... with a crazy cast and some intriguing and indecipherable messages - you're unlikely to watch anything as off the wall as this, with images conjured from a unique mind you're glad is not your own.
195 Reviews
An Unforgettable Pilgrimage...
Xstal3 August 2020
Art - Don't Blame the Messenger!!!!
mstomaso22 August 2007
Alejandro Jodorowsky's Holy Mountain is worth seeing once in a while. Not because it's difficult to figure out (it really isn't, unless you insist on figuring ALL of it out at once). But because you will be seeing a different movie each time, as your own perspective, mood and life changes.
Holy Mountain is a meticulously made work of cinematic art. It is simultaneously a brilliant absurdist farce, a cynical satire which lampoons religion and capitalism, an affirmation of faith, an indictment of humanity for its cruelty, ignorance and greed and a celebration of life and the human spirit. Who and where you are will determine your interpretation, so don't blame Jodorowsky! He's just the messenger.
Ostensibly, the film is about a fantastic spiritual journey undertaken by an apparently psychologically disturbed young man who looks a bit like what many Christians believe Jesus to have looked like. This young man begins his journey with insects swarming his face. He is either dead or passed out. Some naked children find him and decide to crucify him for fun. He yells at them (incoherently) and they run away. He then meets an amputee with just a couple half-limbs who becomes his friend for the beginning of the film.
This describes the first five or so minutes of the film's plot. Although the film remains somewhat linear and simply plotted from this point to it end, it also draws deep on all manners of symbolism, mercilessly pokes fun at Christianity, its exploitation and its commercialization, and even throws in some pop-Buddhist concepts accompanied by a prophet with a talent for Jiu Jitsu. The entire crucifixion story is repeatedly portrayed, but with levels of absurdity that would probably have some Americans calling for its censorship today.
Later, our protagonist will embark upon an apparently meaningless quest to climb the Holy Mountain with ten powerful companions. Though likable enough, the hero of the film is neither a hero nor a clearly developed character. His (at least) neurotic behavior, his uncertain sense of justice and sometimes animalistic approach to events make him a difficult character to like, but you will feel compelled to follow-through simply to discover what bizarre reality he will encounter next.
Holy Mountain has some of the most impressive sets and surreal to psychedelic imagery I have seen in films of its vintage. Its soundscaping and soundtrack is also very impressive. The amount of dialog is refreshingly minimal, which also helps the director keep his audience focused on what the film does with sound and vision.
Although the film is gorgeous, sensitive viewers should be aware that there is some fairly disturbing imagery in this film. It is meant to be watched while wide-awake and receptive, but strong.
You can find all sorts of meanings in this film. You can label the film many different things. And you can understand it in whatever way works for you. But please do not make the mistake of thinking you've got it right or that your interpretation is anything but your interpretation. Holy Mountain, like many works of film art, does not work that way.
Highly recommended for intellectuals, connoisseurs of film art, and those who enjoy cult films. Definitely not recommended for those who approach film solely as a means for entertainment, and not recommended for a first date (unless the couple has a strong intellectual bent and an interest in film).
Holy Mountain is a meticulously made work of cinematic art. It is simultaneously a brilliant absurdist farce, a cynical satire which lampoons religion and capitalism, an affirmation of faith, an indictment of humanity for its cruelty, ignorance and greed and a celebration of life and the human spirit. Who and where you are will determine your interpretation, so don't blame Jodorowsky! He's just the messenger.
Ostensibly, the film is about a fantastic spiritual journey undertaken by an apparently psychologically disturbed young man who looks a bit like what many Christians believe Jesus to have looked like. This young man begins his journey with insects swarming his face. He is either dead or passed out. Some naked children find him and decide to crucify him for fun. He yells at them (incoherently) and they run away. He then meets an amputee with just a couple half-limbs who becomes his friend for the beginning of the film.
This describes the first five or so minutes of the film's plot. Although the film remains somewhat linear and simply plotted from this point to it end, it also draws deep on all manners of symbolism, mercilessly pokes fun at Christianity, its exploitation and its commercialization, and even throws in some pop-Buddhist concepts accompanied by a prophet with a talent for Jiu Jitsu. The entire crucifixion story is repeatedly portrayed, but with levels of absurdity that would probably have some Americans calling for its censorship today.
Later, our protagonist will embark upon an apparently meaningless quest to climb the Holy Mountain with ten powerful companions. Though likable enough, the hero of the film is neither a hero nor a clearly developed character. His (at least) neurotic behavior, his uncertain sense of justice and sometimes animalistic approach to events make him a difficult character to like, but you will feel compelled to follow-through simply to discover what bizarre reality he will encounter next.
Holy Mountain has some of the most impressive sets and surreal to psychedelic imagery I have seen in films of its vintage. Its soundscaping and soundtrack is also very impressive. The amount of dialog is refreshingly minimal, which also helps the director keep his audience focused on what the film does with sound and vision.
Although the film is gorgeous, sensitive viewers should be aware that there is some fairly disturbing imagery in this film. It is meant to be watched while wide-awake and receptive, but strong.
You can find all sorts of meanings in this film. You can label the film many different things. And you can understand it in whatever way works for you. But please do not make the mistake of thinking you've got it right or that your interpretation is anything but your interpretation. Holy Mountain, like many works of film art, does not work that way.
Highly recommended for intellectuals, connoisseurs of film art, and those who enjoy cult films. Definitely not recommended for those who approach film solely as a means for entertainment, and not recommended for a first date (unless the couple has a strong intellectual bent and an interest in film).
I'll be damned
Robert_9010 April 2008
A few months ago, I finally got to see El Topo, Jodorowsky's legendary western-on-acid. Quite simply, it blew me away. It was just so strange, so weird, so utterly crazy...I don't know, seeing El Topo on one viewing doesn't mean you'll be able to comprehend it well enough to describe it properly. I'll give it a second view some other time.
Anyway....why I mentioned El Topo was because it raised the bar for what I could expect from The Holy Mountain, which promised to be even more of a mind-bending surrealist work than El Topo. For this is how, on the basis of a single viewing, I was prepared to judge The Holy Mountain - on just how bizarre it would get.
This may sound a little shallow, but The Holy Mountain is one of those films that requires several viewings to properly comprehend pretty much everything that goes on. On one viewing, all you can do is try and keep your eyes on screen and try to take in as much of the film as possible. Even if you don't fully understand what's going on, take in the experience. That's what I did when I watched The Holy Mountain.
The Holy Mountain begins by following a man who's best described as Christlike as he engages in his own journey from dying in the desert to a tall tower, where he meets a mysterious figure known as the Alchemist. The Alchemist recruits the man for his own plan, which involves bringing together several "thieves" from around the world so that they can embark on a quest for immortality atop the eponymous mountain.
All this is a loose framework for Jodorowsky's trademark elaborate set-pieces - they're big and they're utterly loony. I don't think I'll bother spoiling any of them, but take any scene from the movie and it'll likely have a large, weird-looking set and at least one or two freaky-looking people drawing your attention. One thing that kept preying on my mind the whole time was just how unbelievable the whole idea of The Holy Mountain was. Like El Topo, it was an epic without a wider appeal, and that jarred me for some reason. It just keeps getting stranger and stranger until the end, which I will have to say was utterly unpredictable.
