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Cereal Killer writes up a piece on Alejandro Jodorosky and possible upcoming new films of his!!!
Good ol Cereal Killer here has written up a good piece on a great filmmaker that... Some may not have heard of, and... Well, I'm gonna fix that. If you haven't seen EL TOPO or SANTA SANGRE.... Do so. As for me, I have not seen HOLY MOUNTAIN and will instantly look to do so. Jodorosky is an amazingly talented filmmaker that is not one to put out.... 'Normal' films, and that's why I celebrate him. Well enough of me, I'm turning this over to Cereal Killer who has some excellent films for you to hunt for!
Harry,
No doubt you're a huge film fan and historian. However, I have not seen
you mention The filmmaker Alejandro Jodorosky. His film's are some of
the greatest I've ever seen and I've seen a lot. He's a Spanish
filmmaker however, most of his films are English language. They are all
surreal on cerebral levels that would rock David Lynch's cranium. I
don't believe any of them have been released in America. Only two,
"Santa Sangre" and "The Rainbow Thief" were released. The former was cut
and the later was his worst effort.
However, the three greatest films he ever made never were released here
uncut and they have since been embraced by film lover's worldwide. His
second film, "El Topo" is arguably his best. It's a western with a
metaphysical, new age, biblical twist. It's violent, funny,
philisophical, and a great story of human spirit. His third film "Holy
Mountain" is his attempt at science fiction. This film is a one of a
kind experience. If made today it would probably cost 300 million to
make. It concerns space travel, gods from other planets, total mind/body
awareness, on top of being an analogy of society and civilization.
"Santa Sangre" is his fifth film and third classic. It's a horror film,
that has tones of "Pyscho," "Freaks," "Awakenings," Fellini, and even
Dario Argento(it was co-written by Claudio Argento, Dario's bro.).
The director's first film "Fando y Lis" is a low budget attempt and was
just too ambitious to be totally sucessful. However, it is getting a
deluxe DVD release. It will be uncut and will contain a documantary on
Jodorosky. Hopefully, his other films will follow. Jodorosky made a
couple of flops as well. A film called "Tusk" and the Omar Sharif,
Christopher Lee, and Peter O'Toole film "The Rainbow Thief" were all
considered flops. The former was a film about a young girl and an
elephant and that was it. Rainbow Thief was just bad.
Despite these films, Jodorosky maintained his unmatched style. He even
acts in his films and played the title role of "El Topo." He even was
prepared to film his vision of "Dune." It would have been in tuned with
his own philosophies. He even done some considerable pre-production.
Pink Floyd would have scored, H.R. Giger would have designed, and Dan
O'Bannon would have done the EFX. To read the whole story of what would
have been follow this link:
CLICK HERE TO READ OF THE DUNE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN (and could still be!)
I hope this has been of some enlightenment to you, in light of the
summer onslaught of films and blockbusters. This is a filmmaker who
needs no hype, and whose films are so far off mainstream it could only
tap into the cult crowd. You can find bootlegs of his films at
conventions and on-line retaliers who sell bootlegs of foreign
laserdiscs. For a good fix on Jodorosky and and rundown of his works
check out this link: CLICK HERE FOR A JODOROSKY FIX!!!
The site also has news from the man himself about a semi sequel to his
film "El Topo" called "The Sons of El Toro." The name change was due to
a rights issue with the original film. Check it out it's fascinating.
Hope you enjoyed.
Cereal Killer out....
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Aug 06, 1999 1:18:35 AM CDT
I KNOW OF A VIDEO STORE THAT HAS ALL OF JODOWORSKY'S FILMS
by iwant2citall
If you are ever in seattle check out scarecrow video (206-524-8554). They have every film the man has made including the holy mountain. The most prized posistion in my video library is El Topo. SEE IT.
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Try Scarecrow Video if you're in the area. I know they've got El Topo, Holy Mountain, and Santa Sangre on vhs (and I think on Laserdisc, too). His stuff is worth checking out, for sure. The only way to get them is through import from Japan. If you want to buy, I've had them find some rare stuff for me, so maybe it's possible to get a legit copy. El Topo and The Holy Mountain will probably never show up on DVD, or so I've heard.
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See this film immediately. It's absolutely astonishing. The guy is cream crackers and John Lennon wanted to make a film with him until he was told that his ideas were shit.
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I just read the Dune escapade. Jesus that story alone should be made into a film. God this is too much for a friday morning...
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Aug 06, 1999 2:24:17 AM CDT
Film Geeks everywhere WE MUST GET JODOWORSKY'S DUNE MADE
by iwant2citall
Lets face it Lynch's dune was a piece of crap. He tried hos best but unfortunetly for us he failed. Now i say lets do everything we can to get Jodoworsky vision on film. I know that Dali is dead but there are other infinetly cool people out there that could be in it as the emperor like Alejandro himself. Now I am just a poor security guard who loves movies but I am more than willing to follow Jodoworsky where ever he leads me. I say we should all follow him. There must be something we could do. I am willing to do my part.
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yep, scarcrow has em all. Sante Sangre rules. God bless scarecrow. We are truly blessed here in seattle for having such an amazing video store.
