So far I had only seen Jodorowsky's "Santa Sangre", but that one happens to be my all-time favorite film! One thing's for sure with this director whenever you check out one of his films for the first time: you should expect the unexpected and prepare yourself for not believing what your own eyes are observing most of the time. Just in case you really have to label "El Topo" with a genre, it would presumably be Western, but that still doesn't give you any idea of the film's content whatsoever. Within the first ten minutes alone, things occur that are already too weird to mention (like grown men shooting at women's shoes and bandits dancing and caressing monks!!) and these sequences aren't relevant to the actual plot yet! Well, I'd love to summarize the main story lines, but the truth is that I didn't understand one iota of it all. The pivot character El Topo, portrayed by the director himself, rides through the desert with a 7-year-old naked kid in tow. He exchanges the kid for a beautiful woman after defeating a gang of thugs and goes on a quest to visit four "masters" of the desert. Subsequently, he joins a community of mountain people and fervently helps them coming out of their dark habitat and into the open world. Yes, it's a very vague description, but that's because I didn't know what was going on anyway. Most likely, you won't either and that's not an insult to your personal intellect! It's just a messed up movie that you mainly just need to watch for its visual brilliance, symbolism and extremely stylish choreography. Every single character that walks through the screen is a demented & complex individual, and the protagonist is the absolute biggest weirdo of them all. He actually claims to be God himself and really believes it, too and does the most unpredictable things imaginable. Admittedly, this film isn't suitable for entertainment purposes. It's an intense and demanding experience that you should approach with an open state of mind and loads of patience. Purely elite cinema that can't be compared to anything else ever made.
152 Reviews
Not for the weak of heart
Nazi_Fighter_David17 August 2008
"El Topo" was one of the first midnight-movie cult hits because of its visually stunning, mentally exciting indulgence in gratuitous sex and exaggerated violence
Avenging angel El Topomeant to be wise and mysticalrides into a town whose population has just been massacred He guns down some of the cruel and perverse bandits responsible and brutally punishes their leader He leaves his seven-year-old son with some monks and goes away with the gang leader's woman, Mara
In the desert sands, El Topo and Mara make love, and she quickly falls in love with him After their frantic love-making, she tells him that he can prove that he's the 'best' by killing the Four Masters
For no apparent reason other than to please Mara, El Topo begins his mission, defeating and killing each of the Four Masters
The film has been quite controversial It lacks clarity and has painful emotions that make it quite compelling
Avenging angel El Topomeant to be wise and mysticalrides into a town whose population has just been massacred He guns down some of the cruel and perverse bandits responsible and brutally punishes their leader He leaves his seven-year-old son with some monks and goes away with the gang leader's woman, Mara
In the desert sands, El Topo and Mara make love, and she quickly falls in love with him After their frantic love-making, she tells him that he can prove that he's the 'best' by killing the Four Masters
For no apparent reason other than to please Mara, El Topo begins his mission, defeating and killing each of the Four Masters
The film has been quite controversial It lacks clarity and has painful emotions that make it quite compelling
Celebrate the Diversity of Your Imagination...
Xstal17 August 2020
I haven't the time to meditate on this film more than I already have.
BA_Harrison8 September 2020
Alejandro Jodorowsky's 'acid Western' El Topo is either the work of a truly enlightened genius, or it is a massively pretentious piece of surrealist claptrap, the visual ramblings of a man who has taken far too many psychedelic drugs. Since I am neither a master of Zen spiritualism or a stoner, the film - all two hours and a smidge of it - left me utterly bewildered. I even picked up my hitherto unread copy of ''The Spiritual Journey of Alejandro Jodorowsky' looking for answers; sadly, the book is just as hard to fathom.
The film's central character, El Topo (played by Jodorowsky), is a gunslinger who embarks on a quest to defeat four masters, which he does, after which he hangs out with a cave full of physically handicapped people, digging them a tunnel so that they can leave and head for a nearby town where they are promptly gunned down by the townsfolk. This brief synopsis doesn't do the sheer craziness of the film justice, but to catalogue all of the weird stuff that happens would take me forever, suffice to say that there's lots of dead rabbits, much female nudity, loads of bloody gunshots, fun with lizards, a man wearing three hats, eggs buried in sand, a bloke with no arms giving a piggyback to a man with no legs, and a boxing match with barbed wire gloves. And that's just the tip of the drug-fuelled iceberg.
The film is also crammed to the gills with religious symbolism that Jodorowsky no doubt feels is extremely profound, but which I guarantee will be totally lost on the majority of viewers. Sadly, one hundred and twenty five minutes of total confusion does not equal a good time in my book, and, as much as I enjoy strange movies, I cannot say that I had a good time with this one.
Maybe, just maybe, by watching El Topo, I have taken the first small step to my own spiritual enlightenment; more likely - to use an old IMDb cliché - it's just two hours of my life that I'll never get back.
?/10 - I can't really rate what I don't understand.
The film's central character, El Topo (played by Jodorowsky), is a gunslinger who embarks on a quest to defeat four masters, which he does, after which he hangs out with a cave full of physically handicapped people, digging them a tunnel so that they can leave and head for a nearby town where they are promptly gunned down by the townsfolk. This brief synopsis doesn't do the sheer craziness of the film justice, but to catalogue all of the weird stuff that happens would take me forever, suffice to say that there's lots of dead rabbits, much female nudity, loads of bloody gunshots, fun with lizards, a man wearing three hats, eggs buried in sand, a bloke with no arms giving a piggyback to a man with no legs, and a boxing match with barbed wire gloves. And that's just the tip of the drug-fuelled iceberg.
The film is also crammed to the gills with religious symbolism that Jodorowsky no doubt feels is extremely profound, but which I guarantee will be totally lost on the majority of viewers. Sadly, one hundred and twenty five minutes of total confusion does not equal a good time in my book, and, as much as I enjoy strange movies, I cannot say that I had a good time with this one.
Maybe, just maybe, by watching El Topo, I have taken the first small step to my own spiritual enlightenment; more likely - to use an old IMDb cliché - it's just two hours of my life that I'll never get back.
?/10 - I can't really rate what I don't understand.
Unique, brutal, fascinating, allegory of many religions..
Chris J.12 November 1998
It's a violent, brutal, to some confusing, but fascinating and ultimately a brilliant allegorical film. It was the first of the midnight cult films.
Unrelenting at times. There are several characters and situations the protagonist experiences. Each of these characters and situations have a connection to various (mostly Eastern) religions. The feel of the first part is almost like a mid-period Fellini spaghetti western (had Fellini made a spaghetti western--which he did not). The second half of the film has an entirely different feel, message and pacing. The second half of the film is an allegory of the New Testament. Eventually it does all tie together however.
There seems to be a scene missing at about the mid-point of the film, and a characters motivation suddenly changes. Jodorowsky explained it was mostly intentional, but, two shots were ruined and never re-shot which would have helped set up a more discernible meaning to the scene in question. It occurs between the women in the desert.
Jodorowsky will not explain in detail all that he was going for in the film. He considers the film an Eastern.... he agrees that my interpretation of various characters embodying Eastern religion and philosophy is correct. He also was creating a film of emotions, violence, salvation, and redemption---so he intentionally did not follow the expected structure of most films regarding first, second and third acts and when major conflicts occur.
He flippantly agreed with some New York critics years ago who described the film as one which seemed to be a filmed version of a very strange L.S.D. trip. He had a lengthy conversation which was published and used as liner notes in the El TOPO soundtrack album which talked about the film in terms of it being something akin to a LSD trip. But Jodorowsky said, you certainly don't need LSD to enjoy it, it's already been done for you.
This was not something he was serious about it. But being 1969, and after having trouble getting a distributor for the film in the first place, and now watching the film having moderate success as a midnight cult film and amongst college students he decided it was good for the film to agree that the N.Y. critics were partially correct.
It is at times an extremely disturbing film. I thought I detected more than a little of misogyny in the film-- --however, as Jodorowsky essentially told me--none has been intended, except that the world now, like in the past, has always brutalized women and men have insisted on brutalizing themselves.
Seeing it with an audience in a theater also means you can discuss it with people of all types. Reactions to the film are all over the map. Most agree it is art---- many don't like the film---many find it too disturbing, too violent, too sacrilegious, too scattered. Others disagree over the various messages and meanings they receive from the film. Others just 'enjoy' it as a wild, weird, disturbing film.
