Throughout his life away from the world of theatre, art, and film, one of the passions of Alejandro Jodorowsky is through psychomagic as it is a form of therapy that allows those who have been traumatized by an event or something that’s been passed down from generations to act through the unconscious and allow themselves to confront it by any means necessary. Its methods are unconventional as Jodorowsky has been doing a lot of these practices since the 1990s and so on while also doing free lectures from time to time as he uses it to help people. In this documentary, Jodorowsky showcases the usage of psychomagic through a series of different people seeking help as well as how elements of trauma and healing are shown throughout many of his own films. Among those he profiles include a man still reeling from the abuse of his late father, a woman feeling unloved and fear of becoming a mother, a couple going through trauma, a man with a stuttering problem dating back to childhood, an 88-year old woman suffering from severe depression, and others dealing with many traumas and struggles.
With the aid of his wife/cinematographer Pascale Montandon-Jodorowsky, Jodorowsky keeps a lot of the imagery straightforward while also not allowing himself to be involved in a lot of these testimonials. Instead, he is overseeing the therapeutic process that occurs where the first story has the man dealing with his father’s abuse be buried underground except for his head where he is covered by a plastic bowl with holes so he can breathe. A woman had to strip down as if she’s in another woman’s womb as a way to become a baby and yet feel loved where she would become pregnant months later with an air of excitement and optimism. A woman who had left Mexico 8 years after the suicide of her fiancée on the day they were supposed to be wed makes a return to the country and to the building where he killed himself as she would wear a wedding dress to a church and then go sky-diving.
These methods aren’t just cathartic in the way people deal with trauma as Jodorowsky isn’t trying to knock down the ideas of psychotherapy as he does see its benefits in helping people. His approach is more physical but also from within as it’s more about the heart and human emotions rather than something cerebral where he uses clips of many of his own films as examples. Even as an Australian man living in Paris who is estranged from his parents and siblings is given a chance to express his anger by smashing pumpkins with a sledgehammer with hearts inside them as he would mail them into a box and send it to his family. These are unconventional ideas where the film also feature some footage from other events such as two twin brothers just acting out their sadness as it was filmed in the 1990s while one story about a woman dealing with thyroid cancer goes to a lecture by Jodorowsky where he and the people in attendance help her through a form of a mantra. It’s not about curing someone but rather find ways to get that person to allow themselves to open up and confront these traumas and then be able to live their life the next day.
Editors Amanda Fawn Holmes, Giuseppe Lupoi, and Maryline Monthieux do excellent work in not just using footage from Jodorowsky’s own films but also his own lectures and specials relating to psychomagic as it is largely straightforward while sound editor Quentin Romanet captures many of the conversations as well as audio excerpts from Jodorowsky’s lectures. The film’s music by Adan Jodorowsky is amazing for its somber orchestral score that help play into the drama while also utilizing classical music and music pieces that he created from a few of his father’s films into the soundtrack.
Psychomagic: a Healing Art is a phenomenal film from Alejandro Jodorowsky. While many of the therapeutic methods in the film might not be for everyone, it is a film that does explore the work that Jodorowsky puts in towards this strange art of healing as well as how it is able to help people. Even as they have to confront their own traumas and struggles head on while getting the chance to live another day. In the end, Psychomagic: a Healing Art is a sensational film from Alejandro Jodorowsky.
Alejandro Jodorowsky Films: La Cravate - Teatro sin fin - Fando y Lis - El Topo - The Holy Mountain - Tusk (1980 film) - Santa Sangre - The Rainbow Thief - The Dance of Reality - Endless Poetry
Related: Jodorowsky's Dune - The Auteurs #59: Alejandro Jodorowsky
© thevoid99 2022
Set from the late 1940s and early 1950s in Santiago in the then-working class neighborhood of Matucana, the film is about Alejandro Jodorowsky’s time as a young teenager trying to find himself where he eventually becomes part of the bohemian culture where he finds his love for poetry and art while dealing with growing pains as a young man. It is a film that explore this man’s search for himself after having to leave his childhood home and live in this town where so much is happening after the events of World War II. Jodorowsky’s screenplay is loosely structured in the way it play into his own development from his time as a young teenager who feels stifled by the pressures of his family and eventually discovering a new home in the first act with the second act being about his first love and also finding friendship with another poet to the third act being about Jodorowsky gaining some success but political and social changes would emerge that would force him to flee Chile. It is a story in which Jodorowsky himself would appear as he reflects on these events but also in reconciling with the past including his relationship with his parents.
Jodorowsky’s direction is definitely stylish in not just its overall presentation that is shot on location at the Matucana neighborhood but also infusing it with actual locations and artificial sets. Notably as Jodorowsky opens the film in that neighborhood as it is in the mid-2010s and then transforms it through a mixture of backgrounds and such to show the neighborhood as it was in the late 1940s in his father’s shop where the teenage Alejandro works at where he reluctantly beats up a thief who was trying to steal clothes at his father’s shop. There is a lot of style that Jodorowsky would put into his direction as there would be actors covered in black clothing from head to toe who would serve as props to get a small object for a performer or scenes that play into this strange world that the young Jodorowsky would go into such as a bar that is filled with artists that often serves as a place of those who come to die as it is a place where Jodorowsky and his friends would frequent.
Serving as the film’s production designer with additional help from art directors Patricio Aguilar and Denise Lira-Ratinoff, Jodorowsky does create a world that is unique that play into the young Jodorowsky’s journey in the way the homes of the bohemian community including a few friends of Jodorowsky such as the poet Enrique Lihn (Leandro Taub) and his first lover in another poet in Stella Diaz Larin (Pamela Flores) although they’re portrayed in a fictional version. Jodorowsky’s usage of the wide and medium shots play into the world that his younger self would go into as well as some usage in the latter to play into some of the intimate moments. Jodorowsky also play into his own recollection about his time as a young adult where for all of its eccentricities and artistic rebellion. There was always a part of him that felt unfulfilled as the film’s ending does mirror the ending of its predecessor yet it also has Jodorowsky appear to express some regret over the things he never go to say or do. Overall, Jodorowsky crafts a rapturous yet whimsical film about his life as he comes of age into a young man who is trying to find himself.
Cinematographer Christopher Doyle does incredible work with the film’s vibrant and colorful cinematography as its usage of lighting to play up the colors in the daytime along with some unique lighting for some of the interiors at night as well as some of the exterior scenes as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Maryline Monthieux does excellent work with the editing as it has elements of style in the jump-cuts yet much of it is straightforward to play into the humor and drama. Costume designer Pascale Montandon-Jodorowsky does fantastic work with the look of the clothes in the many costumes the young Jodorowsky and his friends wear as well as the look of Stella Diaz Larin.