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I was lucky enough to see both Holy Mountain and El Topo on the big screen a year or two ago. Of the two I like The Holy Mountain
best. As the man said this is a fucking amazing and totally singular movie going experience. The colors and sets and the insane goings on in every scene were beyond anything I have ever seen on the big screen. Pure, unadulterated INSANITY. Truly beautiful , perverse and funny. The baby hippo in the fountain with a man on top of a glass jar shitting into it and trying to make gold of his feces comes to mind. Jodorowsky actually wanted the crew of Holy Mountain to acheive spiritual enlightenment through the making of the film, when he realized they hadn't he flew into a rage and changed the ending. The original ending was supposed to involve levitation, but you'll see the finale he used when and if you see the movie. Movie? more like a fever dream induced transendental explosion! -
Aug 06, 1999 6:31:23 AM CDT
When the hell are we getting El Topo and Holy Mountain on DVD?
by the gline
I think that about says it all. With the previously-believed-to-be-lost FANDO Y LIS coming to DVD, maybe they'll do the right thing and reissue everything else properly. The man's movies are not for everyone, but JESUS are they amazing.
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Just to add a little variety, I'd like to say that I thought El Topo is a terrible film, and a miserable failure on every level. While it undeniably sounds great on paper, it is a mess. Santa Sangre fares slightly better, especially visually, but suffers still from Jodorowsky's limitations as a storyteller. I would like to further declare that while I feel Lynch's version of Dune is unsuccessful, the blame cannot be laid wholly at Lynch's feet since final cut was wrested away from him during post-production. Despite the 4 hour (or whatever the running time is at now) Alan Smithee version that runs on the Sci-fi network now and then, Lynch's vision is The Film You'll Never See as well, since hours of key footage was destroyed.
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Many of his visions for Dune have been visualized in Comics like
The Incal Saga (with Moebius), John Diful before the Incal, The Metabaron Saga, etc...
I -
Alejandro Jodorowsky is not a Spanish filmmaker; he was born in Chile and has lived in Mexico for many years (even has said in interviews he considers himself a mexican).
He truly is a great filmmaker, and a great writer. Do yourself a favor and go get the comic book work he has done with Moebius or one of his films. Just a warning: he's doesn't do 'light' entertainment, so go through his work with your brain turned on. His work is full of symbolisms, and can be read in so many different ways that it neves ceases to amaze.
Really one of the most underrated creators of our time. -
CK-
Great work once again...you've proved to be one of the smartest and well educated movie buffs ever (BTW-Where do you go to school..must be somewhere good!) You know more about movies than everyone I know put together...I'm serious! Your words inspire me to see the movies you talk about and I just wanted you to know that I appreaciate your reports!
Clint Howard Forever!
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Aug 06, 1999 9:25:27 AM CDT
CEREAL KILLER IS THE MAN (sorry, I mistyped the name below)
by clintseye
Check out the next post, I just wanted to correct the subject that I screwed up
CLINT HOWARD FOREVER! -
On the note of video stores with Jodorowsky's work as part of their collection. Does anyone know where a video store in the Dallas/ Ft. Worth/ Denton area that has these fine cinematic mind expanders?
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Wow man, I can't believe you have never seen Holy Mountain. You LIVE in Austin, home of the best video store ever, I LOVE VIDEO. They have all of Jodorowsky's films there. Sometimes you really amaze me with how many movies you HAVEN'T seen. I guess you are a normal guy after all and not the biggest film geek in the world.
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ok ok ok, while i havent read the Dune books, i have heard a lot about them verses the lynch movie, however I think its pretty nuts to try and fit the essences of 5 books into one movie even if its 4 hours long! (BTW allen smithee is just a name for the director not wanting to put his own name on a specific movie or version he doesnt like or isnt supposed to do. Theres been like 7 movies directed by "Allen Smithee") given that, I still think Lynchs' Dune kicked ass in general as a sci-fi flick. I'll watch that in Japanese in a hot room in guam a billion times before Id go watch "The Matrix" again! Great design, great dialogue, good story..
Jodorowski's dune would be fucking nuts! Holy mountain kicked ass, santa sangre was...crazy (in a good way) this guy is another one of those rare visionary artists out there, his vision is definitely HIS! He has great asthetics! aside from Giger, Jean "THE MAN" MOEBIUS giraud was also to design much of the rest of that movie (That alone would make me rush to go see any movie, like it made me go watch the 5th element..sob...) and yea, check out Moebius and Jodorowskis' work after Dune was dropped! Someone mentioned THE INCAL LIGHT, THE MATABARON SERIES, AND ANGEL CLAW! Obannon is another bad ass that needs to be doing more high profile work..dali is dead? oh well at least that'll save the producers the $100,000 a day that he was asking for! I think that we look at the teams that were supposed to do the original Dune and were impressed, but lets not forget all the works that came out of this failed project! Alien happened once Obannon split and contacted Scott, BLADERUNNER pretty much started during Dune with O bannon and Moebius doing "The long tomorow" which later served as a good springing board for Syd Meads design for BR and of course Scotts love for Moebius (check out Rscotts sketches), I think at this point any movie by Jodorowski should be well welcomed, and although Im probably dreaming..any combination of him and any of the above mentioned artists would totally kick ass! Curses to Cerial killer for bringing this up and getting me all riled up! Now i have to spend the rest of the day daydreaming about this...until I go watch Iron giant tonight and realize i have to watch it over and over again until I have something else to wait for! which so far has only been the Next star wars (Sorry to all you "I thought TPM Sucked") and the Chris Cunningham Neuromancer!....CURSES! -
Oh, this is fucking great, a story from a dipshit wannabe hacker that stole his handle from that lame ass pile of dogshit called _hackers_. Got news for ya pal, they were not hackers, they were crackers, and get a new fucking handle!!!!!!!!!!! If you want anyone to respect your opinion, and your scoops.