Usually video copies of the film are from Japanese laserdiscs which fog all pubic hair. It looks strange if you are not familiar with this.
It is a film akin to an Opera. Although it was extremely low-budget, the film is an epic and has, if not a big budget feel to it, an impressive grandeur and sweep that few films achieve.
Filmed over a course of nearly three years, the filmmakers twice were stranded for weeks without supplies and without money. This film was started in 1964/65, completed and originally set for release in 1967/68, it predates The Wild Bunch, Easy Rider and other 60's landmarks.... It was a true labor of love to finish the film. And then the film was banned in several countries.
It is not in general release. For many years from the late 70's to the mid 90's it was rarely if ever shown.
A few years ago I revisited the film in a theatre and had the opportunity to discuss it as an audience member and later on one with Jodorowsky. His other film Sante Sangre is also quite good in my opinion, but I am not a fan of his Holy Mountain. Other films he has been involved with are of lesser value. He was a good friend of Fellini's and may someday direct Fellini's script of Don Quixote. He is working on Son of El Topo, but not sure when it will be released and who will distribute it.
El Topo began a nearly 5 year run as a midnight film and often sold out. It started in a small Greenwich Village theatre in New York City. After a few years of success in NYC, other prints were distributed to college campuses and for midnight shows in other cities. It became a modest hit!
Unrelenting at times. There are several characters and situations the protagonist experiences. Each of these characters and situations have a connection to various (mostly Eastern) religions. The feel of the first part is almost like a mid-period Fellini spaghetti western (had Fellini made a spaghetti western--which he did not). The second half of the film has an entirely different feel, message and pacing. The second half of the film is an allegory of the New Testament. Eventually it does all tie together however.
There seems to be a scene missing at about the mid-point of the film, and a characters motivation suddenly changes. Jodorowsky explained it was mostly intentional, but, two shots were ruined and never re-shot which would have helped set up a more discernible meaning to the scene in question. It occurs between the women in the desert.
Jodorowsky will not explain in detail all that he was going for in the film. He considers the film an Eastern.... he agrees that my interpretation of various characters embodying Eastern religion and philosophy is correct. He also was creating a film of emotions, violence, salvation, and redemption---so he intentionally did not follow the expected structure of most films regarding first, second and third acts and when major conflicts occur.
He flippantly agreed with some New York critics years ago who described the film as one which seemed to be a filmed version of a very strange L.S.D. trip. He had a lengthy conversation which was published and used as liner notes in the El TOPO soundtrack album which talked about the film in terms of it being something akin to a LSD trip. But Jodorowsky said, you certainly don't need LSD to enjoy it, it's already been done for you.
This was not something he was serious about it. But being 1969, and after having trouble getting a distributor for the film in the first place, and now watching the film having moderate success as a midnight cult film and amongst college students he decided it was good for the film to agree that the N.Y. critics were partially correct.
It is at times an extremely disturbing film. I thought I detected more than a little of misogyny in the film-- --however, as Jodorowsky essentially told me--none has been intended, except that the world now, like in the past, has always brutalized women and men have insisted on brutalizing themselves.
Seeing it with an audience in a theater also means you can discuss it with people of all types. Reactions to the film are all over the map. Most agree it is art---- many don't like the film---many find it too disturbing, too violent, too sacrilegious, too scattered. Others disagree over the various messages and meanings they receive from the film. Others just 'enjoy' it as a wild, weird, disturbing film.
Usually video copies of the film are from Japanese laserdiscs which fog all pubic hair. It looks strange if you are not familiar with this.
It is a film akin to an Opera. Although it was extremely low-budget, the film is an epic and has, if not a big budget feel to it, an impressive grandeur and sweep that few films achieve.
Filmed over a course of nearly three years, the filmmakers twice were stranded for weeks without supplies and without money. This film was started in 1964/65, completed and originally set for release in 1967/68, it predates The Wild Bunch, Easy Rider and other 60's landmarks.... It was a true labor of love to finish the film. And then the film was banned in several countries.
It is not in general release. For many years from the late 70's to the mid 90's it was rarely if ever shown.
A few years ago I revisited the film in a theatre and had the opportunity to discuss it as an audience member and later on one with Jodorowsky. His other film Sante Sangre is also quite good in my opinion, but I am not a fan of his Holy Mountain. Other films he has been involved with are of lesser value. He was a good friend of Fellini's and may someday direct Fellini's script of Don Quixote. He is working on Son of El Topo, but not sure when it will be released and who will distribute it.
El Topo began a nearly 5 year run as a midnight film and often sold out. It started in a small Greenwich Village theatre in New York City. After a few years of success in NYC, other prints were distributed to college campuses and for midnight shows in other cities. It became a modest hit!
Masterpiece or X-rated MontyPython sketch? You decide...
MOscarbradley6 August 2008
It has been said that Jodorowsky's "El Topo" is like a Spaghetti Western directed by Luis Bunuel and who am I to argue, but you may find the excessive blood-letting, copious displays of nudity, (including a seven year-old boy), emphasis on all kinds of physical deformity and some girl-on-girl action more in keeping with an exploitation picture albeit one dressed up in some very fancy new clothes, (at least of the emperor's variety). There is also so much religious imagery and symbolism that it almost verges on the blasphemous.
It's also a movie very much of it's time, (1970). There is no real narrative structure and its surrealism tends towards the psychedelic. It's a product of the drug-culture and its cult reputation stems mainly from those who were high when they first saw it. But there are certainly few films like it, (and any that are were probably directed by Jodorowsky). There are even those who hail it as a masterpiece. The magazine 'Films and Filming' voted it the best film of its year while others may feel it is closer to a Monty Python sketch or an X-rated version of "Blazing Saddles". In the end, it's a film that needs to be experienced; whether or not you 'like' it or even admire it is something else again.
It's also a movie very much of it's time, (1970). There is no real narrative structure and its surrealism tends towards the psychedelic. It's a product of the drug-culture and its cult reputation stems mainly from those who were high when they first saw it. But there are certainly few films like it, (and any that are were probably directed by Jodorowsky). There are even those who hail it as a masterpiece. The magazine 'Films and Filming' voted it the best film of its year while others may feel it is closer to a Monty Python sketch or an X-rated version of "Blazing Saddles". In the end, it's a film that needs to be experienced; whether or not you 'like' it or even admire it is something else again.
A religious allegorical western of redemption with surrealist imagery.
NateManD12 July 2005
"El Topo", is probably Jodorowsky's most talked about film next to "Santa Sangre". Like all his films it is bizarre and full of symbolism. El Topo is a cowboy dressed in black. He is out for vengeance, kind of like the Biblical God of the old testament. Him and his son ride through a town of massacred civilians. He wants justice and to win the heart of a girl, Mara. He gives up his only son, in an act that could be looked at like God, or even Abraham. He has to kill seven master gunfighters. After all the violence and carnage, he is injured and taken under the care of cripples, dwarfs and other various misfits. He is reborn, almost like a Bhuddist monk. He becomes like the new testament God, Jesus Christ. El Topo is now like a savior to the oppressed. He vows to dig a tunnel out of the cave so the cripples can live among the villagers. The town is taken over by religious fanatics. Poor villagers are branded with the religious icon by force. An upper class of elitists now dominate the town. "El Topo" is beautiful, and chocked full of violent and disturbing imagery. The film became a popular cult sensation in the early 70's. It was embraced by the likes of John Lennon, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson, Peter Gabriel and Pink Floyd. More recently celebrities like Marilyn Manson and the Coen Brothers have talked about being strongly influenced by Jodorowsky's work. "El Topo" is important, because it was the first midnight movie. If people could forget about "the Rocky Horror Picture Show" just for a second, they'd realize that this is one of the most important cult films. A bizarre and surreal western that can never be imitated. The only 3 surreal westerns I can think of to pre-date "El Topo" that have many similarities are Brazilian director Glauber Rocha's "Black God, White Devil" (1964) and his follow up "Antonio Das Mortes" (1969) and the Italian Spaghetti western "Django, Kill if you Live, Shoot" (1967).