Visual effects supervisor Felipe Astorga does nice work with the visual effects that is largely bits of set dressing that help play into the look of the city of what it looked like in the late 1940s/early 1950s. Sound editor Sandy Notarianni does superb work with the sound as it is largely straightforward as well as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as the way live music is presented in carnivals and such. The film’s music by Adan Jodorowsky does amazing work with the film’s score that is a mixture of circus-based music as well as some somber orchestral pieces to play into the sense of drama and reflection while the music soundtrack feature an array of standards and folk music of those times.
The casting by Roberto Matus A. and Roberto Matus is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Kaori Ito as the Japanese dancer Cana, Felipe Pena as the composer Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt, Bastian Bodenhofer as the famed Chilean leader Carlos Ibanez del Campo whose return to the country would force the young Jodorowsky to leave Chile, Montserrat Lopez and Patricia Pardo as two sisters who own a house for all of the starving artists to live in that includes the young Alejandro, Carolyn Carlson as an American tarot reader in Maria LeFevre, Julia Avendano as a dwarf-like woman in Pequenita who would become a lover for both Lihn and the young Jodorowsky, and Felipe Rios as the famed poet/physicist Nicanor Parra who was an idol for the young Jodorowsky as he would appear late in the film for some advice that the young Jodorowsky wouldn’t take. Leandro Taub is fantastic as the poet who would become a friend and collaborator of the young Jodorowsky as they would embark on things that would give them artistic inspiration.
Pamela Flores is excellent in a dual role as Alejandro’s mother Sara who often operatically sings her dialogue as she laments over her son while the other role is a fictionalized version of the poet Stella Diaz Larin who would become the young Jodorowsky’s muse and his first love as she gives him ideas for his poems. Jeremias Herskovits is superb in his small role as the teenage Jodorowsky as a young man just trying to figure himself out as he would eventually let out his anger during a visit to his relatives. Brontis Jodorowsky is brilliant as Jodorowsky’s father Jaime as a communist salesman who is trying to get his son to not endure failure as he disapproves his son becoming a poet while he has this great moment in the film’s final moments that play into a sense of regret and acceptance. Finally, there’s Adan Jodorowsky in an incredible performance as a young version of his father as he brings in a lot of innocence, energy, and charisma to play into a man trying to find himself but also lamenting over what to do next despite the gift that he has.
Poesia sin fin is a tremendous film from Alejandro Jodorowsky. Featuring a great ensemble cast, incredible visuals, amazing art direction, a compelling coming-of-age story, and a mesmerizing music score. The film is definitely an engaging and exhilarating film from Jodorowsky that is also one of his most accessible for a filmmaker that is known for making weird cult films. In the end, Poesia sin fin is a spectacular film from Alejandro Jodorowsky.
Alejandro Jodorowsky Films: La Cravate - Teatro sin fin - Fando y Lis - El Topo - The Holy Mountain - Tusk (1980 film) - Santa Sangre - The Rainbow Thief - The Dance of Reality - Psychomagic: A Healing Art
Related: Jodorowsky's Dune - The Auteurs #59: Alejandro Jodorowsky
© thevoid99 2022
Despite not having attained some form of mainstream success, Alejandro Jodorowsky is someone that doesn’t need mainstream success or attention as he has become a cherished cult figure in the world of art, literature, and cinema. Making films that never play by the rules while bringing in elements of mysticism and philosophy into his work that made him stand out from others who also dabbled in surrealism. Even though his films were considered too strange for mainstream audiences, those willing to seek out his work would often find something that was unique as some believed they were also challenging. It’s something Jodorowsky is known for not just as an artist but also as a man.
Born on February 17, 1929 in the coastal town of Tocopilla, Chile, Alejandro Jodorowsky Prullansky was the son of Jewish-Ukrainian immigrants living in the town where his father Jaime Jodorowsky Groismann was a merchant and his mother Sara Felicidad Prullansky Arcavi worked at the shop as he would endure a very unhappy childhood filled with abuse and lack of love as he also had an older sister who also treated him badly. In Tocopilla, Jodorowsky also endured a sense of loneliness as he was disliked by the locals because of Jewish-Ukrainian background while he also had a disdain towards the American mining industry who he felt treated the Chileans unfairly. At the age of 9, he and his family moved to Santiago where it was through books where Jodorowsky found an escape from his tumultuous family life.
Growing into his teens where he was interested in poetry and literature, Jodorowsky also discovered the ideas of anarchism as it was something he gravitated to as it relates to his disdain of American imperialism and the ideas of his family. After a two-year period in college studying philosophy and psychology, Jodorowsky became interested in the world of theatre and mime as he left to join the circus where he briefly worked as a clown. At the age of 18 in 1947, Jodorowsky formed a theatre troupe where he wrote his first play as he had some minimal success in Chile. Yet, he realized there was nothing for him in his home country where he moved to Paris in 1952 to study mime from Etienne Decroux as he became part of her troupe. After a few years working as a mime with the famed Marcel Marceau, Jodorowsky returned to theatres where he began to stage numerous plays as he was starting to become interested in the world of film.
La Cravate/Teatro sin fin
In 1957, Jodorowsky decided to take a hand in filmmaking as he decided to adapt Thomas Mann’s novella The Severed Heads into a short film. Despite his inexperience in the world of film, Jodorowsky decided that the story would be told in pantomime as much of the story would be told just through performance and music. The twenty-minute short would have Jodorowsky in the lead role as he used whatever resources he had as well as friends he made in Paris to help him with the film as he would unveil it in 1957. Jean Cocteau would be among those who saw the short and praised it where he would later write an introduction for the short. Then some years after its release, the short was then believed to be lost until it was rediscovered in 2006. In 1960, Jodorowsky moved to Mexico City to settle while often returning to France where he would spend some time with the surreal artist Andre Breton as it would be an unsatisfying meeting for Jodorowsky.
His time with Breton would force Jodorowsky to create a movement with the Spanish writer Fernando Arrabal and the French artist Roland Topor that would put the ideas of surrealism away from the mainstream and embrace absurdity into its approach. The Panic Movement was considered groundbreaking where the men revealed a lot of what they were doing as Jodorowsky eventually filmed these presentations for a documentary short in 1965. The short revealed the movement’s take on surrealism and their refusal to take it seriously as it was seen by various surrealist groups as it was considered a major feat that brought surrealism back into the underground. The movement would also give Jodorowsky the chance to work on other things such as books, plays, and comic strips all playing into his desire to play into the world of surrealism.