The Holy Mountain is truly one-of-a-kind. It'd be pretty easy to say this film isn't for everyone, but it isn't. If you're into movies that don't make sense on the first time (or even the 10th time), I'd recommend this. Or if you're just looking for one intense filmic experience, it doesn't get much more intense than the imagery of The Holy Mountain.
I'll end this review now - I've run out of synonyms for crazy.
8/10 - this is after one viewing, it'll probably go up after about 7.
Anyway....why I mentioned El Topo was because it raised the bar for what I could expect from The Holy Mountain, which promised to be even more of a mind-bending surrealist work than El Topo. For this is how, on the basis of a single viewing, I was prepared to judge The Holy Mountain - on just how bizarre it would get.
This may sound a little shallow, but The Holy Mountain is one of those films that requires several viewings to properly comprehend pretty much everything that goes on. On one viewing, all you can do is try and keep your eyes on screen and try to take in as much of the film as possible. Even if you don't fully understand what's going on, take in the experience. That's what I did when I watched The Holy Mountain.
The Holy Mountain begins by following a man who's best described as Christlike as he engages in his own journey from dying in the desert to a tall tower, where he meets a mysterious figure known as the Alchemist. The Alchemist recruits the man for his own plan, which involves bringing together several "thieves" from around the world so that they can embark on a quest for immortality atop the eponymous mountain.
All this is a loose framework for Jodorowsky's trademark elaborate set-pieces - they're big and they're utterly loony. I don't think I'll bother spoiling any of them, but take any scene from the movie and it'll likely have a large, weird-looking set and at least one or two freaky-looking people drawing your attention. One thing that kept preying on my mind the whole time was just how unbelievable the whole idea of The Holy Mountain was. Like El Topo, it was an epic without a wider appeal, and that jarred me for some reason. It just keeps getting stranger and stranger until the end, which I will have to say was utterly unpredictable.
The Holy Mountain is truly one-of-a-kind. It'd be pretty easy to say this film isn't for everyone, but it isn't. If you're into movies that don't make sense on the first time (or even the 10th time), I'd recommend this. Or if you're just looking for one intense filmic experience, it doesn't get much more intense than the imagery of The Holy Mountain.
I'll end this review now - I've run out of synonyms for crazy.
8/10 - this is after one viewing, it'll probably go up after about 7.
Not just a Film, an Experience!!!
NateManD24 April 2005
How can the average person describe the Holy Mountain? They can't, It's one of those films that is so bizarre that one has to witness it at least 5 times to fully appreciate it. Alejandro Jodorowsky takes every form of religion and mysticism and puts it into symbolic imagery, that turns into a two hour mind trip. The film is not thrown together, each scene is so chock full of strange imagery, yet each image has a particular meaning. The plot concerns, the thief, who seems to be representational of Christ in modern times. The thief awakens in the desert, almost crucified by children, he is then rescued by an amputee dwarf. After him and the dwarf share a joint, they travel through different scene after scene of surreal images. In one scenario a police state has taken over downtown Mexico. Innocent people are massacred, and birds fly out of their bullet wounds. The conquest of Mexico is reenacted by frogs and iguanas. The Christ character gets drunk with Roman soldiers, and they make a mold of him to produce statues for profit. And this is all in the first twenty minutes. The occult science of alchemy is another factor of the film. The thief finally meets the alchemist, played by Jodorowsky himself, and the alchemist turns his excrement into gold. The black magic of alchemy involves the nine planets of the solar system. We are then introduced to 7 of the most powerful people in the world named after the planets of the solar system. Each person is corrupt and greedy involved in politics, war or mass marketing. Each person who has their own planet, and a weakness is willing to give up their money and be reborn as a Buddhist monk. In a way these people are alchemists also since they have the ability to turn worthless items such as weapons and cosmetics into riches. Since money is just paper, in a way the magic of alchemy in everyday life convinces us that the dollar bill is of value. Many aspects of life are just an illusion, just as in cinema. In the Holy Mountain Jodorowsky proves to be the master of illusion like a magician. Also his character, the Alchemist has the job of spiritual leader to lead all of the 9 people to the Holy Mountain including the Christ character and the women with the Kaballah tattoos. Also the film is indulgent at times in it's Frued like sexuality and nudity. It is both strange and intriguing, both hilarious and horrifying, and one of the weirdest films your most likely to see. Their is so much that happens in this film, that it's almost impossible to describe. People who are looking for deep meaning in films like Donnie Darko need to keep searching, the films of Alejandro Jodorowsky would be a good start. The Holy Mountain is not only a masterpiece, it's a spiritual journey, and it just might very well change the way you look at the world. Not everyone will like it, so sit back and watch with an open mind. The Holy Mountain is one of the most underrated and important films ever made. 10/10
Come prepared to chuckle
abronaim18 June 2003
If you liked "The Wall" (you know, the Pink Floyd movie), but thought it was a bit of a downer and suffered from the lack of a fat woman humping an excitable, legless, animatronic horse, this movie could be for you.
Despite what you may have heard, "The Holy Mountain" is more absurd than surreal, more funny than disturbing. Don't worry if your tarot cards are gathering dust and you can't remember the difference between wands and swords--such occult knowledge might help you achieve a few "Oh I get that!" moments during the middle of the film, but the heaps of blatant symbolism aren't really the point. In fact, it may just be that the point is: there is no point. When you see a fat man dressed as the Virgin Mary handing out crucifixes under a sign that says "Christs For Sale", you can rack your brain trying to figure out what kind of statement that makes about society--or you can laugh. When you witness "The Government" indoctrinating children with a hatred for the nation of Peru by printing up comic books called "Captain Captain Against The Peruvian Monster", you can lament the plight of innocents being manipulated for selfish ends--or you can laugh! This film bombards the viewer with outlandish images and juxtapositions like these in rapid fire throughout, so it's easy to get bogged down or confused or numb. The secret to appreciating it all is to come prepared to chuckle--some things you'll "get", some things you won't, but most everything is twisted and absurd and, in some way, funny. Now when you get to the end and Jodorowsky winks at you, you can wink right back.
Basically, if you can appreciate absurdity and profundity and the absurdity of profundity (not to mention enormous, colorful sets), you'll find a lot to like here.
PS: If you do like "The Holy Mountain", head down to your local comics shop (or browse over to your favorite book/graphic novel e-tailer) and pick up a couple of volumes of "The Incal" or "The Metabarons", both of which were also written by Jodorowsky. They're like this movie--every bit as garish and violent and thought-provoking and funny--but they have actual plots (epic space-opera plots, no less).
Despite what you may have heard, "The Holy Mountain" is more absurd than surreal, more funny than disturbing. Don't worry if your tarot cards are gathering dust and you can't remember the difference between wands and swords--such occult knowledge might help you achieve a few "Oh I get that!" moments during the middle of the film, but the heaps of blatant symbolism aren't really the point. In fact, it may just be that the point is: there is no point. When you see a fat man dressed as the Virgin Mary handing out crucifixes under a sign that says "Christs For Sale", you can rack your brain trying to figure out what kind of statement that makes about society--or you can laugh. When you witness "The Government" indoctrinating children with a hatred for the nation of Peru by printing up comic books called "Captain Captain Against The Peruvian Monster", you can lament the plight of innocents being manipulated for selfish ends--or you can laugh! This film bombards the viewer with outlandish images and juxtapositions like these in rapid fire throughout, so it's easy to get bogged down or confused or numb. The secret to appreciating it all is to come prepared to chuckle--some things you'll "get", some things you won't, but most everything is twisted and absurd and, in some way, funny. Now when you get to the end and Jodorowsky winks at you, you can wink right back.