Recipe for El Topo
obidow23 July 1999
Considering viewing El Topo? Imagine this: combine 2 parts Sergio Leone, 1 part Last Temptation of Christ, 1 part Easy Rider, 1 part Three Amigos, 1 part Houston's The Bible, a dash of Kubrick-esque, 1,000 dead rabbits, a lot of red paint, a huge ego, and some bad acid. Bake very well. This movie is epic in its scope as well as its silliness, and times profound and at times idiotic, so disgusting it hurts and one of the movies you do not watch with your parents. You will love it if you love movies, and laugh about it all the way back to the rental store. P.S. Jack Valenti would have a field day with this one.
Bizarre,surreal and amazingly violent.
HumanoidOfFlesh2 April 2002
This is my first venture into Jodorowsky's territory and I can safely say that I'm highly impressed."El Topo" is one of the most bizarre and impressive movies you'll ever see.It features plenty of interesting,weird characters,lots of religious symbolism and extremely violent gun-fight scenes.One of the producers of this one is Mexican horror veteran Juan Lopez Moctezuma("Alucarda","Mary,Mary,Bloody Mary").I urge you to see this masterpiece right now.Simply breathtaking!
It's all about the animals
kosmasp23 April 2021
I know that explaining why you rate something may be overrated, but I'm giving it a shot for those interested and not just liking or disliking that I gave this a 6. As I already hinted at in the summary line, it is about the animals in here in general and the bunnies in particular! The fact that actual animals died in the making of this. Now that is one thing ... but the fact that they died because of the heat they were exposed to ... Jodorowsky himself says he wouldn't be doing this nowadays and thought back then that the sacrifice was something natural/necessary. Now as a big friend of animals but even more so of bunnies I am almost baffled by myself not giving this an even lower vote, but I did try to take into account that he saw the error of his way and the rest of the movie.
And now we can dive into that: a movie that seems to be divided into smaller parts. Which also is sort of true, because apparently Jodorowsky would not have gotten away with the things he depicts here, if he had claimed and told authorities back then what he was up to. Short movies on the other hand could be made at any point. Jodorowsky also plays the main role, which you may or may not appreciate. I'd say about 3/4 of the movie work very well ... and then you get an end part that seems completely detached from the rest.
Then again this is Jodorowsky, so while the shooting short movies may be one "excuse", the other explanation would just be he did his own thing and tried things out ... anything spiritual that came to mind - his mind that is. Although as a viewer you are encouraged to think a lot ... you have to connect the dots ... and/or listen to his interviews/audio commentaries to find out what he actually meant to tell us there. Some symbolism is quite easy to decrypt ... other things not so much. Even some of his fans have a different view on what it means than the main man himself - which in now way is or has to be something bad.
The movie is quite infamous for being his most bloody one yet - and it is true, if you are easily offended ... it is probably better if you do not watch this at all. Then there is also nudity and a lot of weird characters doing weird things ... symbolically speaking and all that. Let's just say you have to be in the right frame of mind. And seeing a kid being naked ... now the kid himself (interviewed for the disc/company I bought) was not scarred or at least seem to have grown up more than ok. That doesn't mean that some people won't have issues with that though ... kind of like me being really mad about the bunnies ...
And now we can dive into that: a movie that seems to be divided into smaller parts. Which also is sort of true, because apparently Jodorowsky would not have gotten away with the things he depicts here, if he had claimed and told authorities back then what he was up to. Short movies on the other hand could be made at any point. Jodorowsky also plays the main role, which you may or may not appreciate. I'd say about 3/4 of the movie work very well ... and then you get an end part that seems completely detached from the rest.
Then again this is Jodorowsky, so while the shooting short movies may be one "excuse", the other explanation would just be he did his own thing and tried things out ... anything spiritual that came to mind - his mind that is. Although as a viewer you are encouraged to think a lot ... you have to connect the dots ... and/or listen to his interviews/audio commentaries to find out what he actually meant to tell us there. Some symbolism is quite easy to decrypt ... other things not so much. Even some of his fans have a different view on what it means than the main man himself - which in now way is or has to be something bad.
The movie is quite infamous for being his most bloody one yet - and it is true, if you are easily offended ... it is probably better if you do not watch this at all. Then there is also nudity and a lot of weird characters doing weird things ... symbolically speaking and all that. Let's just say you have to be in the right frame of mind. And seeing a kid being naked ... now the kid himself (interviewed for the disc/company I bought) was not scarred or at least seem to have grown up more than ok. That doesn't mean that some people won't have issues with that though ... kind of like me being really mad about the bunnies ...
Ludicrous and Nonsensical
Billy_Crash3 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I usually love the avant-garde, the offbeat, the strange and the surreal. Being a fan of David Lynch, Takashi Miike and Terry Gilliam, bring me the weird and bizarre – but do not bring me "El Topo". This midnite movie cult classic is one of those films I had been told was a "must see", though I knew it was not that easy. Most viewers either love or hate the movie with no in between.
Jodorowsky delivered as writer/director/actor/composer a mixed bag of metaphor, allegory, imagery, spaghetti western, fantasy, horror and utter gore, weighed down with Buddhism and Christianity, and just about anything else from the philosophical and metaphysical kitchen sink. The aforementioned is fine, but when the final destination for the audience is nowhere, I can understand the passionate hatred from those who despise the film. Of its lovers, many told me it was "trippy" and they simply liked it because of that.
The narrative, however, is all over the place as El Topo (The Mole) travels the Mexican desert to face and kill The Four Masters of the Desert. Do they represent the Four Horsemen, the Four Winds, the Four Elements? It is anybody's guess. The movie is so loaded with imagery upon imagery it is as if Jodorowsky was purposefully stirring the pot just to keep people guessing. Maybe as lovers of the film try to decipher the layers of meaning, Jodorowsky is laughing somewhere.
This film did not satisfy me on any level because the result was a pile of primordial ooze that did not have time to gel into something coherent. Granted, I was intrigued by Topo's Zen-like transformation, especially when he worked so diligently to save the deformed cripples, but this was not enough to justify what came beforehand.
The movie is a circus sideshow with bits and pieces that are at times amusing while disgusting on other occasions. In this vein, Jodorowsky delivered the grotesque on a tortilla. At times both ridiculous and frightening, he shocks the audience with a stream of phantasmagorical scenes that lead only to the end credits and nothing more.
Whatever Jodorowsky was searching for, it was for him and him alone. The movie was self- indulgent and left me amazingly disappointed.
I can sit and discuss Lynch's disturbing "Eraserhead", Miike's over-the-top "Visitor Q" and Gilliam's Orwellian "Brasil", but Jodorowsky's work leads to a dead end because it is utterly nonsensical.
Jodorowsky delivered as writer/director/actor/composer a mixed bag of metaphor, allegory, imagery, spaghetti western, fantasy, horror and utter gore, weighed down with Buddhism and Christianity, and just about anything else from the philosophical and metaphysical kitchen sink. The aforementioned is fine, but when the final destination for the audience is nowhere, I can understand the passionate hatred from those who despise the film. Of its lovers, many told me it was "trippy" and they simply liked it because of that.
The narrative, however, is all over the place as El Topo (The Mole) travels the Mexican desert to face and kill The Four Masters of the Desert. Do they represent the Four Horsemen, the Four Winds, the Four Elements? It is anybody's guess. The movie is so loaded with imagery upon imagery it is as if Jodorowsky was purposefully stirring the pot just to keep people guessing. Maybe as lovers of the film try to decipher the layers of meaning, Jodorowsky is laughing somewhere.
This film did not satisfy me on any level because the result was a pile of primordial ooze that did not have time to gel into something coherent. Granted, I was intrigued by Topo's Zen-like transformation, especially when he worked so diligently to save the deformed cripples, but this was not enough to justify what came beforehand.
The movie is a circus sideshow with bits and pieces that are at times amusing while disgusting on other occasions. In this vein, Jodorowsky delivered the grotesque on a tortilla. At times both ridiculous and frightening, he shocks the audience with a stream of phantasmagorical scenes that lead only to the end credits and nothing more.
Whatever Jodorowsky was searching for, it was for him and him alone. The movie was self- indulgent and left me amazingly disappointed.
I can sit and discuss Lynch's disturbing "Eraserhead", Miike's over-the-top "Visitor Q" and Gilliam's Orwellian "Brasil", but Jodorowsky's work leads to a dead end because it is utterly nonsensical.