Fando y Lis
Through his friendship with Fernando Arrabal, the two decided to write a film version of Arrabal’s play about two lovers traveling through a barren wasteland in a post-apocalyptic world in order to find a legendary land that can bring them hope. The two would create a loose version of the script as Jodorowsky wanted to infuse more elements of surrealism as well as critique some of the aspects of faith which was considered quite daring in a country such as Mexico. Despite Jodorowksy’s inexperience with filmmaking, he and Arrabal were able to get funding as well as call on friends such as Sergio Klainer and Diana Mariscal to play the lead roles with others including his then-wife Valerie playing small parts.
The shooting was largely set in the Mexican deserts as well as in rural places where Jodorowsky shot the film on weekends for several months with the aid of cinematographers Rafael Corkidi and Antonio Reynoso with the former playing one of the protagonist’s father. Jodorowsky wanted to play up that air of realism and surrealism into the story as well as have Mariscal do much of the film without walking as her character is partially-paralyzed. Having been aware that surrealism had become more bourgeois in recent years, Jodorowsky would maintain that absurdity into the film as he would put odd things such as mud people, old ladies playing cards and feeding a young man peaches, drag queens, and other strange things to really push the boundaries of what can be seen in film.
The film made its premiere at the 1968 Acapulco Film Festival where the screening was notorious for what was shown as it led to a riot which was becoming very common during one of the tumultuous years in Mexico. The film was later banned from the country for several years yet the film was seen at other festivals where the famed Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski praised the film and defended its contents. The film would also play in film festivals in the U.S. in 1970 as it received good reviews but was unfavorably compared to the American release of Federico Fellini’s Satyricon.
El Topo
Shortly before the completion of Fando y Lis, Jodorowsky met Ejo Takata who was a Zen Buddhist monk where Jodorowky would have a spiritual awakening during his meetings with Takata. It was around that time Jodorowsky met the renowned surrealist Leonara Carrington as these meetings would give Jodorowsky ideas for his second film as it would be about a Mexican bandit who travels to the desert to find spiritual enlightenment in a desolate world. Aware of the popularity of the western at the time, Jodorowsky wanted to create a more surreal take on the genre as he would star in the film as the titular character as well as do the score, create the sets and costumes for the film while having his own son Brontis play the titular character’s son.
With the aid of Rafael Corkidi in the cinematography, Jodorowsky would shoot the film in the deserts of Mexico though has no plans to have the film be shown there as he was considered persona non grata. The film would play with the conventions of the genre while displaying many things that were considered very strange to play into the development of the titular character’s violent journey for enlightenment. In the film’s first half, the character would see himself as a god but then would be brought back down to earth for its second half where it becomes a story of redemption and resurrection. All of it playing into Jodorowsky’s own spiritual experiences during his time in the Panic Movement as well as taking part of the drugs of the counterculture which was common during the time.
Despite being submitted as Mexico’s nominee for the Best Foreign Film category at the Academy Awards, the film wasn’t nominated nor, true to Jodorowsky’s word, did it play in Mexico following its 1970 premiere in various film festivals. Despite not getting any kind of distribution, the film was played at a private screening at the Museum of Modern Arts in New York City in late 1970 where Ben Barenholtz was at the screening and had it played in his movie theatre the Elgin in December of 1970 for a one-week run as a midnight screening. The result would be a major event as the film gained a cult following where the film played at the Elgin theatre for six months making lots of money and paving the way for the midnight movie phenomenon. After it had been seen by many including John Lennon and Yoko Ono who would befriend Jodorowsky, the two introduced Jodorowsky to Lennon’s then-manager Allen Klein who would buy the rights of the film and give it a proper release which didn’t do well financially in comparison to its run as a midnight movie.
The Holy Mountain
The cult success of El Topo was a big deal for Jodorowsky as even though it wasn’t played like a lot of films at the time. It was still considered a success as Jodorowsky was grateful for John Lennon’s endorsement that led to a meeting with Allen Klein who would give Jodorowsky a million dollars for his next film that included additional support from Lennon, George Harrison, and Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono. Inspired by the books Ascent of Mount Carmel by John of the Cross and Mount Analogue by Rene Daumal, the film would be about a group of people who join this strange man for a spiritual journey inside a strange mountain. With Jodorowsky playing the role of the alchemist as well as design the sets and costumes, co-edit, and do some of the music score, the film would feature a cast of unknowns for the film.
Once again teaming with up with cinematographer Rafael Corkidi for the production which was shot in Mexico, Jodorowsky wanted to get his cast and crew on a spiritual retreat before principal photography began as they would study many different ideas of spirituality while Jodorowsky was instructed by Arica School co-founder Oscar Ichazo to take LSD during the production. There was a sense of the unknown during the shoot yet Jodorowsky maintained a sense of control to create something that was indeed out there. Even as Jodorowsky wanted to break all kinds of rules for the film as he also obtained the services of classical musician Ronald Frangipane and jazz musician Don Cherry for the score.
The film made its premiere at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival that May where it was well-received as it led to a limited theatrical release in the U.S. in November of 1973. Though its initial theatrical run wasn’t successful, it was until the film was billed with El Topo as part of a midnight double-feature screening where the film was successful. The success was short-lived as Jodorowsky had a falling out with Allen Klein over Jodorowsky’s refusal to helm an adaptation of Pauline Reage’s Story of O. due to Jodorowsky’s support on feminism. Klein, who was known for being quite brutal with his business tactics, retaliated by having all of Jodorowsky’s feature films at that point be withheld and not shown to the public for nearly 30 years as it would become a source of bitterness for Jodorowsky.
Attempted Production of Dune
Following the falling out with Allen Klein while attaining some measure of success through the world of underground cinema. Jodorowsky did at least gain some clout to get various film producers and others in the industry in wanting to work with him. Having heard about Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel about a conflict between families over a mysterious melange which is the most precious commodity of the universe. Jodorowsky was interested in making Herbert’s story into a film as he heard that a French consortium led by Jean-Paul Gibon who had the rights to make it into a film. Jodorowsky met with French film producer Michel Seydoux, who had seen and liked Jodorowsky’s films, as the two decided to create a feature film version of Herbert’s novel. Though Jodorowsky hadn’t read Herbert’s novel, he was still interested in making into a feature film that would be like a spiritual experience similar to what hippies did with psychedelics but without the drugs.