Basically, if you can appreciate absurdity and profundity and the absurdity of profundity (not to mention enormous, colorful sets), you'll find a lot to like here.
PS: If you do like "The Holy Mountain", head down to your local comics shop (or browse over to your favorite book/graphic novel e-tailer) and pick up a couple of volumes of "The Incal" or "The Metabarons", both of which were also written by Jodorowsky. They're like this movie--every bit as garish and violent and thought-provoking and funny--but they have actual plots (epic space-opera plots, no less).
Are you experienced? Jodorowsky's ambitious Rorschach motion picture tests human's connection to spirituality, and cinema
Quinoa198422 April 2007
How does one start describing writer/director/star/master-of-ceremonies Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain? Sensational, outrageous, in-your-face, (the much overused phrase) one-of-a-kind, hilarious, self-indulgent, dangerous, and enlightening could be some words, and there could be more. But these are just symbolic of what one goes into seeing the movie. And what is it to see a movie, to experience it, Jodorowsky, I think anyway, is essentially asking? What about faith, or belief that there can be a way to surpass mortality and live forever? Is there truly any basis to become more than just flesh and bones and organs and love and hate and desire and greed? Perhaps, in the end, it might just be art itself. The Holy Mountain is one (bleeping) crazy art-house picture experience, where the filmmaker asks it's audience to either go on the journey and be open to whatever he's liable to let out of the floodgates of his consciousness, or if to be closed off then to might as well leave. So as it goes, really, with organized religion, which his own character Jodorowsky plays- the Alchemist- could be identifiable as.
As I left the theater I kept on thinking about what it is to put total trust and confidence in a "master", someone who seems to have all the knowledge and experience to take people to higher planes. At the core, is what the Alchemist can do for the nine "planet" representatives any different than what a priest or a rabbi or a monk can promise? There is a level of intellectual stimulation, aside from the obvious emotional connection to the immense level of surrealism, that keeps one from thinking that this becomes all weird for its own sake. Unlike El Topo, however, Jodorowsky this time is much more in control of his own delirious dreamscapes and, in a sense, the genuine consciousness he creates in his Holy Mountain. He gives us, at the start, something a little much akin to El Topo with piling on Christian symbolism and imagery like its got to get into our heads right away. This part, actually, might be somewhat weaker in comparison with the rest of the film, if only because one wonders where the hell this is all going; a Jesus-figure, who comes into a village loaded with circus 'freaks' and gawkers at such 'freaks', and is put into plaster-casting to make more Jesus figures, which he demolishes except for one which he carries with him for a little while.
There's more than just this, but for the first twenty minutes, which is practically silent and without dialog, we get immensely rich but sort of free-form symbolism, some that is great (the scene with the frogs in the representation of the Spanish conquistadors is absolutely uproarious), and some that isn't, like a strange scene in a church. But soon Jodorowsky moves it along to 'Jesus' entering the realm of the Alchemist, and going under his tutelage (and learning how, mayhap, gold can be the end result of literal excrement), learns about who the other members to go on the journey to the holy mountain will be. It's here that Jodorowsky digs deep into the nature of the period he was filming in and how fascinating and perverse human beings can be. These other members are all shown in vignettes to be "manufacturers", for the most part, of weapons, clothing, architecture, political espionage, and as a police force of a sort. More than ever Jodorowsky throws out the outrageousness to eat up, and really it actually never shows (and maybe it's just me as a jaded 21st century guy) to be as shocking as one might expect. Yes, it's extremely violent (watch out for your genitals, by the way, when around these folks), extraordinarily sexually charged (sex machines anyone?), and meant to be in poor taste and so over the top you don't know what is up or down. At first, I thought it couldn't get much better, as far as sheer surrealist entertainment value goes.
Yet as the last section develops, as the Alchemist takes his pupils to the mountain to meet their promised fates, there's more depth than I would have expected, even from all that preceded it as already containing cast quantities of rich socio-political-sexual commentary and prodding knife stabs at correctness. Religion itself, as Bunuel did in the past, is questioned very strongly and seriously, however still in the context of Jodorowsky having his own subjective approach. Of course, the director- who happens to be at the top of his game here stylistically, second only to Santa Sangre as perhaps his most accomplished effort- did become a shaman himself to make this movie, so there is a level of legitimate connection to what religion says to provide us. At the same time, Jodorowsky is, all the same, questioning what it means to submit yourself to indoctrination, to "nothingness" as the Alchemist says to his pupils in their trances. It's not just Christianity that needs to be taken with a grain of salt, although that is very significant in the final section (the 'monster' over the boat, for example, has a lot that can be read into it, ala sin), but that it has to be in the person to understand what immortality REALLY means. The final revelation at the table on the mountain nails it on the head, and suddenly (or not so suddenly) things become clearer; the final lines by the Alchemist (or rather, Jodorowsky himself), make it a very poignant end to what has been a delirious, hilarious trip into consciousness expansion...
In a word, or a few, what it means to 'experience' a film itself, and once it ends, you step back into some kind of reality. The Holy Mountain is a true love it or hate it movie. I loved it, even as I still wonder what the hell it is I just saw/felt/heard/experienced, and of course if it should be believed.
As I left the theater I kept on thinking about what it is to put total trust and confidence in a "master", someone who seems to have all the knowledge and experience to take people to higher planes. At the core, is what the Alchemist can do for the nine "planet" representatives any different than what a priest or a rabbi or a monk can promise? There is a level of intellectual stimulation, aside from the obvious emotional connection to the immense level of surrealism, that keeps one from thinking that this becomes all weird for its own sake. Unlike El Topo, however, Jodorowsky this time is much more in control of his own delirious dreamscapes and, in a sense, the genuine consciousness he creates in his Holy Mountain. He gives us, at the start, something a little much akin to El Topo with piling on Christian symbolism and imagery like its got to get into our heads right away. This part, actually, might be somewhat weaker in comparison with the rest of the film, if only because one wonders where the hell this is all going; a Jesus-figure, who comes into a village loaded with circus 'freaks' and gawkers at such 'freaks', and is put into plaster-casting to make more Jesus figures, which he demolishes except for one which he carries with him for a little while.
There's more than just this, but for the first twenty minutes, which is practically silent and without dialog, we get immensely rich but sort of free-form symbolism, some that is great (the scene with the frogs in the representation of the Spanish conquistadors is absolutely uproarious), and some that isn't, like a strange scene in a church. But soon Jodorowsky moves it along to 'Jesus' entering the realm of the Alchemist, and going under his tutelage (and learning how, mayhap, gold can be the end result of literal excrement), learns about who the other members to go on the journey to the holy mountain will be. It's here that Jodorowsky digs deep into the nature of the period he was filming in and how fascinating and perverse human beings can be. These other members are all shown in vignettes to be "manufacturers", for the most part, of weapons, clothing, architecture, political espionage, and as a police force of a sort. More than ever Jodorowsky throws out the outrageousness to eat up, and really it actually never shows (and maybe it's just me as a jaded 21st century guy) to be as shocking as one might expect. Yes, it's extremely violent (watch out for your genitals, by the way, when around these folks), extraordinarily sexually charged (sex machines anyone?), and meant to be in poor taste and so over the top you don't know what is up or down. At first, I thought it couldn't get much better, as far as sheer surrealist entertainment value goes.
