Alejandro Jodorowsky

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Rsdio
Joined: Mon May 29, 2006 11:42 am
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#51 Post by Rsdio » Sun Jun 03, 2007 4:18 pm

I've just noticed that El Topo is showing a few times this month in a cinema quite near me, I'll be going along but since I've never seen it before I'm not sure whether to watch the DVD once or twice in anticipation or have it all hit me for the first time on the big screen. Any suggestions as to how it might be best enjoyed?

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foggy eyes
Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 9:58 am
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#52 Post by foggy eyes » Sun Jun 03, 2007 4:46 pm

The Tartan touring print I caught a few weeks ago looked rather dull and washed out (almost like flashed stock in comparison to the Anchor Bay set). Disappointing, but I did see HM elsewhere and it looked glorious!

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Antoine Doinel
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#53 Post by Antoine Doinel » Sun Jun 03, 2007 7:44 pm

Rsdio wrote:I've just noticed that El Topo is showing a few times this month in a cinema quite near me, I'll be going along but since I've never seen it before I'm not sure whether to watch the DVD once or twice in anticipation or have it all hit me for the first time on the big screen. Any suggestions as to how it might be best enjoyed?
Even though the print of Holy Mountain I saw years ago in the cinema was definitely battered, I wouldn't have traded the experience of seeing it in a packed house for the world. The was a great energy from the audience and great whoops of enjoyment from the film's more outrageous moments.

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Gropius
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#54 Post by Gropius » Sun Jun 03, 2007 8:05 pm

Rsdio wrote:I've just noticed that El Topo is showing a few times this month in a cinema quite near me, I'll be going along but since I've never seen it before I'm not sure whether to watch the DVD once or twice in anticipation or have it all hit me for the first time on the big screen. Any suggestions as to how it might be best enjoyed?
I believe that the current UK screenings are actually digital (or are they digital restorations transferred to film? - can anyone who made it to the NFT retro confirm this?), so in effect you might just be watching the DVD on a bigger screen. But you should check the cinema details to verify this.

patrick
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#55 Post by patrick » Sun Jun 03, 2007 8:36 pm

Seeing The Holy Mountain on the big screen was like watching it for the first time, definitely go see them in a theater if you get the chance. The experience was almost physical, and made me very uncomfortable. However, that might have something to do with the joint I smoked beforehand (which I recommend).

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orlik
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#56 Post by orlik » Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:22 pm

patrick wrote:Seeing The Holy Mountain on the big screen was like watching it for the first time, definitely go see them in a theater if you get the chance. The experience was almost physical, and made me very uncomfortable. However, that might have something to do with the joint I smoked beforehand (which I recommend).
I completely agree - on the big screen, the film is like a visual and aural assault, in a nice way. Though I also recommend the DVD. Jodorowsky's commentary is excellent: informative, funny, with Jodorowsky his usual, amiably boastful self - he claims to have predicted the Taliban and Peruvian Shining Path through this film, and to have dealt with the subject of paedophilia before anyone else. Also tells some great anecdotes about the making of the film.

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LionelHutz
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#57 Post by LionelHutz » Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:45 pm

I also had the chance to interview Jodorowski several years ago while he was in Italy presenting his new novel.
He barely said anything about any of his films and spent most of the time telling surreal jokes which I'm still trying to get :D

soma
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#58 Post by soma » Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:59 pm

For those in Melbourne - both El Topo and The Holy Mountain are screening at this year's MIFF.

Having seen El Topo on the big screen at ACMI earlier this year I can't wait to do the same for The Holy Mountain (virgin experience). And my DVDs of both just arrived!

Solaris
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#59 Post by Solaris » Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:31 am

soma wrote:For those in Melbourne - both El Topo and The Holy Mountain are screening at this year's MIFF.

Having seen El Topo on the big screen at ACMI earlier this year I can't wait to do the same for The Holy Mountain (virgin experience). And my DVDs of both just arrived!
When is the Melbourne festival? Is there a website?

Jodorowsky collection will be released down here soon; RRP is $80, it only cost me $50AU to import it.

soma
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#60 Post by soma » Wed Jul 18, 2007 6:49 am

Solaris wrote:
soma wrote:For those in Melbourne - both El Topo and The Holy Mountain are screening at this year's MIFF.

Having seen El Topo on the big screen at ACMI earlier this year I can't wait to do the same for The Holy Mountain (virgin experience). And my DVDs of both just arrived!
When is the Melbourne festival? Is there a website?