The project was to feature visual effects work and designs by different artists such as Jean “Mobeius” Girard, Chris Foss, H.R. Giger, and Dan O’Bannon while the casting was to include Jodorowsky’s son Brontis as the lead role of Paul Atrides. The casting was to be even more extravagant as it would include the famed surrealist Salvador Dali, model Amanda Lear, Mick Jagger, David Carradine, and Orson Welles where Jodorowsky made them offers that were considered ridiculous. The ideas that Jodorowsky had were even crazier as he talked to the British rock band Pink Floyd and the French art-rock band Magma to do the music. By early 1976, $2 million of the production’s $9.5 million budget had been spent for its pre-production as Frank Herbert read Jodorowsky’s script which Herbert described as nearly the size of a phonebook for a film that was to be 14-hours long. While Jodorowsky admitted to taking some liberties with Herbert’s novel, Herbert did at least like what Jodorowsky was doing.
Just as a lot of things were about to come into play, the project was then halted as major studios in Hollywood who were interested initially on the film only to realize the grand scale of what Jodorowsky wanted. With Jodorowsky and Seydoux wanting more money to get their ideas going, the project eventually folded in the late 1976 marking an end what some believed to be the masterpiece Jodorowsky never made. In 2013, a documentary about the aborted production was released with new interviews from Jodorowsky, Seydoux, and Chris Foss as well as filmmakers Richard Stanley and Nicolas Winding Refn was released to great acclaim. The film showcased what could’ve been as Jodorowsky admitted to be heartbroken by the projects collapse as the rights was eventually purchased by Italian film producer Dino de Laurentiis who would eventually make the film that was directed by David Lynch for a 1984 release that received negative reviews as well as being a commercial disappointment.
Tusk
Ravaged by the collapse of Dune, Jodorowsky was desperate for work as he was approached by the French production Gaumont to create a film version of Reginald Campbell’s children’s novel Poo Lorn L’Elephant. Jodorowsky said yes as it would be a very different project from previous films though the story about the spiritual connection between a young woman and an Indian elephant who were both born on the same day did play into Jodorowsky’s fascination with spirituality. Having teamed with Jeffrey O’Kelly and Nicholas Niciphor to help write a draft with Niciphor eventually writing the final script, the film was finally going to be made with a $1.5 million budget as Jodorowsky would work with an entirely French crew and cast as well as actors in India where the film was set. Despite not having to work with some of his previous collaborators, Jodorowsky would finally begin production in 1979.
The production would be troubling as Jodorowsky found himself fighting with producers and executives at Gaumont over the film’s visuals which would display little of Jodorowsky’s visual trademarks. Jodorowsky also struggled with the material as many of his past films were very sympathetic to characters who didn’t play by the rules of conventional society nor were part of it as he found himself unhappy with making a film where the characters were nearly normal. The shooting was unpleasant but it was in post-production where things became tense where Jodorowsky wanted to make the film shorter but the people at Gaumont won as the film would have a running time of nearly two hours.
The film was released in 1980 as it was not well-received nor did it get a wide release as the film would later be lost for many years except through poor-quality bootlegs as it is considered a rarity to be found on the Internet. Jodorowsky would disown the film as he was unhappy about his experience in making the film while still reeling from the collapse of Dune. Two years after the film’s release, Jodorowsky’s personal life was in dire straits as he divorced his longtime wife Valerie. For much of the 1980s, Jodorowsky would write novels and comics to keep himself financially stable while collaborating with artist Mobeius for the cult graphic novel The Incal.
Santa Sangre
After taking some time to recover from the unhappy experience of making Tusk and devoting himself to his work in comics as well as raise his children that included sons Brontis, Cristobal, Teo, and Adan as well as daughter Eugenia. It was around this time for much of the 1980s as Jodorowsky began to write a new film project that would be a slasher of film sorts that revolved around a young man, who would see his mother lose her arms following a fight with her adulterous husband, who becomes a serial killer targeting those who are threat to his mother under the command of his own mother. The idea itself was intriguing but given that Jodorowsky didn’t have much clout following the failure to get his version of Dune off the ground. Yet, Jodorowsky still had friends in the industry that included the Italian horror filmmaker Dario Argento who would give Jodorowsky’s script to his brother Claudio. Claudio Argento decided to produce the film as well as help polish the script with another Italian filmmaker in Roberto Leoni.
With Argento getting the money needed for the film, Jodorowsky decided to have the film be shot in and around Mexico City while sons Adan and Cristobal would play the lead role of Fenix with Adan as the young version of Fenix and Cristobal as the older version. With small roles given to Teo and Brontis as well as roles from Blanca Guerra and Guy Stockwell as Fenix’s parents, shooting began in mid-1988 with Jodorowsky getting Italian cinematographer Daniele Nannuzzi to shoot the film. The production didn’t just play into the idea of repressed memories and childhood trauma but also a man trying to cope with his demons as well as the presence of his mother who tries to prevent him from having a normal life. Jodorowsky also wanted to comment on the fallacy of faith as it relates to the strange beliefs of Fenix’s mother as she claims that the saint she worships is real until a Vatican official disproves those claims.
The film made its premiere in May of 1989 at the Cannes Film Festival where it played at the Un Certain Regarde section as it was well-received by audiences and critics. Following a release in Italy in November of that year as well as a very limited U.S. release, the film did initially receive mixed reviews in the U.S. yet received a glowing praise from renowned film critic Roger Ebert who had also enjoyed El Topo and The Holy Mountain. Ebert’s review would help the film achieve not just cult status in the intervening years but also with a new generation of critics who praised the film. While Jodorowsky was grateful toward Ebert’s praise, the film didn’t do well commercially due to its limited release though it did put Jodorowsky back in the spotlight no matter how brief it would be.
The Rainbow Thief
With the buzz he attained for Santa Sangre, Jodorowsky was approached by the famed producer Alexander Salkind about helming a film his wife Berta Dominguez D. wrote about an eccentric heir to a massive fortune who befriends a thief as they live underground in the sewers where they await word for the heir to receive his fortune and the thief to get a nice payday in return. Though the story didn’t appeal Jodorowsky in lieu with the rest of his body of work, Salkind revealed that the film would star Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif as Jodorowsky said yes to the project in a chance to work with the two acting legends. With Salkind funding and controlling the project as it would be shot in Gdansk, Poland, the film would be Jodorowsky’s most commercially-viable project to date.
