The Holy Mountain (1973)

Director:

Alejandro Jodorowsky

Writer:

Alejandro Jodorowsky (written by)

Release Date:

21 August 1974 (West Germany)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A Christlike figure wanders through bizarre, grotesque scenarios filled with religious and sacrilegious imagery...

Plot Keywords:

Surrealism | Avant Garde | Mysticism | Female Rear Nudity | Male Frontal Nudity

Cast

Alejandro Jodorowsky	...	The Alchemist (as Alexandro Jodorowsky)
Horácio Salinas	...	The Thief (as Hector Salinas)
Zamira Saunders	...	The Written Woman (as Ramona Saunders)
Juan Ferrara	...	Fon, He whose planet is Venus
Adriana Page	...	Isla, She whose planet is Mars
Burt Kleiner	...	Klen, He whose planet is Jupiter
Valerie Jodorowsky	...	Sel, She whose planet is Saturn
Nicky Nichols	...	Berg, He whose planet is Uranus
Richard Rutowski	...	Axon, He whose planet is Neptune (as Richard Rutowsky)
Luis Lomeli	...	Lut, He whose planet is Pluto
Ana De Sade	...	The Prostitute
Chucho-Chucho	...	The Chimpanzee
Letícia Robles	...	Bald Woman 1 (as Leticia Robles)
Connie De La Mora	...	Bald Woman 2
David Kapralik	...	Tourist

Also Known As:

Montaña sagrada, La (Mexico)
The Sacred Mountain (International: English title) (reissue title)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

Mexico | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

South Korea:18 | West Germany:18 | UK:X (original rating, cut version) | France:-16 | UK:18 (re-rating, uncut) | Italy:VM14 (2001) | Netherlands:18 | Australia:MA (2007 re-rating) | USA:R | Hong Kong:III

Filming Locations:

Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico

Company:

Allen & Betty Klein and Company (ABKCO)

Trivia:

The Alchemist's shoes were inspired by those of Frankenstein's monster, having both heels and high platforms as well.

Quotes:

The Alchemist: You are excrement. You can change yourself into gold.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Constellation Jodorowsky, La (1994)

An absolutely brilliant film both in concept and execution.

The Holy Mountain is an epic exploration of religious experience and global socio-political trends. A scathing indictment of the abuse of power by both first and third-world nations, while simultaneously a wonderfully clever fantasy that exposes art and religion as hilarious tools of mass-mind-control. It is a truly sweeping masterpiece full of amazing imagery and even more impressive thought. And it also has one of the best endings you are likely to see -ever. Too bad it is almost impossible to find.