Of Gods and Guns
mstomaso16 August 2008
In this breathtaking mystical and spiritual western, Jodorowsky retells allegories of several religions to present his audience with an examination of the consequences of action based on every variety of human emotion. Lust, love, rape, compassion, murder, euthanasia, sacrifice, liberation, enslavement, faith, death, and procreation - few stones are left unturned in this desert.
A highly skilled gunfighter who calls himself God travels through the desert with his son and visits the scene of massacre. Seeking righteous vengeance, he tracks down the perpetrators, and, having exacted revenge, abandons his son with a group of Franciscans and adopts the agenda of a woman he has freed from bondage because of his desire for her. This very generally covers the first quarter of the film, and the themes that are implied are re-examined several times throughout the film.
El Topo (the mole, played by Joudorowsky) seeks the light, but as we learn in the opening sequence, the light will instantly blind him. His desires and the actions they inspire progress from primitive detached self-indulgence to redemptive self-sacrifice. He does wonderful things, and loathsome things, and the consequences of his actions are never as he intended. Thematically, the story hints at the connection between Taoist concepts of acting through inaction and mystical aspects of some western religions - simultaneously suggesting that only God can know the mind of God and that if no god exists, humans must acknowledge their dependence on the forces that govern the universe and seek harmony by yielding to them.
Like most westerns, there is a great deal of killing and gun play in El Topo, and the death scenes are often grueling and over-dramatized. Unlike most westerns, however, none of this violence is pointless, and it is not the central action of the story.
Jodorowski is a deeply spiritual film-maker, but is also intensely critical of organized religion and the demystification of religious ideas. He seemingly has little faith in the human ability to conceptualize cosmic forces. Notably, Jodorowsky never makes any statement whatsoever about science.
The meta-narrative of El Topo can be read in many ways, and is the level at which the film achieves high art. Does the transparent allegory of El Topo's life suggest that the Judaeo-Christian god is, himself, blinded by the light and consumed by fires he himself starts? Does the more or less consistent inaction of His son indicate a way out of the catch-22 of causes and effects his actions have set in motion, or does his son's determination to take on the responsibilities and relationships of his father convert the son into a new embodiment of the mole? Or is it human ignorance, willfulness and wickedness which are responsible for all of miseries of human existence? Each thoughtful viewer will take away a different message.
Gender is a major theme in El Topo, and although the main story is clearly presented from an androcentric perspective, Jodorowski adds a lot of details which effectively deconstruct this, and, in some cases, unmask it as an arbitrary convention of patriarchal religious doctrine. When you watch the film, pay particular attention to the voices and bodies of the different characters. I am convinced that these details are not simply added to jar and disorient. Finally, a comparison of the two main female characters - the loves of El Topo's life - is very important in 'getting' this film. One represents true love and true beauty, and the other illustrates something else. And it is significant that it is El Topo and El Topo alone, in his quest for the true path, who brings to his relationships a spiritual aspect. Considered without his self-proclaimed god-hood, there does not appear to be anything supernatural about these women or his relationship with them. Perhaps there is also a comment on agnosticism somewhere in all of this.
Well acted (especially Jodorowski), beautifully shot, and excellently scripted, El Topo is a great film by a great, though eccentric, film maker.
As a non-religious Taoist and scientist, I found it easy to contextualize Jodorowski's story and the messages it appears to carry. I do not, however, pretend that my interpretation is correct. To do so would be an act of violence against the film's art.
If you're up for a brutal film which can not be enjoyed without a great of concentrated thought, I recommend it.
A highly skilled gunfighter who calls himself God travels through the desert with his son and visits the scene of massacre. Seeking righteous vengeance, he tracks down the perpetrators, and, having exacted revenge, abandons his son with a group of Franciscans and adopts the agenda of a woman he has freed from bondage because of his desire for her. This very generally covers the first quarter of the film, and the themes that are implied are re-examined several times throughout the film.
El Topo (the mole, played by Joudorowsky) seeks the light, but as we learn in the opening sequence, the light will instantly blind him. His desires and the actions they inspire progress from primitive detached self-indulgence to redemptive self-sacrifice. He does wonderful things, and loathsome things, and the consequences of his actions are never as he intended. Thematically, the story hints at the connection between Taoist concepts of acting through inaction and mystical aspects of some western religions - simultaneously suggesting that only God can know the mind of God and that if no god exists, humans must acknowledge their dependence on the forces that govern the universe and seek harmony by yielding to them.
Like most westerns, there is a great deal of killing and gun play in El Topo, and the death scenes are often grueling and over-dramatized. Unlike most westerns, however, none of this violence is pointless, and it is not the central action of the story.
Jodorowski is a deeply spiritual film-maker, but is also intensely critical of organized religion and the demystification of religious ideas. He seemingly has little faith in the human ability to conceptualize cosmic forces. Notably, Jodorowsky never makes any statement whatsoever about science.
The meta-narrative of El Topo can be read in many ways, and is the level at which the film achieves high art. Does the transparent allegory of El Topo's life suggest that the Judaeo-Christian god is, himself, blinded by the light and consumed by fires he himself starts? Does the more or less consistent inaction of His son indicate a way out of the catch-22 of causes and effects his actions have set in motion, or does his son's determination to take on the responsibilities and relationships of his father convert the son into a new embodiment of the mole? Or is it human ignorance, willfulness and wickedness which are responsible for all of miseries of human existence? Each thoughtful viewer will take away a different message.
Gender is a major theme in El Topo, and although the main story is clearly presented from an androcentric perspective, Jodorowski adds a lot of details which effectively deconstruct this, and, in some cases, unmask it as an arbitrary convention of patriarchal religious doctrine. When you watch the film, pay particular attention to the voices and bodies of the different characters. I am convinced that these details are not simply added to jar and disorient. Finally, a comparison of the two main female characters - the loves of El Topo's life - is very important in 'getting' this film. One represents true love and true beauty, and the other illustrates something else. And it is significant that it is El Topo and El Topo alone, in his quest for the true path, who brings to his relationships a spiritual aspect. Considered without his self-proclaimed god-hood, there does not appear to be anything supernatural about these women or his relationship with them. Perhaps there is also a comment on agnosticism somewhere in all of this.
Well acted (especially Jodorowski), beautifully shot, and excellently scripted, El Topo is a great film by a great, though eccentric, film maker.
As a non-religious Taoist and scientist, I found it easy to contextualize Jodorowski's story and the messages it appears to carry. I do not, however, pretend that my interpretation is correct. To do so would be an act of violence against the film's art.
If you're up for a brutal film which can not be enjoyed without a great of concentrated thought, I recommend it.
Not the Feel Good Movie of the year...
thepartyoftea5 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
El Topo (1970) Rough, hard and dirty, this might describe many things, but it perfectly describes "El Topo". Shot in the deserts of Mexico, "El Topo" is a hard film containing graphic violence, sex and weirdness that is still shocking to this day. The film opens with a naked boy burring his favorite toy and a picture of his mother and is told today he becomes a man, an almost prelude to the adult material to follow. Shortly after the opening scene a single dead horse is shown, the audience feels a little sad, but the shot after shows an entire town butchered and fresh blood everywhere. The audience knows this is not going to be a feel good movie.
"El Topo" is a movie that fits into several different genres at the same time, it looks and begins like a western, but quickly changes to a quest to rid the 4 gun masters in the desert is eerie similar to a kung fu movie, then the film takes another turn and turns into a drama and a bit lighter after The Mole falls in love with the midget woman. There are acts of comedy that reflect back to the early silent era.
Film genres isn't the only way "El Topo" reflects pop culture, the film also makes several references to religious symbols and stories and events from around the world. The most eye catching is the reference to Thích Quảng Đức, a Buddhist monk who burnt himself alive in an interestion in Vietnam in 1963, who also burnt up without saying anything or moving a muscle.
The masters in the desert all have symbols and they down grade throughout the journey, the first master had a tower and a huge oasis, the second master had a wagon and a river, the third master had a little cover and a water hole, the fourth had a pole, a blanket and a sheet. The weapons also downgraded as well, the first had two guns, the second had one that could shoot several bullets, the third had one gun that could only fire one gun before reloading, the fourth only had a butterfly net. The masters of the desert were all tricked into being killed, the first one fell and was shot, he used to live high in a tower, the second master was tricked when the Mole sprinkled glass on the ground and hurt the second master's mother. The third was tricked by using body armor ashtray. The fourth master killed himself and stopped the Mole from winning the battle. One other interesting piece of symbolism of the masters is the second and third master, the second master is wearing sheep and owns a lion and the third master has a rabbit farm. The rabbit, the lamb and the lion all play huge roles in Christianity.