Once shooting began in 1989, Jodorowsky received word from Salkind and producer Vincent Winter to not change a word of the script and do everything that is asked or he will be fired. Despite having a nice time working with O’Toole and Sharif as well as getting Christopher Lee for a small role, Jodorowsky became unhappy with making the film as he had no input in what to do or say visually. Jodorowsky’s attempt to create humor or anything whimsical would feel forced and uninspired as he would often squabble with Winter over the visuals and to create something unconventional as Jodorowsky often lost the arguments.
The film made its premiere in May of 1990 in London as it disappeared quickly from theaters with an indifferent response from audiences and critics. The film would later premiere in France in 1994 as it remains unreleased in American cinemas. The film was considered a low point for Jodorowsky as he would disown the film as he would also make some serious changes in his life where he moved his family to France in 1990 and devote himself towards making comics, novels, and speaking engagements devoted to his work and interests in the world of tarot cards. In 1995, tragedy struck when Jodorowsky’s son Teo was killed in an accident around the time Jodorowsky was to go to Mexico City for a lecture as well as meet Ejo Takata for the first time in years as it would be the last time they saw each other as Takata died two years later.
Attempted Productions of The Sons of El Topo and King Shot
In 2000 as Jodorowsky had attained a cult profile through comics and films, the director attended the Chicago Underground Film Festival that year where he was given a lifetime achievement award for his body of work. The festival also held screenings for El Topo and The Holy Mountain despite Allen Klein’s refusal to have the films be screened publicly. Nevertheless, the screening would draw great attention as well as the demand for Jodorowsky’s films to be available to the public as a new generation of film goers emerged wanting to see those films. In 2004, Jodorowsky and Klein settled their differences where a DVD box set of Jodorowsky’s first three films including the re-discovered La Cravate were released three years later to great acclaim. It was around this time Jodorowsky was trying to get a couple of projects off the ground as one of them was a sequel to El Topo. Often titled The Sons of El Topo or Abelcain, the film would be a sequel revolving around the two different sons of the titular character.
The project had begun around the mid-1990s with Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Arau, who had been in the film in a small role, trying to help Jodorowsky raise funds as it languished through the 2000s with shock-rocker Marilyn Manson and film star Johnny Depp expressing interests in appearing the film. Another project that Jodorowsky wanted to create was a metaphysical gangster film called King Shot as it was another film Depp and Manson expressed interest in as well as Nick Nolte. David Lynch offered to produce the film as he and Jodorowsky had become friends despite their own experiences with Dune. The film was to be set in a post-apocalyptic world with a casino in the middle of the desert shaped like the head of Jesus Christ while Manson would play a 300-year old pope. By the late 2000s, chances to raise money faltered as both projects eventually fell apart though The Sons of El Topo has often returned into discussion as Jodorowsky still plans to make the film. Nevertheless, Jodorowsky still maintained some interest in the film world where the New York City Museum of Arts and Design held a retrospective of his work in 2010 where Jodorowsky also gave lectures on art.
The Dance of Reality
In 2001, Jodorowsky released an autobiographical novel of sorts that was about his life as a child living in Tocopilla, Chile as it was a chance to make peace with his troubled childhood as well as to humanize his own father whom he admitted to having an unpleasant relationship with. While being interviewed for Frank Pavich’s documentary on the attempted production of Dune, Jodorowsky reunited with producer Michel Seydoux in the film where the two discussed plans to work together again. Jodorowsky had expressed interest in making a film based on his book where he returned to his hometown of Tocopilla where he received permission and some funding to have his film shot there. With Seydoux also raising funds, the plans to make the film about Jodorowsky’s childhood was starting to happen. With Jodorowsky appearing in the film as himself, the role of his father went to his eldest son Brontis while Cristobal and Adan would play small roles as the latter would also provide the film’s score.
Jodorowsky’s wife in artist Pascale Montadon would do the costumes as the rest of the cast would include Pamela Flores as Jodorowsky’s mother and Jeremias Herskovits as the young Alejandro. Jodorowsky got the services of cinematographer Jean-Marie Drejou and editor Maryline Monthieux to be part of his crew as filming began in the summer of 2012. Shooting in his hometown with the support of the locals gave Jodorowsky free rein to do what he wanted as he also recalled some of the visual ideas of Federico Fellini for the film. Yet, Jodorowsky also wanted to touch upon ideas of faith and the struggles he faced as a child as it would prove to be a very therapeutic experience for him. Especially as he was surrounded by his own family who get the chance to be in the home where it all began as the shooting was finished later that fall.
The film was completed in time for its premiere at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival that May where it played as part of a double-bill with Pavich’s documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune in the festival’s Director’s Fortnight section. The film was given a rousing reception from audiences and critics at the screening as it proved to be a major hit at the festival. Less than a month later, Jodorowsky premiered the film at his hometown of Tocopilla where it was also well-received as it made its U.S. premiere in February of 2014 at the South by Southwest Film Festival to great acclaim. While the film only got a limited theatrical release in the U.S. that only made more than half-a-million dollars against its $3 million budget. The film was a major hit with critics as well as art house audiences where the film marked as a major comeback for Jodorowsky.
Endless Poetry
Jodorowsky’s newest feature film is a sequel to The Dance of Reality as it focuses on Jodorowsky’s teenage years and his time as a young adult trying to find himself. Retaining the same cast for the film with Adan playing his own father in his 20s while Jodorowsky also appears in the film as himself. Jodorowsky received the services of the famed cinematographer Christopher Doyle, who is known for his work with Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai, to shoot the film as it was shot in Santiago, Chile and other places in the country while using crowd source funding to get money for the film as he received donations from fans as well as other filmmakers. The film made its premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival in May of that year once again playing at the Director’s Fortnight section where it was well-received from audiences and critics proving that Jodorowsky still has the magic touch.
Despite not being part of mainstream culture or wanting to be in the often capitalist-world that is Hollywood, Alejandro Jodorowsky does remain to be an important figure in the world of cinema. While many of his greater work maybe considered cult films, that cult has gotten bigger as his films have influenced filmmakers, musicians, and artists as diverse as Nicolas Winding Refn, Luc Besson, Ridley Scott, David Lynch, Marilyn Manson, Peter Gabriel, and Kanye West. In attaining that air of mystique and intrigue that often makes cinematic figures so compelling, Alejandro Jodorowsky remains as cinema’s most mystical auteur.
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky and written by Berta Dominguez D., The Rainbow Thief is the story of a crook who befriends the heir to a fortune in the hopes he can score the fortune. The film is a whimsical tale of friendship told in a stylistic manner as it relates to desires of the richest kind that money can and can‘t buy. Starring Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif, and Christopher Lee. The Rainbow Thief is an interesting but lackluster film from Alejandro Jodorowsky.