Yet as the last section develops, as the Alchemist takes his pupils to the mountain to meet their promised fates, there's more depth than I would have expected, even from all that preceded it as already containing cast quantities of rich socio-political-sexual commentary and prodding knife stabs at correctness. Religion itself, as Bunuel did in the past, is questioned very strongly and seriously, however still in the context of Jodorowsky having his own subjective approach. Of course, the director- who happens to be at the top of his game here stylistically, second only to Santa Sangre as perhaps his most accomplished effort- did become a shaman himself to make this movie, so there is a level of legitimate connection to what religion says to provide us. At the same time, Jodorowsky is, all the same, questioning what it means to submit yourself to indoctrination, to "nothingness" as the Alchemist says to his pupils in their trances. It's not just Christianity that needs to be taken with a grain of salt, although that is very significant in the final section (the 'monster' over the boat, for example, has a lot that can be read into it, ala sin), but that it has to be in the person to understand what immortality REALLY means. The final revelation at the table on the mountain nails it on the head, and suddenly (or not so suddenly) things become clearer; the final lines by the Alchemist (or rather, Jodorowsky himself), make it a very poignant end to what has been a delirious, hilarious trip into consciousness expansion...
In a word, or a few, what it means to 'experience' a film itself, and once it ends, you step back into some kind of reality. The Holy Mountain is a true love it or hate it movie. I loved it, even as I still wonder what the hell it is I just saw/felt/heard/experienced, and of course if it should be believed.
An absolutely brilliant film both in concept and execution.
Benwar30 October 2001
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.
My favorite movie!
Giannis_Tsiavos15 September 2014
There is probably nothing on earth that can prepare for Alejandro Jodorowsky's masterpiece, holy mountain.
The synopsis, as bizarre as it sounds doesn't even come close to describing this amazing film. The film introduces the viewer to an array of characters and freaks unlike any seen on the cinema screen. The Holy Mountain is in turns hilarious, confounding, disturbing and perplexing but this Jodorowsky's love letter to the art is never less than entertaining. Filled with alchemical illusions, tarot symbols, existential ideas, explicit gore and violence, gratuitous nudity, sacrilegious imagery, and perverse beauty, this movie will make you live an unusual experience.
MUST SEE!
The synopsis, as bizarre as it sounds doesn't even come close to describing this amazing film. The film introduces the viewer to an array of characters and freaks unlike any seen on the cinema screen. The Holy Mountain is in turns hilarious, confounding, disturbing and perplexing but this Jodorowsky's love letter to the art is never less than entertaining. Filled with alchemical illusions, tarot symbols, existential ideas, explicit gore and violence, gratuitous nudity, sacrilegious imagery, and perverse beauty, this movie will make you live an unusual experience.
MUST SEE!
Good Lord
Samiam37 August 2010
Like David Lynch's Lost Highway, The Holy Mountain is a film I'd be liable to recommend to a species of intelligence superior to man. This film is almost unclassifiable by human standards, except to call it a surrealist film, which is what we label anything that intentionally doesn't make sense.
The film has a few neat sequences here and there, including a cute ending (even though it is a rushed one). What bothers me most about The Holy Mountain is that frankly it is in very bad taste. Its content is irreverent, and vulgar, and whatever the film is trying to say doesn't come out very well.
The middle section I think is the best part. A number of individual sequences experimenting with allegory and art direction bode much better than the film as an entire hundred minute story. Art critics will probably look at The Holy Mountain, and be reminded of Hieronymous Bosh's Garden of Earthly Delights. Among other things both feature copious amounts of over saturated, unnatural colors and frontal nudity. The Holy Mountain can be plushy while at the same time kind of gross. The end result is a mildly interesting art movie, sometimes nice to look at, and yet it's also kind of repulsive, and not very smart.
Might be of interest to art fans.
The film has a few neat sequences here and there, including a cute ending (even though it is a rushed one). What bothers me most about The Holy Mountain is that frankly it is in very bad taste. Its content is irreverent, and vulgar, and whatever the film is trying to say doesn't come out very well.
The middle section I think is the best part. A number of individual sequences experimenting with allegory and art direction bode much better than the film as an entire hundred minute story. Art critics will probably look at The Holy Mountain, and be reminded of Hieronymous Bosh's Garden of Earthly Delights. Among other things both feature copious amounts of over saturated, unnatural colors and frontal nudity. The Holy Mountain can be plushy while at the same time kind of gross. The end result is a mildly interesting art movie, sometimes nice to look at, and yet it's also kind of repulsive, and not very smart.
Might be of interest to art fans.
A Spiritual Journey Into the Absurd
gavin694224 March 2008
"The Holy Mountain" is an unusual tale, deep in philosophical symbolism and imagery. On the surface, it tells the tale of a thief who enters the tower of an alchemist and is taught that he can turn his worthless life into one more meaningful. But then we get the symbolism: religious imagery, Tarot-inspired imagery and other oddities.
There is a scene early on where the lead character, the thief, is thought to look like Jesus. His unconscious body was used by local merchants (including a cross-dressing nun) to make Christ statues. He is also followed by a teenage prostitute and a chimpanzee... and another part where he "eats the body of Christ" by devouring one of the statues. Just to give you a sense of the possible sacrilegious nature.
We also have toads and chameleons dressed as Spanish conquistadors, a scene where the alchemist turns excrement to gold (the most blatant metaphor in the film), a gun made from a menorah, and a one-handed, one-footed dwarf. And this is just the beginning.
Those who don't like excessive nudity should avoid the movie. There is an endless supply of male and female full frontal nudity, and a close-up of man's nether region being washed. Apparently, this movie was supposed to star George Harrison but he declines because of the nudity and specifically the washing scene. Harrison, along with John Lennon, largely funded this project (which was produced by Allan Klein).
How to describe this film? Well, I'd say it may be the greatest film ever made if you like cult films. It's sort of like Danny Elfman's "The Forbidden Zone" meets Salvador Dali meets the Beatles meets a snuff film. If that sounds inviting, you need to check this out. If that scares you, run away fast.
There is a scene early on where the lead character, the thief, is thought to look like Jesus. His unconscious body was used by local merchants (including a cross-dressing nun) to make Christ statues. He is also followed by a teenage prostitute and a chimpanzee... and another part where he "eats the body of Christ" by devouring one of the statues. Just to give you a sense of the possible sacrilegious nature.
We also have toads and chameleons dressed as Spanish conquistadors, a scene where the alchemist turns excrement to gold (the most blatant metaphor in the film), a gun made from a menorah, and a one-handed, one-footed dwarf. And this is just the beginning.
Those who don't like excessive nudity should avoid the movie. There is an endless supply of male and female full frontal nudity, and a close-up of man's nether region being washed. Apparently, this movie was supposed to star George Harrison but he declines because of the nudity and specifically the washing scene. Harrison, along with John Lennon, largely funded this project (which was produced by Allan Klein).
How to describe this film? Well, I'd say it may be the greatest film ever made if you like cult films. It's sort of like Danny Elfman's "The Forbidden Zone" meets Salvador Dali meets the Beatles meets a snuff film. If that sounds inviting, you need to check this out. If that scares you, run away fast.
