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Alejandro Jodorowsky

Page history last edited by Air Dupaix 14 years, 11 months ago

 

Jodorowsky was born February 7, 1929, and raised in a Chilian town by Jewish-Russian immigrants. His earliest ambition was in poetry. He dropped out of the university and formed a puppet company that toured around Chile. He left for France in 1953 to follow the Surrealist movement. During this time he worked in film, theater, and with mime Marcel Marceau for whom he wrote various ingenious scenarios(1). In 1957, he directed his first film that is now considered to be lost. It was called Transposed Heads, the exotic and absurd story of two young Indian men who have their heads transposed without their knowledge, looking at the split between mind and body. Jean Cocteau liked the film so much he wrote an introduction for it.(3). During the 1960's, he moved between France and Mexico, and during this time he made several films, one being very scandalous (See below for a list of his films). His film El Topo would eventually bring him recognition in the English-speaking world.

 

One fact that I thought interesting was that in 1972, in anticipation for Jodorowsky's new film, expectations were so high that Rolling Stone Magazine sent a correspondent to Mexico to visit the set of the film The Holy Mountain. At this time, he must have been recognized as an important director of film.

Those who worked on this film thought it was the most important thing going on in the world at that time, at the very least it is the most "far-out" (1). This film seems to be more accepted by younger audiences than it was when it was released, although the film adopts and seems central to many of the youth-movements of the time.

 

Few directors inspire more extreme reactions among film connoisseurs than Jodorowsky. To one group he may be the reincarnation of Luis Bunuel and a master of surrealist cinema. To the other he is considered a drugged-out hack who used his own penchant for psychedelics as an excuse to make nonsensical films. What ever you think of his cinema, there is no doubt what ever reaction he invokes it will be strongly felt.(2).

 

 

 

 

Filmography

The Severed Heads (1957) short

Fando y Lis (1968) feature

El Topo (1970) feature

The Holy Mountain (1973) feature

Tusk (1980) feature

Santa Sangre (1989) feature

The Rainbow Thief (1990) feature

 

Documentary on Jodorowsky

La Constellation Jodorowsky (Louis Mouchet, 1995). Available on Fando y Lis DVD, Fantoma, 2003, and Santa Sangre DVD, Anchor Bay, 2004.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1). http://www.lawweekly.cam/2004-01-01/news/in-the-heart-of-the-universe/3

(2). http://thehorrorgeek.com/?p=1801

(3). http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/07/jodorowsky.html

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