Alejandro Jodorowsky

[Uncle Hank]

Anyone here seen any of his body of work? I've been meaning to view the likes of El Topo and The Holy Mountain for a while now, and am hoping for some analysis and to make sure I wouldn't be wasting my time.

[Stranger Than Paradise]

Yes yes yes comrade. Jodorowsky is a truly unique director, he is maybe a more spiritual and mystical version of David Lynch. Of course it would be cruel to compare either of them. I have not seen Santa Sangre which I hear is excellent but Fando y Lis, El Topo and The Holy Mountain are exceptional films.

[Uncle Hank]

I think at the time I considered watching some of his films around a year ago I wasn't ready, but now I am to the best of my knowledge. Thanks for your reinforcement. :)

[9]

I've seen El Topo and The Holy Mountain, and they're both excellent films in my opinion. A lot of it - moreso than with most films - is a matter of taste, though. You probably already know that they are very surreal films, and in that sense, they are (as the poster before me noted) similar to some of David Lynch's work (Eraserhead comes to mind). The plots are loose, abstract, and largely subjective and the imagery is evocative of a state of psychosis. It is hard to really give any sort of detailed analysis due to the nature of the movies, but if you like surrealism I have little doubt that you will enjoy both films.

[which doctor]

Holy Mountain > El Topo

The Toad vs. Lizard scene in Holy Mountain is probably one of the most creative in film history.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TenWrzMKPgU

[narcomprom]

Holy Mountain > El Topo

The Toad vs. Lizard scene in Holy Mountain is probably one of the most creative in film history.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TenWrzMKPgU
Holy Mountain starts well, but I couldn't watch it to the end. There's too much random fancy symbolism and once they start talking it gets just too tediously hippieesque. People who like mysticism will certainly find something, Jodorowski after all also wrote some books on medieval european mysticism and knew what he was doing.

The minimalist El Topo is more to my taste - and you can't say it had no memorable scenes! Take, for instance, the protestant Texan slaver village - this fresh view on the American Wild West is not something the viewer easily forgets. If Jodorowski was working more in the fashion of Spaghetti Westerns he could have gotten more viewers, though.

Do you know any other movies that dare to portray the Old West not as a classless society? I know of two ones, one made by Fassbinder about upper class decadents and the other, about the native genocide, was made in the GDR. Both are unfortunately nigh unwatchable today: the one is too uptight and officous and the other had the unfortune to be made during sex revolution.

All in all, I'm not too fond of Jodorowski or Lynch. Perhaps it's that I can't take all those mystic dwarves and cripples seriously, after Living in Oblivion.

[Os Cangaceiros]

The only Jodorowsky film I've seen is Santa Sangre. It was OK, albeit a little overhyped to me.

[pierrotlefou]

The only Jodorowsky film I've seen is Santa Sangre. It was OK, albeit a little overhyped to me.
I would recommend checking out Holy Mountain and El Topo. They are more solid films to give you a better representation of the director IMO.

[spiltteeth]

I've seen all his films, Holy Mountain and El Topo are his masterpieces, they both present a mystical/Occult journey toward the true self. There;s alot of Occult symbolism and many references to the illusionary nature of the self and reality.
He was accused of abuse because he locked up actors from Holy Mountain in a house and wouldn't let them out until they "melded into one mind."
He's met with many famous shamans, Sufi teachers, and Occultist's.

John Lenen -from the obscure band the 'Beatles'- funded his films for awhile.

Santa Sangre was made after Lenen died. It is mainly a Freudian psychodrama.

Jordowosky was blacklisted from cinema because of a terrible debacle with that movie 'DUNE' which he was supposed to direct with Salvador Dali doing the designs!!

Now he does post-Jungian group therapy, which I've seen and is interesting.

He also does alot of comics, mostly writing them. They are mostly kind of like mystical science fiction type stuff.

I feel his work has alot in common with William S Burroughs, naked lunch etc

[Pirate Utopian]

I saw Holy Mountain and El Topo. They were both very weird and I couldnt really follow the very minimal plotlines but I liked it.

[gla22]

Haven't posted here in a while but this looks like a good place to jump back in.

Yes Jodorowsky films are very good. Some things to consider before watching them is to familiarize yourself with symbols especially those used in tarot, as well as Jungian psychology. But even for somewhere unfamiliar with these the movies are valuable to any human being. Jodorowsky captures the essence of humanity, of what it means to be human and most importantly his films are very honest. I think this comes when watching the films, it feels very "real" in a way.

[Dimentio]

Anyone here seen any of his body of work? I've been meaning to view the likes of El Topo and The Holy Mountain for a while now, and am hoping for some analysis and to make sure I wouldn't be wasting my time.

I have seen El Topo with a friend. Very interesting movie I must say. It is certainly one of the sickest movies I've ever seen, but in the same time it holds some sort of sincere beauty (if I'm allowed to make an analogy it is remniscent of a bumbling monster filming a beautiful flower before taking a dump on it).

The movie is obviously a reference to the bible, where the gunslinger El Topo represents the God of the Old Testament and later Jesus. It is also an attack on the capitalist society. It is hard to describe and I shouldn't spoil your experiences, so you better go watch it. And don't turn it off after the first fifteen minutes (the beginning is weird).

[Uncle Hank]

Thank you for all the feedback comrades, as soon as I feel up to it I plan on watching El Topo. :)

[Glenn Beck]

El Topo is an awesome film. You really should see it.

[natacha]

The Holy Mountain is fantastic, so much to think about but so funny too. It was ruined towards the end for me though, I didnt like the way they used animals especially the chimpanze walking up a snowy mountain. But still a great time, although some parts for me were hard to watch because of the animals. If you watch it with the directors commentry its very interesting because a lot of the actors were on LSD and I think the script was very vague and a lot of it real experience for them.

[Hexen]

The man is a disgusting misogynist, avoid him.

[9]

The man is a disgusting misogynist, avoid him.

Dali was a fascist, but I still appreciate his brilliant art. I'm not sure its healthy to restrict all forms of entertainment we appreciate to programs and art and music made by people who share 100% of our convictions on everything. Its not as though anyone is asserting that his films are artistic manifestos of the revolutionary left.

[Yazman]

I believe Marilyn Manson is a massive fan of Alejandro Jodorowsky, just an interesting bit of trivia.

[Pirate Utopian]

The musicvideo for The Dope Show had alot of references to Jodorowsky.