Ascent to Heaven (aka Mexican Bus Ride) is a sweet little gem of a film. The movie deals with issues of life and death and marriage in a straightforward realistic manner. Oliviero gets married, and goes away on his "honeymoon" (local tradition has the newlyweds spend a night on a nearby deserted island). While still rowing out to the island, he is called back by his brother informing him that his mother has become worse and is on her deathbed. There's a nice moment to illustrate his new bride being (understandably) abandoned, as we see Oliviera and his brother talking in the motorboat, and then, after a pause, see the bride behind them being towed in the rowboat.
As it turns out, the Mother controls a sizable inheritance which Oliviera's two brothers have designs upon. The Mother wants to make a final will leaving the choice property to her deceased daughter's young son. But the scheming brothers are drinking buddies with the local gov't official, who declares himself unwilling to get involved in a family matter. So it's up to Oliviera to travel to the nearest city and get a real lawyer to secure the Mother's final wishes.
So, along with Oliviera, we take a Mexican bus ride. Just as Oliviera's family life has ups and downs (a new wife and a dying mother), villains and innocents (his brothers and his nephew), and tough choices (abandoning his mother's deathbed to ensure her wishes), the bus journey will replicate and expand upon the difficulties of doing the right thing in an unpredictable world. The Mexican Bus Ride -- Bunuel's amusing metaphor for life's journey -- is a protracted and messy affair, filled with many distractions, temptations, frustrations, and goals hard to reach, alternating with moments of happiness. It provides us with a child's birth, another child's death, and a child who shall lead us. One of the nice aspects is how everyone has their own story and attendant desires, hopes and dreams. The bus driver is able to make his mother's birthday special by bringing along a busload of celebrants (and customers to their café), which delays our hero's quest to help his own mother on her deathday. So Oliviera borrows a vehicle and continues on alone ... well, alone except for the town vixen who decides to hitch along.
"Ascent to Heaven" is the name of the treacherous mountain that Oliviera must cross to get to the city and try to set things right. While trying to stay on the straight and narrow, Oliviera is faced with a twisting perilous path. And just when he reaches the peak, he meets his downfall, allowing himself to be seduced. Reluctantly, almost accidentally, he veers off the righteous path of fidelity both to his mother's wishes and to his wife. (And since this is Bunuel, feel free to note the parallels to Christ being tempted by Satan on a lofty peak, and Eve leading Adam astray). Oliviera's weaknesses will lead to his failure. And Bunuel throws in a concluding irony. Although Oliviera's motives are pure and he acts not in self-interest, circumstances lead Oliviera to use fairly shameless deceit and dishonesty, much in the same manner as his brothers, to resolve his mother's estate. The final scene brings the story full circle ... despite whatever happens, life goes on.
The woman who plays the town temptress does an excellent job. Sexy and alluring, definitely dangerous. The dream sequence(s) are quite good and well-integrated into the storyline. The fiesta with its lovely song and typical Mexican band makes for a lovely interlude in the film. I don't really agree with the charges of poor editing others complain of, with one exception. Just for the record, we do see the bus begin to back up on the mountain pass for a second or two, though the cut at that point is rather abrupt. It should be noted that there is both a 74 minute US version (which I have seen) and the original 85 minute Mexican version, which probably explains any choppiness observed.
The film offers an interesting glimpse at daily life in Mexico of the era, and speaks to some of the transitions occurring. There's an impromptu contest between tractor and oxen. Election campaigning nearly turns into a riot/lynching, but instead the idea of a free franchise is upheld by both candidates and followers. The political candidate is probably my favorite character in the film, as he is a local peasant trying to improve his station by entering modern society. As an aspiring politician, he's a man of action, but mostly gets things done by recklessly waving a gun around and bullying people. He also likes to drink and is forever trying to get the vixen, so it's not hard to see the path of corruption that will befall Mexico if his kind make up the elected officials. Yet, as is common throughout Bunuel, the candidate has a good side as well, and is just a flawed human being, like all of us.
Just remember that when you scale the ascent to heaven, there's nowhere to go but down.
As it turns out, the Mother controls a sizable inheritance which Oliviera's two brothers have designs upon. The Mother wants to make a final will leaving the choice property to her deceased daughter's young son. But the scheming brothers are drinking buddies with the local gov't official, who declares himself unwilling to get involved in a family matter. So it's up to Oliviera to travel to the nearest city and get a real lawyer to secure the Mother's final wishes.
So, along with Oliviera, we take a Mexican bus ride. Just as Oliviera's family life has ups and downs (a new wife and a dying mother), villains and innocents (his brothers and his nephew), and tough choices (abandoning his mother's deathbed to ensure her wishes), the bus journey will replicate and expand upon the difficulties of doing the right thing in an unpredictable world. The Mexican Bus Ride -- Bunuel's amusing metaphor for life's journey -- is a protracted and messy affair, filled with many distractions, temptations, frustrations, and goals hard to reach, alternating with moments of happiness. It provides us with a child's birth, another child's death, and a child who shall lead us. One of the nice aspects is how everyone has their own story and attendant desires, hopes and dreams. The bus driver is able to make his mother's birthday special by bringing along a busload of celebrants (and customers to their café), which delays our hero's quest to help his own mother on her deathday. So Oliviera borrows a vehicle and continues on alone ... well, alone except for the town vixen who decides to hitch along.
"Ascent to Heaven" is the name of the treacherous mountain that Oliviera must cross to get to the city and try to set things right. While trying to stay on the straight and narrow, Oliviera is faced with a twisting perilous path. And just when he reaches the peak, he meets his downfall, allowing himself to be seduced. Reluctantly, almost accidentally, he veers off the righteous path of fidelity both to his mother's wishes and to his wife. (And since this is Bunuel, feel free to note the parallels to Christ being tempted by Satan on a lofty peak, and Eve leading Adam astray). Oliviera's weaknesses will lead to his failure. And Bunuel throws in a concluding irony. Although Oliviera's motives are pure and he acts not in self-interest, circumstances lead Oliviera to use fairly shameless deceit and dishonesty, much in the same manner as his brothers, to resolve his mother's estate. The final scene brings the story full circle ... despite whatever happens, life goes on.
The woman who plays the town temptress does an excellent job. Sexy and alluring, definitely dangerous. The dream sequence(s) are quite good and well-integrated into the storyline. The fiesta with its lovely song and typical Mexican band makes for a lovely interlude in the film. I don't really agree with the charges of poor editing others complain of, with one exception. Just for the record, we do see the bus begin to back up on the mountain pass for a second or two, though the cut at that point is rather abrupt. It should be noted that there is both a 74 minute US version (which I have seen) and the original 85 minute Mexican version, which probably explains any choppiness observed.
The film offers an interesting glimpse at daily life in Mexico of the era, and speaks to some of the transitions occurring. There's an impromptu contest between tractor and oxen. Election campaigning nearly turns into a riot/lynching, but instead the idea of a free franchise is upheld by both candidates and followers. The political candidate is probably my favorite character in the film, as he is a local peasant trying to improve his station by entering modern society. As an aspiring politician, he's a man of action, but mostly gets things done by recklessly waving a gun around and bullying people. He also likes to drink and is forever trying to get the vixen, so it's not hard to see the path of corruption that will befall Mexico if his kind make up the elected officials. Yet, as is common throughout Bunuel, the candidate has a good side as well, and is just a flawed human being, like all of us.
Just remember that when you scale the ascent to heaven, there's nowhere to go but down.