There is only one reason Jodorowsky made this list of directors, and that is because I read Dune last year and became wholly obsessed with it. The timing of this obsession serendipitously coincided with the release of Jodorowsky's Dune, a documentary about the failed adaptation Alejandro tried to produce back in the day. The documentary showcases the director's gigantically ambitious plans for a film version of the classic novel; it also is a wild ride through the psychedelic art, music, and science-fiction movements of the 70s. Dali, Pink Floyd, and Geiger are all involved- seriously everyone should see this doc. Anyways, in the movie there are some brief clips from Jodorowsky's other works, and the sheer strangeness of those visuals intrigued me enough to seek out more.
Which brings me to the works themselves: El Topo, The Holy Mountain, and Santa Sangre. It's extremely difficult to review these movies in any sort of sensible way. They are so far "out there" in terms of their storylines and visuals that there is little I can compare them to. Jodorowsky is a mystic and a surrealist who doesn't shy away from the absurd or the obscene. There is graphic depiction of animal slaughter, sex, incest, and that's only scratching the surface. All three movies are very different, but each share striking visuals and themes such as family, perseverance, and religion. There is also usually a quest element. Beyond that I can only say that these are basically acid trips in cinema form. In fact, El Topo is one of the original "acid Westerns" which I can honestly say is a genre I had never heard of until I Wikipedia'd this movie.
Giving these films a numerical rating strikes me as exceedingly pointless. They shouldn't really be compared to any of the other movies I'm watching as a part of this exercise, except for maybe Satyricon by Fellini. People who happened to be in the room with me while I watched these called them "easily the weirdest movie I've ever seen" and (other than maybe Holy Motors) I can't think of much to disagree with them. By the way, these films aren't exactly meandering or plotless; in fact the story in Santa Sangre (of a circus boy who must act as his amputee mother's murderous hands) was very captivating and I think ripe for a remake. But they're so damn weird it's somewhat easy to forget that you're watching a movie with a distinct beginning, middle and end. One thing's for certain: the movies are better after having watched Jodorowsky talk about his process (in the documentary) because he's not simply a madman- there is a spark of genius lurking somewhere beneath the absurd.
- El Topo (1970) - 5.5
- The Holy Mountain (1973) - 6
- Santa Sangre (1989) - 6.5
By the way, everyone should peruse Jodorowsky's quotes; I had a helluva time just picking one out for the head of this post. I also enjoyed, "I am like the rain, I go where I'm needed" and "Failure doesn't exist. It's only a change of direction." I for one am quite glad that that crazy old man is still out there trying to make art and movies. P.S. Robert Altman is on deck for March.
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