A visually stunning but seemingly empty film
Robbie-213 December 1999
With "The Holy Mountain," Alejandro Jodorowsky creates a film that is visually creative, inspiring, and surreal. It is worth seeing just for some of the beautiful, surreal, and horrific scenes. The music adds nicely too. However, the large part of its beauty is confined to the first thirty minutes or so. The plot and the meaning are somewhat clouded- that assuming there is some reasoning behind it all that this viewer cannot grasp or will not buy. To me, the film seems meaningless and empty- but it comes in a beautiful vase.
Surreal, Beautiful, Disgusting
nyanbatcat11 February 2018
Saying this movie is dripping with sympolism would be an understatement. Its crazy, surreal, collourful world is exagerated in a caricature-like way. The messages are sometimes on the nose, other times you have to think for a bit, but you never get really lost in the symbolism. It might seem flat, pretentious how on the nose some things are, but thats how you can stay focused on whats going on, because theres a lot of that. The Holy Mountain has a lot it wants to tell you and the most grotesque, abstract, insane, gory, disgusting and beautiful visuals and practical effects that you have ever seen in one movie.
This movie looks like a wild LSD trip completely without any CGI or seeming cheesy. It has a very steady, comfortable pace, always keeping your mind absolutely busy, but never flushing it with too much.
I think everyone who likes art-house movies or simply considers himself a cineast should absolutely watch this movie.
PS: as tempting as it might sound, I would not recommend taking drugs to this, at least on on the first watch
PS: as tempting as it might sound, I would not recommend taking drugs to this, at least on on the first watch
70's art house flick that takes itself too seriously
Sergiodave27 July 2020
The Holy Mountain is at times interesting, but not nearly as good as both the Director and some of the IMDB reviewers think. It tries to shock, and fails miserably. For shock see Ken Russell's "The Devils" made in 1971 which I am sure inspired Alexandro Jodorowsky. I Enjoyed it and will probably watch it again, but it is no visionary landmark piece of art, more a case of the emperors new clothes.
Unmitigated piffle
pandion116 February 2024
There has been a lot written about this and I freely admit that I am not up to date on my Tarot, my religious symbology and my iconography. What I do have though, is a fairly accurate ability to detect pretension. And my detector is currently off the chart.
I think there is a way to enjoy this film - but it would involve illicit drugs or more alcohol than my stomach could safely ingest. I see that at least one reviewer found the film hysterically funny - I suspect that my posited approach would have the same result.
Beautifully photographed and (in someone's mind) deep and meaningful, for me this is one of those films where surrealism jumps over the cliff into self-indulgent pretension. This film doesn't just jump once though, it climbs back up the cliff and jumps again and again and again.
I'm reluctant to define a film as drivel ... but I find myself unable to find another word that successfully summarises my feelings about this movie. I hope the director and cast enjoyed making it, because I certainly didn't enjoy watching it. I would only recommend this film to my worst enemy. Not even the second worst. Just the worst.
I think there is a way to enjoy this film - but it would involve illicit drugs or more alcohol than my stomach could safely ingest. I see that at least one reviewer found the film hysterically funny - I suspect that my posited approach would have the same result.
Beautifully photographed and (in someone's mind) deep and meaningful, for me this is one of those films where surrealism jumps over the cliff into self-indulgent pretension. This film doesn't just jump once though, it climbs back up the cliff and jumps again and again and again.
I'm reluctant to define a film as drivel ... but I find myself unable to find another word that successfully summarises my feelings about this movie. I hope the director and cast enjoyed making it, because I certainly didn't enjoy watching it. I would only recommend this film to my worst enemy. Not even the second worst. Just the worst.
Dated, pretentious, astonishing
jhb473128 June 2004
I don't think this film can be "reviewed" in the normal sense of the word, only experienced as one would a painting or a piece of music. Having only seen it two nights ago, I'm not even sure I've fully processed it. In any case...
To begin, the images, the images. The first 20 minutes contain some of the most astonishing images I've seen, combining Christian iconography, Latin American history, futurism, mysticism, and political commentary. As if Fellini had a sinister twin working with his leftover film and props. As the film progresses I thought the set pieces became a little dated and, frankly, I experienced sensory overload.
I'm sure a lot of viewers would reject this film as pointless or indulgent. Yeah...so? I can't say I understood exactly what Jodoworsky was getting at (if anything), or if it would even make an impact on my view of the world. But if film is to be defined as image over everything else, then Jodoworsky is certainly some sort of master filmmaker. I'd rather watch something like this, filled with ideas (however pretentious), than a plot-driven movie with nothing more on its mind than wrapping up loose ends for the audience.
Now, off to rent Santa Sangre.
To begin, the images, the images. The first 20 minutes contain some of the most astonishing images I've seen, combining Christian iconography, Latin American history, futurism, mysticism, and political commentary. As if Fellini had a sinister twin working with his leftover film and props. As the film progresses I thought the set pieces became a little dated and, frankly, I experienced sensory overload.
I'm sure a lot of viewers would reject this film as pointless or indulgent. Yeah...so? I can't say I understood exactly what Jodoworsky was getting at (if anything), or if it would even make an impact on my view of the world. But if film is to be defined as image over everything else, then Jodoworsky is certainly some sort of master filmmaker. I'd rather watch something like this, filled with ideas (however pretentious), than a plot-driven movie with nothing more on its mind than wrapping up loose ends for the audience.
Now, off to rent Santa Sangre.
A visual orgy of art and artistic filmmaking
nbutcher-6945822 March 2018
Alejandro Jodorowsky's "The Holy Mountain" is to film what Captain Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica" is to music. Completely brilliant, completely insane, completely surreal works of creative art. When people with vision are left to their own devices to do whatever they damn well please, the result is something that is so completely transgressive to established norms of filmmaking, that you are forced to take notice and experience it - at least once. It also makes the film really hard to review. People will either love it, or despise it. I fall in the former category.
The Holy Mountain has something of a plot - but what you see on screen is so abstract, so absurd, so hilarious, so disgusting and weird, and yet so full of things to say, the plot doesn't really matter all that much. The viewer is bombarded by a series of images that will smash your sensibilities and emotions all over the map. Like any good piece of art, it will present you with words and pictures, but it will not tell you how to make sense out of any of them - if there even is any sense to them. That exercise is left up to the viewer, and you will be challenged every step of the way up to the top of the Holy Mountain.
What is for certain though is that Alejandro will smash all your grand illusions by the end of the film.
As others have said, nothing can prepare you for this film.
The Holy Mountain has something of a plot - but what you see on screen is so abstract, so absurd, so hilarious, so disgusting and weird, and yet so full of things to say, the plot doesn't really matter all that much. The viewer is bombarded by a series of images that will smash your sensibilities and emotions all over the map. Like any good piece of art, it will present you with words and pictures, but it will not tell you how to make sense out of any of them - if there even is any sense to them. That exercise is left up to the viewer, and you will be challenged every step of the way up to the top of the Holy Mountain.
What is for certain though is that Alejandro will smash all your grand illusions by the end of the film.
As others have said, nothing can prepare you for this film.