The Mole is a strong symbol, he wears black and wherever he goes, death follows. When the Mole fights the third master all but three rabbits are dead because of the presence of the Mole. When the Mole is betrayed by his two women companions, for not paying enough attention to them, the women kill him. After being in a coma for years the Mole goes through a transformation change and shaves all of his hair and appears to look like a new born baby and takes on another task, to help the deformed people escape their hole. Unlike the his previous quest, his quest to free the deformed people is not for revenge but thanks for taking care of him. After working with one of the midget women, the Mole falls in love with her and soon she becomes pragent. After awhile the Mole, the dwarf woman and the Mole's first son finally finish the tunnel and release the other deformed people. When the deformed people are killed, the Mole reverts back to his original ways and kills the entire town.
With blood and violence, love and sexuality littered everywhere with a huge amount of historical and religious references, "El Topo" feels extremely rough, but at the same time can not be looked away from.
"El Topo" is a movie that fits into several different genres at the same time, it looks and begins like a western, but quickly changes to a quest to rid the 4 gun masters in the desert is eerie similar to a kung fu movie, then the film takes another turn and turns into a drama and a bit lighter after The Mole falls in love with the midget woman. There are acts of comedy that reflect back to the early silent era.
Film genres isn't the only way "El Topo" reflects pop culture, the film also makes several references to religious symbols and stories and events from around the world. The most eye catching is the reference to Thích Quảng Đức, a Buddhist monk who burnt himself alive in an interestion in Vietnam in 1963, who also burnt up without saying anything or moving a muscle.
The masters in the desert all have symbols and they down grade throughout the journey, the first master had a tower and a huge oasis, the second master had a wagon and a river, the third master had a little cover and a water hole, the fourth had a pole, a blanket and a sheet. The weapons also downgraded as well, the first had two guns, the second had one that could shoot several bullets, the third had one gun that could only fire one gun before reloading, the fourth only had a butterfly net. The masters of the desert were all tricked into being killed, the first one fell and was shot, he used to live high in a tower, the second master was tricked when the Mole sprinkled glass on the ground and hurt the second master's mother. The third was tricked by using body armor ashtray. The fourth master killed himself and stopped the Mole from winning the battle. One other interesting piece of symbolism of the masters is the second and third master, the second master is wearing sheep and owns a lion and the third master has a rabbit farm. The rabbit, the lamb and the lion all play huge roles in Christianity.
The Mole is a strong symbol, he wears black and wherever he goes, death follows. When the Mole fights the third master all but three rabbits are dead because of the presence of the Mole. When the Mole is betrayed by his two women companions, for not paying enough attention to them, the women kill him. After being in a coma for years the Mole goes through a transformation change and shaves all of his hair and appears to look like a new born baby and takes on another task, to help the deformed people escape their hole. Unlike the his previous quest, his quest to free the deformed people is not for revenge but thanks for taking care of him. After working with one of the midget women, the Mole falls in love with her and soon she becomes pragent. After awhile the Mole, the dwarf woman and the Mole's first son finally finish the tunnel and release the other deformed people. When the deformed people are killed, the Mole reverts back to his original ways and kills the entire town.
With blood and violence, love and sexuality littered everywhere with a huge amount of historical and religious references, "El Topo" feels extremely rough, but at the same time can not be looked away from.
Style over substance
Leofwine_draca2 September 2013
Yeah, I didn't think much of this surrealist western, even though I was prepared to like it and WANTED to like it was I watched. By the end I couldn't help but feel it's another case of "the emperor's new clothes" in terms of style over substance, and the sum of the whole ending up much less than the individual parts.
The story starts out straightforward enough, with a distinctive gunslinger discovering the aftermath of a massacre and vowing to take revenge on the outlaws responsible. Once that story is out of the way, though, it starts getting weirder and weirder, almost existentialist, as the gunslinger has encounters with a series of deity-like characters in the desert and undergoes a religiously significant transformation. By the end, I was quite frankly bored.
Here's the good stuff: Jodorowsky's cinematography, which is glorious. EL TOPO is vibrant-looking and colourful throughout, and I love the use of surreal imagery which really works. There are poignant scenes and flashes of Peckinpah-style ultra-violence and the contrasting elements are mixed together well. It's just the script, really, which lets it down, becoming too abstract; I always prefer a more concrete narrative as a basis on which to pin the more fantastic elements, but EL TOPO is lacking such a construct and at times just seems to be being made up as it goes along.
The story starts out straightforward enough, with a distinctive gunslinger discovering the aftermath of a massacre and vowing to take revenge on the outlaws responsible. Once that story is out of the way, though, it starts getting weirder and weirder, almost existentialist, as the gunslinger has encounters with a series of deity-like characters in the desert and undergoes a religiously significant transformation. By the end, I was quite frankly bored.
Here's the good stuff: Jodorowsky's cinematography, which is glorious. EL TOPO is vibrant-looking and colourful throughout, and I love the use of surreal imagery which really works. There are poignant scenes and flashes of Peckinpah-style ultra-violence and the contrasting elements are mixed together well. It's just the script, really, which lets it down, becoming too abstract; I always prefer a more concrete narrative as a basis on which to pin the more fantastic elements, but EL TOPO is lacking such a construct and at times just seems to be being made up as it goes along.
Easily one of the strangest movies ever made!
Infofreak24 January 2002
I have seen three movies by Alejandro Jodorowsky - 'El Topo', 'The Holy Mountain' and 'Santa Sangre' - each are amazing, but 'El Topo' to me is the most successful. I was almost going to say "most accessible" but that would be misleading! It's still a difficult movie, steeped in religious and occult symbolism and allegory. I doubt whether anyone but Jodorowsky himself truly "gets it", but it is still the most watchable and entertaining of the three, and the best introduction to his work.
Jodorowsky not only writes and directs he plays the title role (translates as "The Mole"), a mysterious black-clad gunfighter who claims to be God. I won't bore with a detailed retelling of the plot, but it initially involves El Topo's quest to find and fight the four masters of the desert, and ends up with him becoming part of strange community of outcasts who live underground. But there's much more to than that, just watch it for yourself.
'El Topo' was a cult favourite thirty years ago, and still stands as one of the most extraordinary movies ever made. Nobody but Jodorowsky has even come close to repeating it. Currently difficult to find, but persevere, it's worth looking for. A truly unique piece of cinema that no-one who watches will ever forget!
Jodorowsky not only writes and directs he plays the title role (translates as "The Mole"), a mysterious black-clad gunfighter who claims to be God. I won't bore with a detailed retelling of the plot, but it initially involves El Topo's quest to find and fight the four masters of the desert, and ends up with him becoming part of strange community of outcasts who live underground. But there's much more to than that, just watch it for yourself.
'El Topo' was a cult favourite thirty years ago, and still stands as one of the most extraordinary movies ever made. Nobody but Jodorowsky has even come close to repeating it. Currently difficult to find, but persevere, it's worth looking for. A truly unique piece of cinema that no-one who watches will ever forget!
An obscure western with a difference
Afracious29 October 1999
This was Alexandro Jodorowsky's first recognised cult movie in the early seventies. Shot in Mexico, El Topo (or the mole in English) is a gunslinger (played by Jodorowsky), who, dressed completely in black leather, rides on his horse with his seven-year-old son through the desert; until they come across a massacre of people. One of the survivors tells El Topo who the culprits are, and he then takes on the guise of God and seeks revenge. There is a lot of surrealistic imagery from then on as Jodorowsky explores violence, racism and religious themes, but it is absorbing and the ending is very obscure. An easy candidate for a cult movie.
A Buñuelian spaghetti western
Varlaam25 November 1999
This film may be rarely shown elsewhere, but it has never been hard to see in Toronto. It's been screened on a semi-regular basis at the Bloor Cinema for the past 20 years or so. But last night was the first exposure for me.
Luis Buñuel had a significant career in Mexico through the '50's up to the mid-'60's. Perhaps there is some direct connection to director Alejandro Jodorowsky, perhaps not. But this film has a very strong flavour of Buñuel, his religious themes, his absurdity. I think the profoundest parallels may lie in "L'âge d'or" (1930), but there seem to be allusions to "Un chien andalou" (1929) and maybe echoes of "La voie lactée" (1969) too. Perhaps others even.
