Simon of the Desert (Simón del desierto, 1965) is Luis Buñuel's wonderfully wild take on the life of devoted ascetic Saint Simeon Stylites, who waited atop a pillar surrounded by a barren landscape for six years, six months, and six days, in order to prove his devotion to God. Yet the devil, in the figure of the beautiful Silvia Pinal, huddles below, trying to tempt him down. A devout sceptic's vision of human conviction, Buñuel's short and sweet satire is one of the master filmmaker's most renowned works of atheistic surrealism.

One of two Buñuel greats being released on US DVD by Criterion in February, Simon of the Desert features a newly restored high definition 1.33:1 transfer and Dolby 1.0 mono soundtrack and the following extra features:

• A Mexican Buñuel (1995), 50-minute documentary by Emilio Maillé;
• New interview with actress Silvia Pinal;
• New and improved English subtitle translation;
• A booklet featuring a new essay by critic Michael Wood and a reprinted interview with Buñuel.

Simon of the Desert will be released on US DVD by Criterion in February 2009 (exact date to be confirmed) at the SRP of $24.95.