Jodorowsky collection will be released down here soon; RRP is $80, it only cost me $50AU to import it.
^ I just ordered El Topo and The Holy Mountain from R1, cost me $15 AUD each including shipping as part of the DDD 20% off sale. Bargain!

It's an amazing Festival, the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere. I go every year, started off seeing about 10 and now average 40 - 50 per year. Usually around 400 films screening.
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Solaris
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#61 Post by Solaris » Thu Jul 19, 2007 1:27 am

Looks like I will be over in time to see The Holy Mountain!

Unfortunately, not El Topo...

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posto
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#62 Post by posto » Wed Jun 18, 2008 9:28 am


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Cobalt60
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#63 Post by Cobalt60 » Wed Jun 18, 2008 9:34 am

Thanks for the heads up Posto. I hadn't heard about that book yet and will certainly be picking it up.

LloydK
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Re:

#64 Post by LloydK » Fri Jan 15, 2010 7:21 am

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Tommaso
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Re: Alejandro Jodorowsky

#65 Post by Tommaso » Fri Jan 15, 2010 7:38 am

Nice! This completely slipped under my radar. What is the general consensus on "The Rainbow Thief"? I know that Jodorowsky dismisses it, but might it be worth watching nevertheless, if only for the visuals?

LloydK
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Re: Alejandro Jodorowsky

#66 Post by LloydK » Sat Jan 16, 2010 6:19 am

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Jerryvonkramer
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Re: Alejandro Jodorowsky

#67 Post by Jerryvonkramer » Fri Sep 03, 2010 6:44 am

We watched the Holy Mountain last night.

My wife's thoughts:
The 40 minutes or so that I watched of that film was atrocious. Why? Because it tried it's hardest to be a "feast" of visual imagery and artistry. Instead, it was random chaos. What's the point in showing hundreds of frogs all dressed the same and then bathing them in blood? Or the man going nuts on hundreds of replicated Christ figures? Or suddenly cutting to a scene where you can have any face you want? Let's see, what analysis could we give that...a hallucinogenic study of mass consumerism and facile popular culture? Spirtialism vs Consumerism, is it? No. The film can piss off and die. It's a mess and nothing coheres. And that's why I refused to watch it.

And please note the sarcasm in my analysis. That film is pretentious and up it's own arse.
My own:

I thought it was a total mess. More absurdist than surreal, and more like early Woody Allen or Monty Python than David Lynch ... only not very funny, not very insightful and so random as to end up meaning nothing.

The biggest thing I thought about it is that it seems to be very dated. Seems like Jodorowsky just had free reign to do what he liked and just filmed any and every idea he had with no quality control and got away with it in 1973 under the guise of being 'revolutionary'.

It does nothing to justify its lofty reputation among cult film enthusiasts and I was disappointed by it.

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MyNameCriterionForum
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Re: Alejandro Jodorowsky

#68 Post by MyNameCriterionForum » Fri Sep 03, 2010 6:44 pm

No offense to your wife, but that's a pretty insubstantial review. The frogs aren't just "all dressed the same" for no reason: look at what they're wearing, and the object/models they're swarming over. It's a pretty obvious reference to colonialism, with intimations of biblical plague as well. The Christ figures, the crucified and skinned monkeys on parade, etc. all have similar, powerful connotations. I don't know if Jodorowsky is (or was Catholic) but c'mon, this is pretty obvious (even, admittedly, heavyhanded) symbolism for large swaths of the world's population.

I'll agree any "revolutionary" qualities attributed to the film are foolish (as revolutions almost always are, particularly those espoused by artists) but if you can't appreciate the hallucinatory brilliance of the imagery, or grasp the plot (and there is one, again, pretty basic to storytelling: the transformative quest) then I guess it's just different strokes.

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Jerryvonkramer
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Re: Alejandro Jodorowsky

#69 Post by Jerryvonkramer » Fri Sep 03, 2010 8:27 pm

MyNameCriterionForum wrote:No offense to your wife, but that's a pretty insubstantial review. The frogs aren't just "all dressed the same" for no reason: look at what they're wearing, and the object/models they're swarming over. It's a pretty obvious reference to colonialism, with intimations of biblical plague as well. The Christ figures, the crucified and skinned monkeys on parade, etc. all have similar, powerful connotations. I don't know if Jodorowsky is (or was Catholic) but c'mon, this is pretty obvious (even, admittedly, heavyhanded) symbolism for large swaths of the world's population.
I think the point she was making is: symbolism to what end? For what purpose? Is it enough for something simply to connote in film, or do we want it to cohere as well?