Set in an unnamed European city, the film is about this beggar thief who meets the nephew of an eccentric millionaire as they spend five years living in the sewer awaiting word about the inheritance that this man is to get. It’s a film with a simple plot that explores the idea of survival and expectations of great rewards yet the film’s script by Berta Dominguez D. is very by-the-books in the way it establishes its main characters such as the thief Dima (Omar Sharif), the offbeat heir Meleagre (Peter O’Toole), and the eccentric millionaire Rudolf Van Tannen (Christopher Lee). The last of which is just a plot device where he goes into a five-year coma while relatives bicker over who gets the inheritance while thinking of putting Meleagre into a psychiatric hospital and leave him out of the will. Upon meeting Dima and seek refuge in the sewers, Meleagre decides to live a life without complications yet he treats Dima like a servant. While it’s meant to be a story of friendship, the script often has the two men bickering while Dima goes out and steal to survive while hoping he would get some money from Meleagre’s inheritance.
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s direction is very straightforward which is shocking considering that the filmmaker is known for creating visuals that are confrontational and majestic. With this film, it’s an attempt to maintain some of the whimsical elements he’s known for yet it feels forced and never really does anything to stand out visually. Shot largely on location in Gdansk, Poland where it plays as this European port city, Jodorowsky does take great advantage of the location with its usage of wide and medium shots while he does also create moments in the compositions that are interesting that includes the scenes between Dima and Meleagre. While Jodorowsky tries to maintain some sense of energy and charm into the film, it’s not enough to cover many of the shortcomings of the script as Jodorowsky is just creating something that just feels very ordinary. Overall, Jodorowsky creates a very bland film about a thief and an heir to a fortune trying to await the news of a man’s death for great riches.
Cinematographer Ronnie Taylor does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it‘s quite colorful for some of the scenes involving the circus acts as well as some unique interior lighting in the scenes set in the sewers. Editor Mauro Bonnani does nice work with the editing as it‘s largely straightforward to play into some of the whimsical elements in the film. Production designers Didier Naert and Alexandre Trauner, with set decorators Simon Wakefield and Peter Young and art directors Fred Hole and Janusz Sosnowski, do fantastic work with the look of Rudolf‘s home as well as some of the interiors of the sewers and the places around the docks. Costume designers Barbara Kidd and Ewa Krauze do terrific work with the costumes from the lavish clothes of Meleagre as well as the look of the other hobos and people living around the docks. Sound editors Mireille Leroy and Corrine Rozenberg do superb work with the sound as it plays into the sound of the waters flowing through the sewers as well as the whimsy of the circus world. The film’s music by Jean Musy is wonderful for its orchestral-based score as it play to the world of the circus and the sense of hope and whimsy that looms for its key characters.
The casting by Jeremy Zimmerman is pretty good as it features appearances from punk rock legend Ian Dury as a bartender Dima owes money to, screenwriter Berta Dominguez D. as a beggar named Tiger Lily, Joanna Dickens as a woman Dima uses for money in Ambrosia, and Christopher Lee in a fantastic performance as the eccentric Rudolf Von Tannen as this eccentric millionaire who cares more about his dogs and bevy of whores than his family where it’s an appearance that is just too brief where he eventually becomes a plot device. Finally, there’s the excellent performances of Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif in their respective roles as Meleagre and Dima. Despite the shortcomings of the script, the two do give committed performances that allow them to have fun with Sharif being the more physical in his approach to play a thief while O’Toole camps up the eccentricities of his character where he is often accompanied by a dead dog.
Despite the performances of Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif as well as some solid technical work, The Rainbow Thief is a very mediocre film from Alejandro Jodorowsky. It’s a film that wants to be a lot of things only to fall very short due in part to its lackluster script and Jodorowsky being constrained to create something that is very straightforward which is something that Jodorowsky isn’t known for. In the end, The Rainbow Thief is just an uninspired film from Alejandro Jodorowsky.
Alejandro Jodorowsky Films: La Cravate - Teatro sin fin - Fando y Lis - El Topo - The Holy Mountain - Tusk (1980 film) - Santa Sangre - The Dance of Reality - Endless Poetry - Psychomagic: a Healing Art
Related: Jodorowsky's Dune - The Auteurs #59: Alejandro Jodorowsky
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the book by Stuart Samuels, Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream is a documentary film that is about the culture of the midnight movies in the 1970s as it played to an audience needing an escape from the turmoil that had emerged in the late 1960s. Directed by Stuart Samuels and written by Samuels and Victor Kushmaniak, the film explore the six films that would define the midnight movie culture in that decade as well as what it did for the film industry before the emergence of home video and the blockbuster period in films. The result is a fascinating and exciting film from Stuart Samuels.
In the 1970s following a tumultuous period that saw political unrest, culture wars, assassinations, and other things that defined the late 1960s. Audiences wanting an escape from that turmoil as well as mainstream culture where screenings of low-budget films that were outside of the mainstream suddenly became cultural phenomenon. Among them were Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo, George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, John Waters’ Pink Flamingos, Perry Henzell’s The Harder They Come, Jim Sharman’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and David Lynch’s Eraserhead. These films that didn’t play by the rules nor were they created or funded by studios, with the exception of Rocky Horror, were films that became successful through midnight screenings in theaters around America based on word of mouth.
With interviews from filmmakers in Alejandro Jodorwsky, John Waters, George A. Romero, David Lynch, and Perry Henzell as well as Rocky Horror creator Richard O’Brien and that film’s producer Lou Adler plus film critics Roger Ebert, J. Hoberman, and Jonathan Rosenbaum. They all talk about the impact of the midnight movie culture where many believe the man responsible for making it happen is Ben Barenholtz who opened the Elgin Cinema in 1968 in New York City and was the one who showed El Topo in 1970 as a midnight movie knowing that it wasn’t some conventional film. For six months at the Elgin Cinema, the film played to sell-out audiences as it started this culture of the midnight movies. The films that were played at Elgin as well as other theatres around the U.S. would play these different kind of films that definitely appealed to an audience that didn’t want to the mainstream films of the times.