How is a sheep on a tower like a cow elevated on a bed? They're both incongruous and ridiculous. One is Jodorowsky, one is Buñuel. Or a crucified sheep on a wall vs. a dead donkey on a piano. A swarm of bees, a handful of ants. Incongruous would also be the victrola which appears a couple of times, or the butterfly net. They both remind me anyway of the tennis racquet -- that mocking symbol of French civilization in decline -- from "Un chien andalou".
Jodorowsky's character of the Colonel bears quite a resemblance once he's fully dressed to the officer in the Germaine Dulac / Antonin Artaud film "La coquille et le clergyman" from 1927. Jodorowsky even has the Colonel sit in a confessional at one point, for goodness' sake.
So that's why I think this film in its early stages at least is a conscious homage to the great French surrealist films. Certainly that piggyback amputee composite character is one that Buñuel must have wished he (or Dalí) had thought of. Go for your gun!
The rest extrapolates from and carries on that absurdist style, incorporating the sexuality, the shocks from that artistic movement, and adding the enhanced violence of the 1960's.
What does "El topo" mean? With its fertility symbols, its old whores. Goats represent the souls of the wicked, according to a verse in St. Matthew. Could that be relevant? Maybe.
Well, what did any of those influential films of the 1920's "mean"? At that time, they were on assault on conventionality, established norms, bourgeois values.
Precise meaning may not be the point.
But I can certainly tell you what got the biggest laugh from the audience
last night -- the cactus pear scene. Even bigger than the iguanas, if you can believe it. Hi-ho, Silver!
Luis Buñuel had a significant career in Mexico through the '50's up to the mid-'60's. Perhaps there is some direct connection to director Alejandro Jodorowsky, perhaps not. But this film has a very strong flavour of Buñuel, his religious themes, his absurdity. I think the profoundest parallels may lie in "L'âge d'or" (1930), but there seem to be allusions to "Un chien andalou" (1929) and maybe echoes of "La voie lactée" (1969) too. Perhaps others even.
How is a sheep on a tower like a cow elevated on a bed? They're both incongruous and ridiculous. One is Jodorowsky, one is Buñuel. Or a crucified sheep on a wall vs. a dead donkey on a piano. A swarm of bees, a handful of ants. Incongruous would also be the victrola which appears a couple of times, or the butterfly net. They both remind me anyway of the tennis racquet -- that mocking symbol of French civilization in decline -- from "Un chien andalou".
Jodorowsky's character of the Colonel bears quite a resemblance once he's fully dressed to the officer in the Germaine Dulac / Antonin Artaud film "La coquille et le clergyman" from 1927. Jodorowsky even has the Colonel sit in a confessional at one point, for goodness' sake.
So that's why I think this film in its early stages at least is a conscious homage to the great French surrealist films. Certainly that piggyback amputee composite character is one that Buñuel must have wished he (or Dalí) had thought of. Go for your gun!
The rest extrapolates from and carries on that absurdist style, incorporating the sexuality, the shocks from that artistic movement, and adding the enhanced violence of the 1960's.
What does "El topo" mean? With its fertility symbols, its old whores. Goats represent the souls of the wicked, according to a verse in St. Matthew. Could that be relevant? Maybe.
Well, what did any of those influential films of the 1920's "mean"? At that time, they were on assault on conventionality, established norms, bourgeois values.
Precise meaning may not be the point.
But I can certainly tell you what got the biggest laugh from the audience
last night -- the cactus pear scene. Even bigger than the iguanas, if you can believe it. Hi-ho, Silver!
hey, why not?
Quinoa198426 June 2006
I think that was what I said to myself while I watched a bootleg of this underground cult-classic by the un-prolific but undeniably original surrealist Alejandro Jodorowsky. Because, frankly, even with all of the supposed symbolism injected into the film (some that sticks, some that really doesn't), shouldn't really detract from what makes the film work- or not for some. Basically, if you're going into this movie expecting another quasi-genre bending genre western via Sergio Leone, look elsewhere. El Topo is like one uncompromising fever dream that Leone might have had if he had taken a nice bite of peyote. Jodorowsky as writer, director, producer, has this attitude of 'why not' in his unique form of gonzo cinema, where it's more about taking in individual scenes, images, sights, like a manic freak-show with lots of harsh violence (for its time at least). And it did work for me, at least as long as I didn't take it TOO seriously.
To describe the 'story' of the film might be close to moot, but I'll just give a two-sentence sum-up. Jodorowsky plays El Topo, a lone, odd gunman who stops a group of wildly deranged bandits (a sign of things to come, making Leone's bandits look like playground kids), lets his naked son off with a group of monks, and sets off to defeat the four best gunmen in the world. After waking up years later after being shot by his former female co-patriots, he tries to help a group of invalid incestuous types make their way to the zealous, un-hinged town above, where his son is full-grown and the sanest in town. OK, if that may give an idea as to what the film is about, keep in mind that this was made in 1969/1970, at a time when a director like Jodorowsky was not only accepted but needed by movie fans who were looking for films that shook the culture. In that sense El Topo is close to being as important as Easy Rider. But to say it's as exceptional is really about as subjective as you can get.
Going into the film, all I really had to go on what to expect came from a documentary on midnight movies (where El Topo found its first audience as the first of its kind), and the clips shown and Jodorowsky's own words on it had me excited to see it- though not with the highest of expectations. Watching the film, and after reading several reviews, it's hard still for me to take the film 100% seriously, at least of it being a highly symbolic, poetic work of an art film. If anything, my perception of the film is that it is so ridiculous at times, so strange, and even so deliberate, that a director like Jodorowsky had to recognize the ridiculousness at times. That he also has a definite affinity for the outcasts and 'freaks' of life adds to the enjoyment, that he makes no bones about identifying with these those who are unusual (which make up the bulk of the picture). But it's success for its cult audience has to be due as much to its wild, hilarious appeal as for its art-film, if not more so. In a way, it's too much fun to be a dull, pretentious work- the filmmaker seems to be too talented to really force feed all of this to some amorphous blob of an audience.
So, is it a little dated, sure; does it have an entire midsection where certain scenes involving El Topo and his female tag-alongs that jump ahead and misses any conventional logic, of course; does it skate along the edge of being almost a very bad movie, absolutely. But as a fan of westerns, and surrealism, the two do merge well enough for the film El Topo, especially for the fact that it accomplishes what each do- it gives action and daring-do like the westerns, and it provides a level of humor and no-holds-barred outrageousness that marks the tops of surrealist works. If the look on your face at the end is that of a slight jaw-drop and raised eye-brow, however, it's a feeling that's shared by others I'm sure, at least by me.
To describe the 'story' of the film might be close to moot, but I'll just give a two-sentence sum-up. Jodorowsky plays El Topo, a lone, odd gunman who stops a group of wildly deranged bandits (a sign of things to come, making Leone's bandits look like playground kids), lets his naked son off with a group of monks, and sets off to defeat the four best gunmen in the world. After waking up years later after being shot by his former female co-patriots, he tries to help a group of invalid incestuous types make their way to the zealous, un-hinged town above, where his son is full-grown and the sanest in town. OK, if that may give an idea as to what the film is about, keep in mind that this was made in 1969/1970, at a time when a director like Jodorowsky was not only accepted but needed by movie fans who were looking for films that shook the culture. In that sense El Topo is close to being as important as Easy Rider. But to say it's as exceptional is really about as subjective as you can get.
Going into the film, all I really had to go on what to expect came from a documentary on midnight movies (where El Topo found its first audience as the first of its kind), and the clips shown and Jodorowsky's own words on it had me excited to see it- though not with the highest of expectations. Watching the film, and after reading several reviews, it's hard still for me to take the film 100% seriously, at least of it being a highly symbolic, poetic work of an art film. If anything, my perception of the film is that it is so ridiculous at times, so strange, and even so deliberate, that a director like Jodorowsky had to recognize the ridiculousness at times. That he also has a definite affinity for the outcasts and 'freaks' of life adds to the enjoyment, that he makes no bones about identifying with these those who are unusual (which make up the bulk of the picture). But it's success for its cult audience has to be due as much to its wild, hilarious appeal as for its art-film, if not more so. In a way, it's too much fun to be a dull, pretentious work- the filmmaker seems to be too talented to really force feed all of this to some amorphous blob of an audience.