The most overwhelmingly positive reviews of Holy Mountain praise primarily the first 20 minutes or so, almost without exception. While I admit they do have a certain unique energy, it does seem to be pretty aimless and scattershot. This is not a repeat of my earlier post: my point here is that it's all well and good saying "these are references to colonialism", "these are biblical references" - but those things in themselves are not virtues.

By all means, defend it and mount a defence - it's one of the reasons I am posting here, to understand why this film is so highly rated. Every once a while I'll watch a film with a reputation and wonder why it has it (others in that list include Night of the Hunter, Performance, Manhunter and The Big Lebowski - two of which I'd describe as incompetent). Holy Mountain has got to be one of the most overrated films I've ever come across.

J Adams
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Re: Alejandro Jodorowsky

#70 Post by J Adams » Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:07 am

Does anyone know if the complete retro (minus only Tusk) showing at the Museum of Design in Manhattan (or whatever that museum in Columbus Circle is called) is 35mm or video? And is that venue any good?

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Alan Smithee
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Re: Alejandro Jodorowsky

#71 Post by Alan Smithee » Tue Mar 18, 2014 2:11 pm

So I saw The Dance of Reality this week. I would say that I was pleasantly surprised by it. Most of the reviews I've read are fairly accurate with the Fellini comparisons. It's still very out there but less stream of consciousness. It's an autobiography told in a way that allows Jodorowsky to make his family what he wishes they had been. So in that way it's surprisingly moving. I don't really think about emotion when I think about Jodorowsky, except for maybe feeling sick. I was lucky enough to interview Jodorowsky about it if ya want to read it here. Something I couldn't include in the piece though is how excited by Digital Video he is. You can add one more old school filmmaker to the converted. I would say his results are fairly good with it. But the effects are a little cheesy. They have a handmade quality though that works for the film. It's good to see him back and he's trying to make a new flick, and just signed a contract to make Son Of El Topo as a graphic novel.

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Lowry_Sam
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Re: Alejandro Jodorowsky

#72 Post by Lowry_Sam » Wed Mar 19, 2014 1:36 am

So no one has seen Jodorowsky's Dune yet? I can't say I'm a fan of his work, but I am quite interested in seeing his vision for this, though I half anticipate being as disappointed as I was with Lost In La Mancha (ie. a standard doc not being as engaging a substitute as the "woulda/coulda/shoulda" film).

BrianInAtlanta
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Re: Alejandro Jodorowsky

#73 Post by BrianInAtlanta » Tue Apr 15, 2014 9:52 pm

Lowry_Sam wrote:So no one has seen Jodorowsky's Dune yet? I can't say I'm a fan of his work, but I am quite interested in seeing his vision for this, though I half anticipate being as disappointed as I was with Lost In La Mancha (ie. a standard doc not being as engaging a substitute as the "woulda/coulda/shoulda" film).
Saw it this weekend. It does look like something that could have actually been made and might have looked like Alien crossed with the 1980 Flash Gordon. Purists might have objected to some of the plot changes Jodorowsky introduced (no one involved seemed that interested in being faithful to the book). The talent involved makes one's mouth water although it probably wouldn't have been the Star Wars before Star Wars that most of the people in the film think it would have been. At least it would probably have been a movie you'd want to see more than once.

Best scene: Jodorowsky recounting his reaction to first seeing Lynch's Dune.

Robin Davies
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Re: Alejandro Jodorowsky

#74 Post by Robin Davies » Wed Apr 16, 2014 1:33 pm

BrianInAtlanta wrote:Best scene: Jodorowsky recounting his reaction to first seeing Lynch's Dune.
He told that story with slightly more exaggeration in Jonathan Ross' documentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iewxGhJdvq8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
That whole documentary is worth seeing - particularly for his reaction to criticisms of violence in his movies!
Jod is definitely one of the most enjoyable interviewees around, though his comments seem almost normal these days compared to the outrageous prose-poetry he unleashed in his interview in the El Topo book.

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pzadvance
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Re: Alejandro Jodorowsky

#75 Post by pzadvance » Wed Apr 16, 2014 1:56 pm

I thought it was a very fun "what-if" movie, but the interviews were a little too one-sided for me. Everyone involved is just fawning over this project in the most hyperbolic terms imaginable, then wildly speculating as to the potential impact it might have left on the industry. The truth of the matter is it's easy to idealize a project like this that never even got in front of the cameras--just looking at all the potentially volatile ingredients, any number of factors could have coalesced during production and post that would have prevented this from being the lost masterpiece everybody in the film expected it to be. It's highly likely it would have come out the other end just as compromised and half-realized as Lynch's Dune. Who's to say?

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