Other films such as Tod Browning’s Freaks and Louis J. Gasnier’s Reefer Madness were also part of the midnight movie circuits as they were films from the 1930s that were never well-received as they found new life. Largely because they were films that played to an audience that wanted to see films that weren’t about ordinary people or those that are larger than life. Stuart Samuels’ direction is straightforward as he shoots many of the interviews with the filmmakers and critics talking at the camera with either a film clip or a poster in the background with the aid of cinematographer Richard Fox. With the aid of editors Michael Bembenek, Robert J. Coleman, John Dowding, Lorenzo Massa, and Kevin Rollins as well as the sound work of Euan Hunter, Samuels’ usage of film clips plus newspaper clippings and reports showcase the phenomenon that these films had as well as what it did to the film industry.
Its decline and end definitely doesn’t just attribute to the rise of the home video market but also the blockbuster films such as Jaws and Star Wars where it appealed to a wide audience and were financially profitable. Filmmakers and film critics believe that decline definitely saw audiences interact less and not bother discovering films that don’t play by the rules. Samuels’ direction would play into that decline but also that sense of interest towards those films but also the idea of the midnight movie screening. The film’s music by Eric Cadesky and Nick Dyer is wonderful as it’s mainly low-key in its electronic setting to play into the different type of films that is featured in the documentary.
Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream is a marvelous film from Stuart Samuels. It’s not only a compelling documentary that explores the brief but immense popularity of the midnight films but also a look into the filmmakers and films that definitely gave audiences a fitting alternative from the mainstream as well as something that would become phenomenon in their own way. In the end, Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream is a remarkable film from Stuart Samuels.
Related: Freaks - Night of the Living Dead - El Topo - Pink Flamingos - The Harder They Come - (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) - Eraserhead
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky and screenplay by Jodorowsky, Claudio Argento, and Roberto Leoni from a story by Jodorowsky, Santa Sangre (Holy Blood) is the story of a man who reflect on his life being raised in the circus as he looks back at his childhood and his life as an adult. The film is an unconventional life story that plays with unconventional narratives of flashback and flash-forwards to tell the story of this man’s life. Starring Cristobal “Axel” Jodorowsky, Adan Jodorowsky, Teo Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra, and Guy Stockwell. Santa Sangre is a ravishing yet harrowing film from Alejandro Jodorowsky.
The film is a complex tale of a troubled and traumatized man who reflects on his life as a child living in the circus as a performer as he also copes with the demons of his past as an adult upon reuniting with his mother who wants him to kill women she sees as threats to her. The film is an unconventional story where it begins at an insane asylum where the protagonist Fenix (Cristobal “Axel” Jodorowsky) looks back at his life as a child magician (Adan Jodorowsky) where his parents were circus performers while his mother Concha (Blanca Guerra) was also a religious cult leader. Due to the infidelities of his father Orgo (Guy Stockwell), Concha would despise women as she disappeared leaving the young Fenix traumatized and institutionalized until he escapes, in the film’s second act as an adult, upon seeing her where she uses his arms to kill other women since she lost her arms following a fight with Orgo. For Fenix, whatever chances he has to find some normalcy or be with someone would be destroyed where he is consumed with guilt over his actions.
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s direction definitely bears not just style but also a lot of symbolism as it relates to the world that Fenix is in. A world of the whimsical and offbeat as well as the world of spirituality where Fenix is torn between two ideals that are each represented by his parents as both ideals have their flaws. Shot on location in Mexico, the film’s location represents that sense of conflict but also a world that is quite chaotic where Jodorowsky would create some dazzling compositions that play into some of the imagery that is prevalent in the film. The usage of wide and medium shots as well as some tracking shots play into some of the locations as well as the world that is the circus and the theatre where the latter play into the events in the film’s second act where Fenix returns to performing. The world of the whimsy wouldn’t just features a very bizarre scene that involve Fenix and Downs syndrome patients going to a brothel and snorting cocaine but also moments in Fenix’s performance as a magician.
The film’s violence is definitely graphic where Jodorowsky makes no qualms into the intensity of the violence that is in the film. The sequences in the first act that involve Concha and Orgo aren’t just gory but also have this impact where it is quite confrontational as it is really the start of what Fenix would be forced to do under Concha’s prompting. The scenes where Fenix is killing women where he is acting as Concha’s arms definitely add something that is very abstract but once Fenix’s arms would attack. All fucking hell breaks loose while there are also these elements where Jodorowsky also play into the fallacy of faith as it relates to what Concha believes in as well as what she tries to do. Especially in a scene where a Vatican magistrate (Sergio Bustamante) comes to her church to inspect this pool of blood where it showcases some of the fallacy of organized religion and faith. It would come ahead in the film’s climax in the third act as it play into Fenix’s struggle to be himself as well as the torment from his mother that continuously haunts him. Overall, Jodorowsky creates a terrifying yet rapturous film about a man’s struggle for sanity as he is tormented by demons in his life.
Cinematographer Daniele Nannuzzi does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful and gorgeous cinematography with its usage of lights and moods for many of the daytime/nighttime exterior scenes along with unique lighting for some of the nighttime scenes. Editor Mauro Bonanni does excellent work with the editing as it has a few jump-cuts while maintaining something that is very straightforward and help play up some of the film‘s suspense. Production designer Alejandro Luna and set decorator Enrique Estevez do amazing work with the look of Concha‘s church and the shrine she created for her saint as well as the look of the circus and some of the places the characters go to. Costume designer Tolita Figueroa does fantastic work with the costumes that the characters wear as they‘re very colorful as well as have an air of personality into the characters and where they are in their lives.
Makeup supervisor Lamberto Marini does nice work with the design of the makeup from the look of Fenix‘s love interest Alma as well as the look of Alma‘s mother who is covered up with lots of tattoos. Special effects supervisor Marcelino Pacheco does terrific work with some of the minimal special effects as it relates to some of the magic tricks that Fenix performs as well as some of the intense moments of violence. Sound mixer Robert Camacho does superb work with the sound to play into some of the events in the circus as well as the party atmosphere in the streets. The film’s music by Simon Boswell is wonderful for its mixture of traditional Mexican folk music with some eerie synthesizer textures to play into the drama, comedy, and suspense where it help set a mood for a scene in the film while the soundtrack would feature songs played in a traditional ballad style.
The casting by Pablo Leder is great as it feature some notable small roles from Brontis Jodorowsky as a orderly at the institution, S. Rodriguez as a female wrestler called Santa, Hector Ortega as the institution doctor, Gloria Contreras as a performer that tried to seduce Fenix in Rubi, Jesus Juarez as a midget performance and friend of Fenix in Aladin, Sergio Bustamante as a Vatican official, Ma. De Jesus Aranzabal as a fat prostitute who would sleep with the Downs syndrome patients, and Teo Jodorowsky as the pimp who would give those patients cocaine and be this spark that would bring terror to Fenix. Faviola Elenka Tapia is terrific as the young Alma as this deaf-mute circus performer who would befriend the young Fenix while Sabrina Dennison is fantastic as the adult Alma who would remain deaf-mute where she would try to find Fenix and save him from the torment of his mother. Thelma Tixou is excellent as the tattooed woman who is Alma’s mother as she would seduce Orgo in a lot of ways and bring rage to Concha where she later becomes a prostitute and raise the ire of Fenix.