So, is it a little dated, sure; does it have an entire midsection where certain scenes involving El Topo and his female tag-alongs that jump ahead and misses any conventional logic, of course; does it skate along the edge of being almost a very bad movie, absolutely. But as a fan of westerns, and surrealism, the two do merge well enough for the film El Topo, especially for the fact that it accomplishes what each do- it gives action and daring-do like the westerns, and it provides a level of humor and no-holds-barred outrageousness that marks the tops of surrealist works. If the look on your face at the end is that of a slight jaw-drop and raised eye-brow, however, it's a feeling that's shared by others I'm sure, at least by me.
Surreal, brilliant, exhausting
JasparLamarCrabb7 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
There's a fine line between surrealistic entertainment & absolute repulsion in Alejandro Jodorowsky's classic. It's a line that is very blurry. Jodorowsky wrote, directed and stars as a gunslinger who takes on the four best sharpshooters around. He succeeds...or does he? The film is not a western in any traditional sense, but is instead an outrageous head trip full of A LOT of blood, a lot of bible inspired mysticism and a fair amount of gratuitous nudity. Jodorowsky, looking very Christ-like, has barely any dialog (and neither does anyone else), but somehow this nightmare of a film moves along quickly. The production values are outstanding. It's stunningly photographed with great editing. The film is populated with perhaps one freak too many -- one's eyes get exhausted at some of the sights. You will, however, never see anything like this.
Sergio Leone on acid
tsf-19622 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
If you're into Zen gunfighters, lesbian cowgirls, enslaved dwarfs and pistol-packing Jesus freaks, this is the movie for you. "El Topo" may well be the greatest movie ever made; it's certainly one of the strangest. It's no wonder it became a counterculture classic, or that John Lennon considered it his favorite movie. So much has been written about "El Topo," its symbolism, its meaning, its violence, that the movie itself has gotten lost in the confusion. To put it simply "El Topo" is a western, and a darn good one. Sure, it's not exactly John Ford, but anyone who can enjoy and appreciate the films of Sergio Leone, Sam Peckinpah, or Clint Eastwood should be able to enjoy it. For 75% of the movie we have a fairly traditional "spaghetti western" with an added serving of nudity and violence; renaissance man Alexandro Jodorowsky, who not only wrote, directed, and stars in this film but also designed the sets and costumes and composed the fabulous score, is obviously indebted to Sergio Leone's masterpieces, but he adds to the mix a surrealist sensibility quite at home with Mexican culture (remember Bunuel?) and an eclectic spirituality that embraces the Bible and Zen with equal enthusiasm. Only in the last thirty minutes does it become really disturbing, but even then the violence is tame by today's standards. Jodorowsky, who bears an eerie resemblance to Bruce Willis, was the "man in black," a gunfighter-avenger who bears more than a passing resemblance to Clint Eastwood's "Man With No Name"; the later part of the movie, when he becomes a Buddhist monk on a mission of vengeance, must have been the inspiration for the popular TV series "Kung Fu." The color photography was beautiful, the gunfights exciting, the characters unique. The DVD I watched was in English with Japanese subtitles, which added to the film's mystique.
A wild western
gbill-7487712 January 2023
"Perfection is to lose yourself, and to lose yourself you need to love. You don't love. You destroy, kill, and no one loves you. Because when you think you're giving, you're really taking."
Alejandro Jodorowsky's El Topo is a psychedelic, absurdist Western loaded with violence, quasi-religious references, and surreal imagery. The visuals borrow heavily from Sergio Leone's spaghetti Westerns, and yet this is a strikingly original work of art, one that struck a chord with those seeking alternative, mind-blowing experiences in midnight theaters, accompanied with pot or LSD. Much of it defies easy analysis, but you'll probably find a criticism of religion, colonialism, and the violent nature of man. Unfortunately, there are also parts that are remarkably banal, scenes that seemed in there simply for shock value, or which were downright cruel. It's impossible to overlook some seriously problematic aspects as well.
While there are references to other faiths, the arc of the main character seems to follow that of Christianity most of all. The titular hero (Jodorowsky himself) travels across the desert with a woman he has raped (more on this later) in order to defeat four masters. The masters are said by many to represent different religions or philosophies, but I'm not sure I put too much stock in that, except as it relates to just being "other Gods" ala the first Commandment. With the exception of the second master, quoted above, they don't seem too profound either. Meanwhile, the hero is a gunslinger who claims to be God in one scene, and to be searching for the "living God" in another. It doesn't seem as though he's seeking enlightenment; it seems more that he's acting out the petty, vengeful God of the Old Testament. Regardless, he challenges the four masters in perhaps the most American ways possible, with guns and treachery.
The plot then shifts in its second half, and it's only after El Topo has had a bit of comeuppance and is hauled off to a cave by the downtrodden of the world that he shows a little humility, saying at last "I am not a God." Like a mole (the meaning of "topo"), he then tries to tunnel out of the cave to free these people. It reminded me of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt or perhaps better, Christ trying to enlighten his followers, given the violent town they enter, and their ultimate fate. It's telling that his son, now adult, is a monk, follows the dogma of organized religion, and is unphased by murder. The way the film ends suggests a depressing, cyclical nature to man's behavior. It's a fascinating framework for a story, one that kept me interested, but I couldn't fully embrace the lack of coherence, even if this plays a part in making the film so compelling, and the pacing was often sluggish.
This biggest problem, however, is the scene where El Topo the character - and apparently Jodorowsky himself according to a 1971 interview that he recently recanted - commits rape (on Mara Lorenzio). Even if I bought the story that as a young director he felt he needed to hype himself, that the sex that he still admits occurred was consensual despite the unequal power in the director/actor relationship and what I imagine to be pressure on Lorenzio, making that part of the story line for the protagonist - with the women being raped until she achieves orgasm, then falling in love with him - is disturbing in its own right. There are also several scenes where Jodorowsky ogles women's breasts like an adolescent, which I'm not a prude about by any means, but just seems hypocritical if not misogynistic in a film with grander aspirations.
I also took issue with Jodorowsky's treatment of animals. In different scenes we see disemboweled horses, crows that are shot on-screen, and dozens of dead bunnies, with a few dying in pain. I don't buy Jodorowsky's current statements, disavowing that he harmed animals, claiming they were purchased dead. He's also varied his story over time, having also said he did indeed harm them, but that ""at the time, I thought cinema was sacred." How unfortunate that this subversive, artistic hero turned out to be so painfully conventional in his treatment of women and his cruelty to animals. No matter what heights the film soared to, it always had a bad taste in my mouth because of it.
Alejandro Jodorowsky's El Topo is a psychedelic, absurdist Western loaded with violence, quasi-religious references, and surreal imagery. The visuals borrow heavily from Sergio Leone's spaghetti Westerns, and yet this is a strikingly original work of art, one that struck a chord with those seeking alternative, mind-blowing experiences in midnight theaters, accompanied with pot or LSD. Much of it defies easy analysis, but you'll probably find a criticism of religion, colonialism, and the violent nature of man. Unfortunately, there are also parts that are remarkably banal, scenes that seemed in there simply for shock value, or which were downright cruel. It's impossible to overlook some seriously problematic aspects as well.
While there are references to other faiths, the arc of the main character seems to follow that of Christianity most of all. The titular hero (Jodorowsky himself) travels across the desert with a woman he has raped (more on this later) in order to defeat four masters. The masters are said by many to represent different religions or philosophies, but I'm not sure I put too much stock in that, except as it relates to just being "other Gods" ala the first Commandment. With the exception of the second master, quoted above, they don't seem too profound either. Meanwhile, the hero is a gunslinger who claims to be God in one scene, and to be searching for the "living God" in another. It doesn't seem as though he's seeking enlightenment; it seems more that he's acting out the petty, vengeful God of the Old Testament. Regardless, he challenges the four masters in perhaps the most American ways possible, with guns and treachery.