Man this film gets folks all frustrated and upset and for all the wrong reasons...lol
nvcameron27 May 2020
This is one of the funniest films ever made...It's a surreal comedy...You see people come on this thread and rip this film apart and say how it's not art and how dare I had to sit thru sex and blood as if a grown person living on earth isn't going to encounter all these things...lol...Are some of these reviews by small 3 year olds.
This film doesn't care if you think it's art or not and that's the whole point...Not to mention It goes out of its way to make fun of the art world...Don't listen to any hack Art student who dislikes this film and thinks the average person on the street wouldn't like or enjoy it...I know so many regular folks who have never studied art history a day in their life and they enjoyed the film and they don't take the film that seriously...Just watch the film with an open mind and try to enjoy it for what it is, a self indulgent film made by one of the most self indulgent directors on earth...If you can make it thru any of David Lynch films you will be just fine...Honestly No one cares about if you thought it was art or not (btw it is indeed art because all film is art even when Michael Bay is blowing robots up real good)...And this idea if that a person doesn't understand every second of a film then how could they possibly like it...I can't stand Artsy folks and non artsy folks who think like this...When you eat something at a restaurant that you really like can you tell me exactly all the ingredients and exactly how the dish was made.
Sit back and try to enjoy something out of your comfort zone...For some this film will be life changing and for others a crazy romp and for a few a reason to prove you're a real artist who understands what real art is or not...lol...Forget that last Idiotic person and give it a go.
Sit back and try to enjoy something out of your comfort zone...For some this film will be life changing and for others a crazy romp and for a few a reason to prove you're a real artist who understands what real art is or not...lol...Forget that last Idiotic person and give it a go.
What did I just watch?
KnightsofNi1127 June 2012
My entire perception of reality and what the medium of cinema means has changed since watching Alejandro Jodorowsky's sacrilegious mind trip The Holy Mountain. It's a bizarre avant-garde film that uses strange and sacrilegious imagery to evoke reactions of fear, disgust, wonder, and mysticism in its viewers. The film begins with a Christ like figure wandering around a destitute city. He then finds his way to an alchemist who forms a band of men and women who will seek immortality and utmost holiness from the Gods who supposedly live atop the Holy Mountain. It's an intense audio visual experience that absolutely blew me a way.
While watching The Holy Mountain I had no idea what was going on and trying to decipher all the images in the film is a near impossible challenge. But what I did know is that I was watching a masterpiece. I could feel it in the grandiose way the film was presented and the profound subject matter at hand. One set after another absolutely floored me in it's innovative design unlike anything I've ever seen before. Jodorowsky's use of color is profound and the simple yet ingenious things he does with the camera are beautifully spectacular.
The Holy Mountain is a beautiful film and a disturbing film at the same time. It has a thick air of mysticism about it that strikes wonder and confusion into the viewer like a knife. If you sit back and allow The Holy Mountain to take you at its will it will invoke intense emotional reactions in you, but you won't even understand why. The very end of the film takes an incredibly bizarre and unforeseen turn that I never could have expected. It ends so abruptly and when the credits began to role I found myself getting a little misty, and I had no idea why. This is a profound film that does unexpected things to the viewer. Watch at your own risk because The Holy Mountain just might change your life
While watching The Holy Mountain I had no idea what was going on and trying to decipher all the images in the film is a near impossible challenge. But what I did know is that I was watching a masterpiece. I could feel it in the grandiose way the film was presented and the profound subject matter at hand. One set after another absolutely floored me in it's innovative design unlike anything I've ever seen before. Jodorowsky's use of color is profound and the simple yet ingenious things he does with the camera are beautifully spectacular.
The Holy Mountain is a beautiful film and a disturbing film at the same time. It has a thick air of mysticism about it that strikes wonder and confusion into the viewer like a knife. If you sit back and allow The Holy Mountain to take you at its will it will invoke intense emotional reactions in you, but you won't even understand why. The very end of the film takes an incredibly bizarre and unforeseen turn that I never could have expected. It ends so abruptly and when the credits began to role I found myself getting a little misty, and I had no idea why. This is a profound film that does unexpected things to the viewer. Watch at your own risk because The Holy Mountain just might change your life
Turning excrement into gold
a0510226722 July 2008
"The Holy Mountain", the third film of Alejandro Jodorowsky after his controversial cult-film "El Topo", is probably his most polished and interesting work. Basically it combines surrealism, satire, and religious and sacrilege imagery to create a bizarre tale of a group of eccentric characters in their search to reach the immortality. Just like "El Topo" the characters have no deep, they are mere symbols to serve the purpose of the story, a story that could be find by some people as pretentious or too strange, but the direction of Jodorowsky made this film something original and unique. There are several elements of satire of modern society, that work very well to introduce us the characters of the story (each symbolizing a planet) their way to reach their goal until a surprising ending (I won't reveal it, but I want to mention that the ending is one of the best that I've seen in a movie, working very well with overall tone of the movie) "The Holy Mountain" is a unique film. It was ahead of his time and it is the best work of his director.
Hurz
Light8318 April 2008
It must have been some kind of perverted fascination, that kept me watching this work. I won't say movie, because The Holy Mountain defies this definition. It is like Fantasia on a very bad trip, without the beautiful music but with tons of creative imagery.
It goes from simply strange to disturbingly revolting back to bizarrely funny and hypnotizingly symbolic. And after that, it does all those things at once. You need a VERY open mind or you won't even begin to feel anything remotely positive towards Jodorowskis piece of art. And art it is.
There once was this German comedian who performed in front of some art critics. He sang a very simplistic song about a wolf and a lamb. Than he screamed the word Hurz. And continued singing. That's not art in its common understanding. Hurz doesn't mean anything. It implies a deeper meaning where there is no meaning at all. It distracts from the real intention of the artist.
What is the real intention? To fool the audience.
This movie is 109 minutes of Hurz. You can over-interpret the symbolism and search for a meaning until your brain hurts. But you will never know the directors intention, because there is no way to tell what is earnest commentary on society, religion or similar important matter and what's just complete and utter nonsense.
You think, you found the meaning? You were fooled! You think, there is no meaning? You were fooled!
Hurz!
It goes from simply strange to disturbingly revolting back to bizarrely funny and hypnotizingly symbolic. And after that, it does all those things at once. You need a VERY open mind or you won't even begin to feel anything remotely positive towards Jodorowskis piece of art. And art it is.
There once was this German comedian who performed in front of some art critics. He sang a very simplistic song about a wolf and a lamb. Than he screamed the word Hurz. And continued singing. That's not art in its common understanding. Hurz doesn't mean anything. It implies a deeper meaning where there is no meaning at all. It distracts from the real intention of the artist.
What is the real intention? To fool the audience.
This movie is 109 minutes of Hurz. You can over-interpret the symbolism and search for a meaning until your brain hurts. But you will never know the directors intention, because there is no way to tell what is earnest commentary on society, religion or similar important matter and what's just complete and utter nonsense.
You think, you found the meaning? You were fooled! You think, there is no meaning? You were fooled!
Hurz!
Holy Moly!
asda-man2 July 2015
The only Alejandro Jodorowsky film I had seen prior to The Holy Mountain was El Topo. I thought El Topo was one of the weirdest films I'd ever seen with a gunslinger traipsing around the desert with a naked child on his back and encountering a corrupt town full of disabled people. Could things get much weirder than that? Yes they bloody could. You know a film is going to a little bit off the wall when it has the line, "Your sacrifice has completed my sanctuary of 1,000 testicles." El Topo seems as deadly realistic as a Michael Haneke film compared to Alejandro's The Holy Mountain. I made a list of weird movies a while ago and placed Eraserhead as my number one weirdest. If I were to revise that list, I'd definitely place The Holy Mountain directly behind Eraserhead. It's that weird.
