Constellation Jodorowsky
Directed by Louis Mouchet
1994 -- 91 min
(4)
This is a fascinating documentary about the chilean writer,director,artist alexandro jodorowsky the interviewer louis mouchet asks jodorowsky a potpourri of questions about his films,philosophy,art and his opinion and feelings on a host of subjects,mouchet begins the interview with the simple but spellbinding inquisition ‘Who are You?' to which jodorowsky replies with a tale of the emperor of china,he states that when we can define ourselves we cease to be,he shares with us his thoughts and definitions of his lifelong quest for knowledge and the unknown and his exploits into the panic movement in france and his drawings and art and how he avoided the lynching by the audience at the premiere of fando and lis,there are also interviews with his associates marcel marceau,jean giraud and the musician peter gabriel,we also learn of his plans of the project of dune which fell through and was later made by david lynch,there is also an interesting and amusing look at jodorowsky as an orator in a class of students in which mouchet is invited to join in,it is a fascinating and enlightening look at the life and works of this creative and artistic guru.
El Topo
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
1970 -- 125
(4)
This violent and allegorical Mexican western attracted a cult following in its day. It is the story of El Topo, a gunslinger who sets out for revenge against the outlaws who slew his wife. He ends up getting his revenge and saving the life of a woman who is being terrorized by bandits. She leads El Topo (which means "the Mole" in English) on a search for the region's top four gunfighters. But before they set off, Topo leaves his young son in a monastery. He and the woman hook up with another female and begin their search. During one battle, El Topo is wounded and the women leave him to die. His comatose body is found by a strange group of cave dwelling people who take him to their subterranean home. He does not wake up for many years. When he does, he is enlisted to help the clan dig an escape tunnel. Later they come to a tiny town where the residents belong to a weird religious cult and El Topo's son has become a monk. The townsfolk are terrorized by a sadistic sheriff. When the clan members come into the town, the stage is set for a blood-soaked tragedy
Fando & Lis
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
1967 -- 93min
(4)- a little bright, but good quality
Fando and Lis are a young couple who embark on a journey to the city of Tar. Lis is handicapped and is aided by Fando who pulls her along in a wagon or carries her in his arms as they encounter a series of offbeat characters and situations: a man plays a burning piano in a dump surrounded by dancers. A girl eats a rose, and three men and a child huddle under an umbrella as someone cracks eggs over their heads. The couple frequently quarrels as they struggle to complete their symbolic journey.
The Holy Mountain
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
1973 -- 126min
(3.5 - 4)
A film that screams "product of its time," The Holy Mountain was Alexandro Jodorowsky's dizzying elegy to the sex, drugs and spiritual awakening of the late 1960s and early 1970s - a suitably bizarre follow-up to his El Topo (1971). Fascinating although it only fitfully makes sense, The Holy Mountain is beautifully shot and designed, and it suggests what might have resulted if Luis Buñuel, Michelangelo Antonioni, and George Romero had all dropped acid and made a movie together. A Christ-like vagrant and thief wanders through a perverse and unfriendly land until he encounters an enlightened one, who gathers the thief and six of the world's most powerful individuals for a spiritual pilgrimage. If you want to see the conquest of Mexico re-enacted by reptiles, soldiers shoot innocent people as birds fly from their wounds, and a wizard turn feces into gold, this is the movie for you.
The Rainbow Thief
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
1990 -- 87min
(4)
An eccentric prince decides one day to give up all his wealth and position and live his own life. His idea of living his own life, though, is to take up residence in the city's sewers. His dutiful servant, who happens to be a thief, accompanies him. Appeals to his rich uncle to do something about it fall on deaf ears - the uncle, who prefers the company of his Dalmations to that of people, is as nutty as he is.
Santa Sangre
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
1989 -- 123min
(4)
Circus horrors cross over into the mundane world in this terrifying, psychedelic film from Alejandro Jodorowsky, the man who brought you the infamous El Topo. Fenix (Adan Jodorowsky, the director's son) is the son of a circus strongman (Guy Stockwell) and an aerialist (Blanca Guerra). One night, the mother sees from her high perspective that her husband is fooling around with the tattooed lady. She later confronts him and throws acid on him in retaliation. He saws off her arms in return and kills himself. Fenix, witness to all this, runs away raving. Years later, Fenix (now played by older brother Axel Jodorowski) is released from an insane asylum by his armless mother. She wants to go on a murderous revenge spree, and maybe play a little piano, and she needs Fenix to be her arms for both tasks
Tusk
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
1980 -- 119min
NOTE: THIS FILM IS IN FRENCH WITH NO SUBTITLES. I DO NOT KNOW OF ANY RELEASE OF THIS FILM WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES. Perhaps meant as an experimental film with a dash of politics and two shakes of comedy, this ultimately unpalatable mix by noted director Alexandro Jodorowsky might have had too many cooks. Three people are cited as having had a hand in the story, written and rewritten three times. The tale itself follows the life of a young British colonial woman in India around 1900 or so and is based on a novel by Reginald Campbell. Rather than simply focus on the woman (Cyrielle Clair), the tale juxtaposes her life with that of an elephant named Tusk (convincingly played by Tusk, the elephant). The results are beautiful shots of the landscape unmatched by the mix of characters ranging from a Maharaja to a reverend to a few idiotic merchants and various types in-between.