El Topo (DVD)

(This is a review of just the film, although – finally! – there’s a Jodorowsky box set coming out on DVD very soon.) This is a legendary cult film. Made in 1971 in Mexico by uber-weirdo Alejandro Jodorowsky, it was unavailable for years because of a vicious argument between the director and the film’s distributor (former Beatles manager Allen Klein). The BBC showed it about ten years ago, but now it’s been fully restored (along with its equally loopy companion piece, the Holy Mountain) and is available once again. It was recently shown at the NFT, followed by a genuinely amazing discussion with the director (very sprightly at 78). When I first saw El Topo I ...  Read the complete review

'See the naked young Franciscans whipped with cactus. See the bandit leader disemboweled. See the priest ride into the sunset with a midget and her newborn baby. What it all means isn't exactly clear, but you won't forget it.' -- original tagline from El Topo The cult Chilean film maker Alejandro Jodorowsky may have suffered from lunatitis for much of his life, but the resulting character and works are fascinating. Stamping out his ego with wellies, his films, made and unmade, are some of the most powerful, disturbing and memorable singular visions of all time. Itsmadlairk. Born in 1930 in Iquique, Chile, Jodorowsky's career ...  Read the complete review