Casual moviegoers beware. This is a film funded by John Lenon and Yoko Ono so it isn't your average Owen Wilson cosy romcom. Within in the first half hour we're bombarded with bizarre imagery. A man who looks like Jesus walks around a dreamlike town full of frogs in clothes getting blown to smithereens, Jesus statues made out of sponge cake, armless dwarfs, sex in the street and eyeless paedophiles. All of this section is told without dialogue bar a few screams and Baldy Man styled gibberish.
I was so taken back at the sheer amount of strangeness. Every single shot has severely strange imagery in it. It's like a Salvador Dali painting coming to life and the pacing is so fast, especially in the first act. There's no point trying to read the symbolism because too much happens, too quickly. The best thing to do is just let the film wash over you like some sort of fountain of oddness. Even after reading some ideas on the film I still have no idea what any of it means. However, my guess is that Alejandro isn't a fan of religion or weapons, but he is a fan of nudity and animals. In fact, I'm pretty sure that they cleared out London zoo to make this film.
The second act takes a slower pace, but is no less bizarre. The production design in this section is pretty astonishing. I was particularly astounded by the rainbow room which seems like something from another world. A kind of plot does kick in with our Jesus hero meeting a 'master' (played by madman Alejandro Jodorowsky himself) who plans to take him and a bunch of increasingly bizarre misfits on a quest to meet the gods. We're introduced to nine new characters in quick succession. All of them have a detailed backstory involving everything from orgasm machines to testicle collections. This section does get a little repetitive and lengthy but it's entertaining nonetheless.
The rest of the film follows the oddballs on the quest to meet the gods. Compared to the weirdness overload we've been having, this section does feel a little less weird so it's less memorable. I do have to say though that it acuminates into one of the best endings to a film I've ever seen. It's incredibly jarring and the most postmodern thing I've seen since The Cabin in the Woods.
So what else can I say about The Holy Mountain? As its trailer states, it's a film which defies conventional plot and criticism. It's like a piece of art or music. It's something you have to feel and depending on what you felt, you either like it or you don't! As a connoisseur of the weird, I really liked it. It definitely leaves an impression and leaves you with an army of images you won't forget in a hurry. Unfortunately, it's not quite as hypnotic and dreamlike as it could've been thanks (or no thanks) to Alejandro's directing style. The film feels quite detached and objective. I think the film would've been stronger if it was seen more through the eyes of the Jesus character. The reason I love David Lynch films so much is that he takes us on an experience with the characters. Alejandro shoots like we're just spectators and so part of the experience is lost.
The Holy Mountain is still an extraordinary film though. It's rich and full of surrealist imagery. It's almost like the ultimate surreal film with so much impenetrable symbolism crammed in to make your brain melt. Most average moviegoers won't make it pass the first ten minutes, but then again why would an average moviegoer attain a copy of The Holy Mountain? For the rest of us weirdos, this is unmissable!
Casual moviegoers beware. This is a film funded by John Lenon and Yoko Ono so it isn't your average Owen Wilson cosy romcom. Within in the first half hour we're bombarded with bizarre imagery. A man who looks like Jesus walks around a dreamlike town full of frogs in clothes getting blown to smithereens, Jesus statues made out of sponge cake, armless dwarfs, sex in the street and eyeless paedophiles. All of this section is told without dialogue bar a few screams and Baldy Man styled gibberish.
I was so taken back at the sheer amount of strangeness. Every single shot has severely strange imagery in it. It's like a Salvador Dali painting coming to life and the pacing is so fast, especially in the first act. There's no point trying to read the symbolism because too much happens, too quickly. The best thing to do is just let the film wash over you like some sort of fountain of oddness. Even after reading some ideas on the film I still have no idea what any of it means. However, my guess is that Alejandro isn't a fan of religion or weapons, but he is a fan of nudity and animals. In fact, I'm pretty sure that they cleared out London zoo to make this film.
The second act takes a slower pace, but is no less bizarre. The production design in this section is pretty astonishing. I was particularly astounded by the rainbow room which seems like something from another world. A kind of plot does kick in with our Jesus hero meeting a 'master' (played by madman Alejandro Jodorowsky himself) who plans to take him and a bunch of increasingly bizarre misfits on a quest to meet the gods. We're introduced to nine new characters in quick succession. All of them have a detailed backstory involving everything from orgasm machines to testicle collections. This section does get a little repetitive and lengthy but it's entertaining nonetheless.
The rest of the film follows the oddballs on the quest to meet the gods. Compared to the weirdness overload we've been having, this section does feel a little less weird so it's less memorable. I do have to say though that it acuminates into one of the best endings to a film I've ever seen. It's incredibly jarring and the most postmodern thing I've seen since The Cabin in the Woods.
So what else can I say about The Holy Mountain? As its trailer states, it's a film which defies conventional plot and criticism. It's like a piece of art or music. It's something you have to feel and depending on what you felt, you either like it or you don't! As a connoisseur of the weird, I really liked it. It definitely leaves an impression and leaves you with an army of images you won't forget in a hurry. Unfortunately, it's not quite as hypnotic and dreamlike as it could've been thanks (or no thanks) to Alejandro's directing style. The film feels quite detached and objective. I think the film would've been stronger if it was seen more through the eyes of the Jesus character. The reason I love David Lynch films so much is that he takes us on an experience with the characters. Alejandro shoots like we're just spectators and so part of the experience is lost.
The Holy Mountain is still an extraordinary film though. It's rich and full of surrealist imagery. It's almost like the ultimate surreal film with so much impenetrable symbolism crammed in to make your brain melt. Most average moviegoers won't make it pass the first ten minutes, but then again why would an average moviegoer attain a copy of The Holy Mountain? For the rest of us weirdos, this is unmissable!
weird....yeah really weird
jamesanderson-42 March 2009
OK, so this movie was by far the weirdest movie i have ever seen... i mean i know everyone is supposed to ooh and aahh at the would be profound, if edgy, symbolism, which of course there is to some extent. not that anyones really sure what everything means... i think (and i apologise to those who have said this before me, of which I'm sure there are many) that Alejandro Jodorowsky decided to experiment with a different cocktail of hardcore drugs at the beginning of every scene. lets be honest, it would definitely explain a lot. a lot more in fact than can be explained through metaphors... unless of course you too have ingested a highly dangerous substance while watching the film, in which case you also have a fairly high chance of dying from the plain weirdness of the whole situation. ultimately it was an interesting movie, certainly kept me guessing til the end. (but mainly making various contorted faces of confusion and often disbelief)
Go Tell It From The Mountaintop...
loganx-213 December 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is the Alejandro Jordowsky film not the old silent one about mountain climbing, anyway this film had pretty much everything I wanted out of a movie. I've had it now for about a week and I've watched it over and over. Every frame is visually engaging, it's probably the most symbolism heavy film I've ever seen, but not in an eliptic David Lynch, these are symbols, not emblems, and they represent ideas not included in the film as opposed to representing ideas in the film, simple right? Its a pinnacle merger of surrealism, satire, philosophy, and science fiction. The sets, the images and the story itself blow me away, and the ideas though chaotic at first flow together seamlessly in the conclusion.