Guy Stockwell is superb as Fenix’s father as a circus performer who is also a hypnotist that tries to help his son become a man while also being flawed in the fact that he cheats on Concha to be with the tattooed woman. Blanca Guerra is amazing as Concha as Fenix’s mother who lost her arms during a fight with her husband as she becomes this figure of torment who forces her son to kill at urging where she has this very chilling presence that is just intriguing to watch. Adan Jodorowsky is brilliant as the young Fenix as this boy who deals with some of the events in his life as well as trying to be this performer who would lose his innocence in the most drastic ways. Finally, there’s Cristobal “Axel” Jodorowsky in an excellent performance as the adult Fenix as this troubled man that tries to regain some of his old innocence while dealing with the torment of his mother where it’s a very chilling and scary performance that is just fascinating to watch.
Santa Sangre is a phenomenal film from Alejandro Jodorowsky. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, compelling views on faith and torment, and some very intense moments of violence. It’s a film that explores the idea of torment and conflict through the eyes of a man as he reflects on his troubled childhood and already complicated life as an adult. In the end, Santa Sangre is a spectacular film from Alejandro Jodorowsky.
Alejandro Jodorowsky Films: La Cravate - Teatro sin fin - Fando y Lis - El Topo - The Holy Mountain - Tusk (1980 film) - The Rainbow Thief - The Dance of Reality - Endless Poetry - Psychomagic: a Healing Art
Related: Jodorowsky's Dune - The Auteurs #59: Alejandro Jodorowsky
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel Poo Lorn L’Elephant by Reginald Campbell, Tusk is the story of a young English girl who meets an elephant where they both embark on a common destiny. Directed and edited by Alejandro Jodorowsky and screenplay by Nicholas Niciphor from a screen story by Jodorowsky, Niciphor, and Jeffrey O’Kelly, the film is a fantasy film that plays into the spiritual connection between this girl and an elephant. Starring Cyrielle Clair, Anton Diffring, Serge Merlin, Christopher Mitchum, and Michel Peyrelon. Tusk is a messy and uninspiring film from Alejandro Jodorowsky.
The film is the simple story about a young English girl and an Indian elephant who are born on the same day where they share a spiritual connection as they both share a common destiny for happiness. That is pretty much the film’s plot as it explores a young woman’s connection with this elephant she considers more than just a pet as she is raised by her father in India who also raises elephants for his own usage much to her dismay. While it is a story that is quite simple, it’s execution in terms of plotting and development isn’t very good as it is very by-the-numbers with some very predictable outcomes. Especially as this young woman wants her elephant to be free from captivity but there are those such as her father, a hunter, and a greedy merchant. The script isn’t just conventional but it’s also filled with very little surprises as it never does anything to break out of its conventional plotline.
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s direction is definitely messy where it is clear that the filmmaker who is known for making films about outsiders and freaks while carrying lots of symbolism is here is making something that isn’t about any of those things. Shot on location in India, much of the film is spoken in French as it is one of the few things in the film where Jodorowsky has some air of absurdity yet his attempts to find humor and spiritual meaning often feels forced and nonsensical. While some of the compositions are interesting with some nice low-angle shots to capture the grandness of the elephant that is called Tusk. Jodorowsky never really gets to do anything that is quite visually sprawling as he would match images just like the book as transitions where some of his editing comes across as uninspiring and at times, very jarring. Since the film is very hard to find, the transfer quality of it is terrible as it makes the film a much bigger struggle to watch where the pacing lags a lot and the picture is just poor. Overall, Jodorowsky creates a very bland and messy film about an Englishwoman’s connection with an elephant in India.
Cinematographer Jean-Jacques Flori does nice work with the film‘s colorful cinematography but the transfer of the print does nothing to really showcase his work. Art director Philip King does excellent work with the look of the home of Elise and her father John as well as some of the ceremonies. Makeup supervisor Florence Fouquier D’Herouel does OK work with the makeup from the look of the swami that Elise often meets as well as some of the makeup in the ceremonies. The sound work of Raymond Adam is alright at times though the film‘s poor transfer does hinder it as it include some very bad dubbing of one character in the film. The film’s music by Jean-Claude Petit, Guy Skornik, and Martin St. Pierre is a mixed bag where it has this mixture of rock, orchestral music, and traditional Indian where it tries to do a lot but it’s all over the place in the worst ways.
The film’s cast feature small performances from Sukumar Anhana as the Maharajah, Oriole Henry as the young Elise, Andy Jenny as a preacher, B.N.K. Nagaraj as Tusk’s handler, and a man called Swami as this guru that Elise often goes to for guidance as they’re just roles that are just there. Michel Peyrelon’s performance as the villainous merchant Shakley is just comical for the wrong reasons as it’s really a very typical villainous role while Serge Merlin’s performance as Shakley’s assistant is just a bad comic relief that is there to be an idiot. Christopher Mitchum’s role as the hunter Richard Cairn has its moments where it has substance but the performance is constrained by the script’s conventional tone where he’s just this love interest for Elise.
Anton Diffring is alright as Elise’s father John Morrison as this landowner who uses elephants to do things as he wants what is best as he’s the one character that actually has some development as he’s the best performance in the film. Cyrielle Clair’s performance as Elise is a mixed bag where it has these interesting moments but it’s hampered by some campy dramatic acting as it’s not really memorable.
Tusk is a very terrible film from Alejandro Jodorowsky. Not only is it a very conventional film from a very unconventional filmmaker but it’s a film that tries to be a lot of things only to be ordinary in the worst kind. Especially as the best possible version available (through YouTube and torrents) don’t present the film in a transfer that is close to decent at best. In the end, Tusk is just a bad film from Alejandro Jodorowsky.
Alejandro Jodorowsky Films: La Cravate - Teatro sin fin - Fando y Lis - El Topo - The Holy Mountain - Santa Sangre - The Rainbow Thief - The Dance of Reality - Endless Poetry - Psychomagic: a Healing Art
Related: Jodorowsky's Dune - The Auteurs #59: Alejandro Jodorowsky
© thevoid99 2016
