a messy little story probably about the distractions and small miracles happening on everybody's way to heaven. It is short and seems simple, but there are sometimes strange things happening: has anybody the strength to go straight? If one does really go straight, one probably do not even have dreams. Dreams, wishful thinking and miracles like the improbable solution (by a little girl) for getting the bus out of the river with an ox instead of a tractor and the small miracle of the two vehicles that for no apparent reason suddenly CAN pass each other on the narrow path after a short meeting. Furthermore, Buñuel incorporates a few modest but funny dream sequences to emphasize that people (secretly) can think of other things, while they are on their certain way to heaven (the righteous path?). The English title 'Mexican Bus Ride' applies very well I guess: the whole is kind of low profile (probably also low budget :)

The acting is ok, but I never really got into the story, because the editing isn't good and there is no convincing mood to get into, although Buñuel uses some music in this movie. Miniature cars and sets make it fun to watch, but also do not convince. The movie feels more like an exercise than as a message from the heart, but I would like to see it again some time. 5/10