This is not a druggie film with no plot and a bunch of crazy stuff, it might appear that way if you view it on drugs, or with no attempt to think about what appears on the screen after it's gone, but the film itself is actually quite complex, almost too complex. Jodorowsky is weaving together a lot of escoteric threads and symbols(the first scene is the Japanse Tea Ceremony) together to tell an quite simple story about the various ways we(and the contemporary audience of the 70's) attempt to escape death. If you interested in watching a gifted film maker at the height of his game paint a truly unique portrait of the world, look no further. If you want something truly bizarre and different because you've seen everything, see it. If you don't care much for symbolism, allegory, or metaphor, avoid this at all costs, there is no realsim here, but there is brilliance, and I don't use that word lightly.
This is not a druggie film with no plot and a bunch of crazy stuff, it might appear that way if you view it on drugs, or with no attempt to think about what appears on the screen after it's gone, but the film itself is actually quite complex, almost too complex. Jodorowsky is weaving together a lot of escoteric threads and symbols(the first scene is the Japanse Tea Ceremony) together to tell an quite simple story about the various ways we(and the contemporary audience of the 70's) attempt to escape death. If you interested in watching a gifted film maker at the height of his game paint a truly unique portrait of the world, look no further. If you want something truly bizarre and different because you've seen everything, see it. If you don't care much for symbolism, allegory, or metaphor, avoid this at all costs, there is no realsim here, but there is brilliance, and I don't use that word lightly.
Supernatural hunger, surreal art and a so-so movie...
ThurstonHunger28 April 2004
So people who are crazy about this film, are fun to be around, but probably just plain crazy. People who hold this film in contempt, are not going to be much fun.
I've seen "Fando and Lis" but not yet "El Topo." I'm happily surprised to see that a sequel to "El Topo" is evidently in the offing per IMDB. Or maybe that has been the case for the past 20 years...
If you typically like "experimental" film (and I mean stuff like what the Ann Arbor Film Festival showcases not say Cronenburg's "Spider"), then you should be able to sift enough gold out of this film. But there is plenty of gold's alchemical opposite as well.
Imagination erupts out of this film like birds out of bullet holes. The plot with its quasi-mystical, anti-corporate kaleidoscope of world religions is there just to connect the dots between artistic film. As such, you could call this a fantastic film, but a horrible movie. In fact, the more seeming contradictions you can utter and pretend to understand, the more you will enjoy the spare dialog throughout this.
The fact is you will be lucky to find it, at least for now. The japanese version I came across did have genitalia replaced by white splotches...it did sort of dampen the hippie heresy vibe, but the Don Cherry assisted soundtrack more than made up for that.
A lot of the set design, especially when then set spinning was visually inviting for me. It would be fascinating to know more about this film, what did the extras think as Jodorowsky was guiding them on his very obscure personal vision? How much did this film cost him to make...despite its off-the-cuff vitality, it clearly was not made with spare hubcaps and rubber bands.
The mingling of myth is fun, and while some folks may use this to slake their spiritual thirst, or satisfy their supernatural hunger, I'm not yet ready to buy into the chakra and awe. Who are we? Why are we here?
For me, I just wondered, how did Jodorowsky make this film?
And yes I am glad that he did...
6/10
I've seen "Fando and Lis" but not yet "El Topo." I'm happily surprised to see that a sequel to "El Topo" is evidently in the offing per IMDB. Or maybe that has been the case for the past 20 years...
If you typically like "experimental" film (and I mean stuff like what the Ann Arbor Film Festival showcases not say Cronenburg's "Spider"), then you should be able to sift enough gold out of this film. But there is plenty of gold's alchemical opposite as well.
Imagination erupts out of this film like birds out of bullet holes. The plot with its quasi-mystical, anti-corporate kaleidoscope of world religions is there just to connect the dots between artistic film. As such, you could call this a fantastic film, but a horrible movie. In fact, the more seeming contradictions you can utter and pretend to understand, the more you will enjoy the spare dialog throughout this.
The fact is you will be lucky to find it, at least for now. The japanese version I came across did have genitalia replaced by white splotches...it did sort of dampen the hippie heresy vibe, but the Don Cherry assisted soundtrack more than made up for that.
A lot of the set design, especially when then set spinning was visually inviting for me. It would be fascinating to know more about this film, what did the extras think as Jodorowsky was guiding them on his very obscure personal vision? How much did this film cost him to make...despite its off-the-cuff vitality, it clearly was not made with spare hubcaps and rubber bands.
The mingling of myth is fun, and while some folks may use this to slake their spiritual thirst, or satisfy their supernatural hunger, I'm not yet ready to buy into the chakra and awe. Who are we? Why are we here?
For me, I just wondered, how did Jodorowsky make this film?
And yes I am glad that he did...
6/10
Not amused, to say the least
Polaris_DiB18 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Following Jodorowsky's 1970 movie "El Topo", "Holy Mountain" presents more of the same: a post-modern reworking of reworking, a continually tangential relationship of story and aesthetics, a musing upon the nature of symbols religious, political, social, and economic, and a carnivalesque drama featuring dead or dying animals, freaks, tarot-cards, mysticism, and just about anything else he wants to shove in there for good measure. It's a lot more structured than "El Topo", but it's still the same idea... allow a character to travel through many different spiritual contexts to come to some ultimate understanding--wait, no ultimate understanding, and no ultimate "coming to", because as soon as it seems like the movie might actually be concluding, well, there's another whole continuation to take into account.
Once again I find myself caught up with my own desire to see more pretentious art-house style experimental movies and the inability to appreciate Jodorowsky's film. In this case, his "ah, but this is actually just a movie after all" ending, which fits perfectly with his post-modern intentions, is still an almost insulting let down to an audience that has been following this guy for TWO HOURS! To have the sum of all the individual parts add up to, "But this is just a movie and it can't answer the questions we have about the nature of the universe" is not only a let-down, but obnoxious... we know it's a movie, and frankly we're here to see what Jodorowsky thinks about it. Tellingly, he doesn't come to any conclusion at all... it's just a play of images and motifs, restructured symbols and deconstructed signs, with a few tongue-in-cheek flippant disregards for commercial value.
So sure. He can have his fun. But if I'm going to watch something that goes nowhere, I prefer it not actually go anywhere instead of literally leading me on a pilgrimage to do it.
--PolarisDiB
Once again I find myself caught up with my own desire to see more pretentious art-house style experimental movies and the inability to appreciate Jodorowsky's film. In this case, his "ah, but this is actually just a movie after all" ending, which fits perfectly with his post-modern intentions, is still an almost insulting let down to an audience that has been following this guy for TWO HOURS! To have the sum of all the individual parts add up to, "But this is just a movie and it can't answer the questions we have about the nature of the universe" is not only a let-down, but obnoxious... we know it's a movie, and frankly we're here to see what Jodorowsky thinks about it. Tellingly, he doesn't come to any conclusion at all... it's just a play of images and motifs, restructured symbols and deconstructed signs, with a few tongue-in-cheek flippant disregards for commercial value.
So sure. He can have his fun. But if I'm going to watch something that goes nowhere, I prefer it not actually go anywhere instead of literally leading me on a pilgrimage to do it.
--PolarisDiB
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