The plot then shifts in its second half, and it's only after El Topo has had a bit of comeuppance and is hauled off to a cave by the downtrodden of the world that he shows a little humility, saying at last "I am not a God." Like a mole (the meaning of "topo"), he then tries to tunnel out of the cave to free these people. It reminded me of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt or perhaps better, Christ trying to enlighten his followers, given the violent town they enter, and their ultimate fate. It's telling that his son, now adult, is a monk, follows the dogma of organized religion, and is unphased by murder. The way the film ends suggests a depressing, cyclical nature to man's behavior. It's a fascinating framework for a story, one that kept me interested, but I couldn't fully embrace the lack of coherence, even if this plays a part in making the film so compelling, and the pacing was often sluggish.
This biggest problem, however, is the scene where El Topo the character - and apparently Jodorowsky himself according to a 1971 interview that he recently recanted - commits rape (on Mara Lorenzio). Even if I bought the story that as a young director he felt he needed to hype himself, that the sex that he still admits occurred was consensual despite the unequal power in the director/actor relationship and what I imagine to be pressure on Lorenzio, making that part of the story line for the protagonist - with the women being raped until she achieves orgasm, then falling in love with him - is disturbing in its own right. There are also several scenes where Jodorowsky ogles women's breasts like an adolescent, which I'm not a prude about by any means, but just seems hypocritical if not misogynistic in a film with grander aspirations.
I also took issue with Jodorowsky's treatment of animals. In different scenes we see disemboweled horses, crows that are shot on-screen, and dozens of dead bunnies, with a few dying in pain. I don't buy Jodorowsky's current statements, disavowing that he harmed animals, claiming they were purchased dead. He's also varied his story over time, having also said he did indeed harm them, but that ""at the time, I thought cinema was sacred." How unfortunate that this subversive, artistic hero turned out to be so painfully conventional in his treatment of women and his cruelty to animals. No matter what heights the film soared to, it always had a bad taste in my mouth because of it.
Overrated - Symbolic Does Not Equal Great Film
sejbjb26 June 2006
I was initially excited about seeing El Topo. Not only had it received excellent critical reviews, but I also found various postings on the Internet praising the film as a masterpiece. Well, I'm here to say that this is a vastly overrated student art film.
The symbolism is overdone and sophomoric at best. In fact, it is as if the director thought symbolism could be substituted for plot and character development, forgetting that these are tools used to enhance them. Also, the overly hackneyed and simplistic symbolism takes away from the surreal experience that the director intended to create. It was akin to viewing the subconscious of a mental midget: weird but boring as all hell!!
I'm not even going to dwindle on the violence. It goes without saying that over time it has lost its shock value. However, it was not necessarily gratuitous--although the symbolism was--and did add to the story.
Overall, if you like freaky stuff for the sake of freakishness, this film is up your alley. But, if you want more substance and meaningful development avoid El Topo at all possible cost. I know I want those two hours of my life back!
The symbolism is overdone and sophomoric at best. In fact, it is as if the director thought symbolism could be substituted for plot and character development, forgetting that these are tools used to enhance them. Also, the overly hackneyed and simplistic symbolism takes away from the surreal experience that the director intended to create. It was akin to viewing the subconscious of a mental midget: weird but boring as all hell!!
I'm not even going to dwindle on the violence. It goes without saying that over time it has lost its shock value. However, it was not necessarily gratuitous--although the symbolism was--and did add to the story.
Overall, if you like freaky stuff for the sake of freakishness, this film is up your alley. But, if you want more substance and meaningful development avoid El Topo at all possible cost. I know I want those two hours of my life back!
Famed underground movie finally released
Polaris_DiB14 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
El Topo is a famous cult movie well known historically as the movie that launched the Midnight Movie craze and aesthetically as a post-modern "Western" that takes on issues of mysticism, religion, and social-satire through compelling images of freaks, alternative sexuality, iconoclasm, no-holds-barred gore, and grotesquely obese women. It's not as good as it's fame will lead you to believe, but it's undeniably unforgettable.
Many synopses sum this movie up as being about a gun-slinger mystic who takes on five of the world's best gun-fighters in the desert. That's, like, a third of the movie, and grossly underplays the importance of the rest of the film. However, it should be noted that that's also the most compelling and interesting of the movie, and that Jodorowsky's loose structure sometimes loses track of where it's going. To be sure, I was done with this movie a good half an hour before it was done with itself, though that's not to say there weren't more memorable moments to come. However, as a product definitely of the era and a post-modern look at mysticism and peace, it does deserve it's place as a challenging aesthetic that movie buffs and historians should see.
If you liked this movie, my recommendation is to see Performance, a film contemporary to this one (though vastly different in nature) that was also as maltreated by distributors and that also recently got it's victorious DVD release. Between these two, you pretty much have mood of the late 60s/early 70s down.
--PolarisDiB
Many synopses sum this movie up as being about a gun-slinger mystic who takes on five of the world's best gun-fighters in the desert. That's, like, a third of the movie, and grossly underplays the importance of the rest of the film. However, it should be noted that that's also the most compelling and interesting of the movie, and that Jodorowsky's loose structure sometimes loses track of where it's going. To be sure, I was done with this movie a good half an hour before it was done with itself, though that's not to say there weren't more memorable moments to come. However, as a product definitely of the era and a post-modern look at mysticism and peace, it does deserve it's place as a challenging aesthetic that movie buffs and historians should see.
If you liked this movie, my recommendation is to see Performance, a film contemporary to this one (though vastly different in nature) that was also as maltreated by distributors and that also recently got it's victorious DVD release. Between these two, you pretty much have mood of the late 60s/early 70s down.
--PolarisDiB
Jodorowsky needs to work on his script with a sense of scholarship
JuguAbraham9 November 2013
I am a great admirer of directors/scriptwriters who understand religious works before they make films that refer to religion (e.g., Kieslowsky, Tarkovsky, Mallick, Reygadas, Bunuel, Bergman, Dreyer, etc.). Jodorowsky, in this film, proved that he neither knew Christian scriptures nor Buddhist philosophy. The only detail that showed some scholarship was the discussion on the Jewish name Marah.
Jodorowsky was trying to be very erudite in calling sections of the film (a) genesis (b) the prophets (c) the psalms and (d) the apocalypse. While the first and the last section have some remote connection to the Bible, the screenplay proves Jodorowsky's total lack of knowledge to either parody or discuss the similarities with the narratives of his screenplay. What did Jodowsky's psalms have that related to/or referred even obliquely to the Psalms of David?
His knowledge of the Oriental scriptures is equally muddled--one savant seems to be fascinated with Egyptology, building pyramids with sticks and having a man with no arms carrying another without any feet.
Some have called the work surrealist--it would be that only if Jodorowsky had showed a glimpse of scholarship beyond the etymology of Marah. Even blood splattered walls do not look authentic, nor do visuals of pigs rushing out of an empty place of worship.
This is immature cinema--Hollywood's "Freaks" was far superior in content and so was Bunuel's surrealist works that criticized organized religion.
Jodorowsky was trying to be very erudite in calling sections of the film (a) genesis (b) the prophets (c) the psalms and (d) the apocalypse. While the first and the last section have some remote connection to the Bible, the screenplay proves Jodorowsky's total lack of knowledge to either parody or discuss the similarities with the narratives of his screenplay. What did Jodowsky's psalms have that related to/or referred even obliquely to the Psalms of David?
His knowledge of the Oriental scriptures is equally muddled--one savant seems to be fascinated with Egyptology, building pyramids with sticks and having a man with no arms carrying another without any feet.
Some have called the work surrealist--it would be that only if Jodorowsky had showed a glimpse of scholarship beyond the etymology of Marah. Even blood splattered walls do not look authentic, nor do visuals of pigs rushing out of an empty place of worship.
This is immature cinema--Hollywood's "Freaks" was far superior in content and so was Bunuel's surrealist works that criticized organized religion.
incredible stuff
kevin-jones10 May 2004
Truly astonishing film from writer/director/composer Alejandro Jodorowsky. This is one of the most hypnotic films you'll ever see and is one that stays in the mind for days afterwards. Think Leone, Fellini and Peckinpah joining forces to make a mystical, existential and spiritual western and you're someway close to Jodorowsky's masterpiece. There are so many things to like and admire in this film from the sometimes purposely jarring editing and the beautiful music to the gorgeous vistas inhabited by a plethora of interesting and unusual characters. Track down a copy (Italy's Raro video currently has a decent dvd on release. I got mine from xploitedcinema) and you will not regret it. Be warned though - some of the images are pretty extreme, especially for 1971. A stunner and a definite must have for any serious film collector.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
