A healthy mix of Bunuel in this almost Hollywood-type adventure flick. Almost, because there's a fair deal of intense and dark moments to be had here which Americans studio heads wouldn't have let slide for at least a decade. I feel almost compelled to bump this score a notch, especially with that end scene still lingering in my mind.

For the first half it is merely an elegantly directed but slow adventure flick enlivened by a few of brutal moments and the unique beauty of thirty-five-year-old Simone Signoret. Then everyone becomes stranded in the jungle, and the film becomes a dark--and rich--exploration of human character, as well as a cynical and reverent (only Bunuel could do both at once) commentary on religious belief. (There is a real serpent in this "garden," and you won't soon forget the scene where it appears!)

An atypical Bunuel, although it does contain a healthy dose of his cynicism, and a priest character much like the one in Nazarin. It's an action/drama, not bad but not that great. I didn't find much of interest here besides some role reversals and a touch of moral ambiguity. It didn't seem to have much point to it beyond being a bummer.