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First off, let me say it's about fucking time this site shows some respect to Jodorowsky. Anyway, when El Topo first came out, John Lennon liked it so much his manager (Allen Klein aka the devil) helped fund Jodorowsky's next movie (The Holy Mountain). And somewhere in the process Klein obtained the rights in the USA for both El Topo and the Holy Mountain. He still has these rights, and just plain refuses to do anything with them. The rights go back to Jodorowsy only when Klein dies, so that's why you can only get bootlegs of these two movies. P.S. If you're having trouble finding them, go to www.revok.com, they have damn fine copies of them.
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Or so it seems in his movies.
I'd die to see his Dune. And i WANT "El Topo" and "Holy Nountain" on VHS.
"Santa Sangre" was great.
Try to find and read "El Topo: book of the film". A great read.
You can reach me at www.shunkunk.com
T. Sprout -
My poor heart aches at the score that might have been. Pink Floyd's "Dune"! The mere thought sends waves of joyous rapture and wonderment thorough my very soul. Pink Floyd has been my favorite band ever since I was in 7th grade and a mere 5 years ago a friend of mine who is a serious film and art student handed me an article penned by Jodorowski about his proposed "Dune" project. Everything about it gave me serious pangs of regret that it will now never be made because I think it could very well have rivaled my favorite film of all time, 2001. Art by Giger and Music by Floyd, this is truly a combination concieved by the gods themselves. Floyd's score would have been a monumental double-album, replete with thier unmistakable free-form sonic experimentation. Sigh, spending too much time on what might have been is never a good thing, but perhaps future inspiration can be gleaned from it. Until next time, May The Floyd Be With You!
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My heart jumped when I read my all-time fave director might be making more filmic genius for the world. Where's the funding, studios? The guy's a legend. The Holy Mountain is indeed a fantastic trip and my favorite film ever made, largely because it's an unofficial adaptation of one of my favorite books, MOUNT ANALOGUE by Rene Daumal. Daumal was a student of philosopher G.I.Gurdjieff, and his fiction symbolically explores the psychic terrain of that school of thought, and makes for unforgettable, provocative reading.
Brilliant wild child Alejandro Jodoroswky (check out THE INCAL - his excellent comic collaboration with Moebius) has taken Daumal's work and filtered it through an extremely psychedelic 60's abstraction, though the film completely matches the novel's progressions.
I met one of THE HOLY MOUNTAIN's producers before I'd seen the film, and he complained how Jodorowsky was so far-out and artsy and metaphysical and every day he had to fight with him to make the film more practical and pragmatic. I was very curious how Jodorowsky had resolved the book's ending which is unfinished - Daumal died in the middle of writing it. I was a bit upset when the producer told me that Jodorowsky just made fun of the ending - it was all a big joke. I couldn't believe that a genius Master like Jodorowsky would be so cavalier. Of course when I finally saw the film I felt the ending perfectly captured the essence of Mount Analogue, and this earth-bound producer obviously had different eyes. Ironically he appears in the film as a naysaying mountain trickster with purportedly magic flies that don't work... - I think based on a character in the novel who doesn't have the vision to be able to see into Heaven - which is what the mountain represents. The place that unites Earth and Heaven.
What I love most about Jodorowsky the man tho is his inspired point of reference that is unparalled in the film world.
Jodorowsky is a celebrated master of the Tarot, and he also studied with Marcel Marceau and, in fact, was the CREATOR of Marceau's most famous mime act THE CAGE - an act which has been bastardized and regurgitated by overzealous mimes everywhere. He must reign on high! Give him what he wants or the world suffers.
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Who are you calling a "wanna be dipshit?" Cereal Killer and everyone else in here knows twice as much about movies than you do!You better watch yourself...I'm warning you...or feel the wrath of CLINTSeye
CLINT HOWARD FOREVER -
Aug 07, 1999 10:50:19 AM CDT
Yeah Phreak - your also probably wrong about Hackers too
by tommy terror
Isn't the name Cereal Killer originally from GWAR?
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I believe THE ROLLING STONES helped produce THE HOLY MOUNTAIN. Unbelievable film!!! I'm suprised this topic even got posted here due to this site has nothing to gain from it.
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O'Bannon, or Dan O'Bannon was the original writer on ALIEN. He might have thinking of any of the popular FX artists at the time i.e. Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Dick Smith, Tom Savini, Stan Winston.
We get the point though.
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