Subida al cielo (Ascent to Heaven, aka Mexican Bus Ride). 1952. Directed by Luis Buñuel

Film

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Subida al cielo (Ascent to Heaven, aka Mexican Bus Ride). 1952. Directed by Luis Buñuel. Courtesy of Filmoteca UNAM.

Subida al cielo (Ascent to Heaven, aka Mexican Bus Ride). 1952. Mexico. Directed by Luis Buñuel. Screenplay by Luis Alcoriza, Buñuel. With Lilia Prado, Carmelita González, Esteban Mayo, Luis Aceves Castañeda. In Spanish; English subtitles. DCP. 85 min.

The international success of Los olvidados allowed Buñuel to attempt some more personal projects, such as this tropical fantasy based on a theme suggested by the Andalusian poet Manuel Altolaguirre (whose wealthy Cuban wife financed the film). Oliveiro, a young man from the Pacific coast, is called back from his idyllic honeymoon by his dying mother, who wants him to go to the city and find a lawyer to write her will. The trip includes encounters both real and surreal, including an erotic dream sequence in which an apple peel becomes an umbilical cord linking Oliverio and his mother. But Buñuel seems just as much taken with the travelog aspects of the story, as he escapes the studios of Mexico City to discover the magnificent landscapes and vivid characters of his new homeland. Cinematography by Alex Phillips.

This film accompanies Buñuel in Mexico.

Past events

Mon, Feb 12, 2024, 6:30 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T1, Theater 1

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1
Sun, Feb 4, 2024, 2:00 p.m.

Introduced by Jorge Martínez-Micher, Deputy Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Filmoteca UNAM

MoMA, Floor T2, Theater 2

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2

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