This is very possibly one of the oddest films I've ever seen, and I'm pleased I caught it on the big screen among a crowd of similarly minded cinema goers; intrigued, amused, appalled and baffled in equal measure.
This Mexican "acid" Western was a massive underground hit and was a favourite of John Lennon who brought it to greater attention in America, and ended up influencing later surrealists like David Lynch. If you like your Westerns peppered with large doses of Christ allegory, copious blood, physical deformity, massacres, clowning, midget sex, transvestitism, self-immolation, homosexuality, castration, Russian roulette, randy old women, suicide and lesbianism this is definitely the film for you. Apart from all that, which is all entertaining enough, I found the constant graphic images of animal death quite repulsive - horses and donkeys lie around disembowelled, owls and goats are crucified, piles of rabbits twitching and dying, crows blown to pieces - which definitely affected my overall feelings about the film, but it's a unique, insane vision, part crass 70s exploitation, part religious investigation, part Spaghetti Western (or perhaps Burrito Western?), part blackest comedy. This was my first experience of Jodorowsky, but it certainly won't be my last.
The first half looks like an action game: find the gang, defend the monks from Evil Colonel, defeat 4 gunmasters. The second one is like online strategy - earn money and dig the mine. Plus the sauce of satire and religion symbolism.
A movie that shows cheap cinema didn't have to be meaningless was Jodorowsky's El Topo ("The Mole"), a mystical western about... the Bible? The rise and fall of civilization? A man's battle with his inner demons on the road to becoming a "whole man"? Take your pick from those or a dozen more. El Topo is extremely violent (no kind of humane society was ever involved), stars Jodorowsky's usual "monsters" (what he - lovingly! - calls deformed actors), and is shot in some of the most beautiful and unusual locations I've ever seen (in Mexico's desert, without a permit). It's not an easy film, but Jodorowsky knows how to create an image.
its one of most overrated in imdb I've ever seen its even surpassed stupid indian movies in imdb anyone that gives more than 2 star is a fucking retard
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dombrewer
This is very possibly one of the oddest films I've ever seen, and I'm pleased I caught it on the big screen among a crowd of similarly minded cinema goers; intrigued, amused, appalled and baffled in equal measure.This Mexican "acid" Western was a massive underground hit and was a favourite of John Lennon who brought it to greater attention in America, and ended up influencing later surrealists like David Lynch. If you like your Westerns peppered with large doses of Christ allegory, copious blood, physical deformity, massacres, clowning, midget sex, transvestitism, self-immolation, homosexuality, castration, Russian roulette, randy old women, suicide and lesbianism this is definitely the film for you. Apart from all that, which is all entertaining enough, I found the constant graphic images of animal death quite repulsive - horses and donkeys lie around disembowelled, owls and goats are crucified, piles of rabbits twitching and dying, crows blown to pieces - which definitely affected my overall feelings about the film, but it's a unique, insane vision, part crass 70s exploitation, part religious investigation, part Spaghetti Western (or perhaps Burrito Western?), part blackest comedy. This was my first experience of Jodorowsky, but it certainly won't be my last.
dhan_bo
The first half looks like an action game: find the gang, defend the monks from Evil Colonel, defeat 4 gunmasters. The second one is like online strategy - earn money and dig the mine. Plus the sauce of satire and religion symbolism.Definitely worth watching.
Paulorsadv
This movie is torture.Siskoid
A movie that shows cheap cinema didn't have to be meaningless was Jodorowsky's El Topo ("The Mole"), a mystical western about... the Bible? The rise and fall of civilization? A man's battle with his inner demons on the road to becoming a "whole man"? Take your pick from those or a dozen more. El Topo is extremely violent (no kind of humane society was ever involved), stars Jodorowsky's usual "monsters" (what he - lovingly! - calls deformed actors), and is shot in some of the most beautiful and unusual locations I've ever seen (in Mexico's desert, without a permit). It's not an easy film, but Jodorowsky knows how to create an image.xrobin87x
sometimes I wonder what Alejandro Jodorowsky was thinkingpatato
sorry but i didn´t liked it very muchFernando Sanz
Masterpieceakuma587
Amazing movie. Its like a Jean Luc Godard film and a Luis Bunuel film rolled into one.mihalisk
Decent work from Mr. Jodorowsky and a very good film overall. I have to say though that, in my humble opinion, "The Holy Mountain" can't be topped.headnotfound
One of my +fav films.CommDonald
Yeaaaaaaaaah....jmcfose
Must see classic story of a hero archtype going around besting the 'best gunslingers' with his wit and intelligence instead of brute force.nicolaskrizan
very strange and very dark hippie westernhttp://1001movies.posterous.com/950
rvmg
its one of most overrated in imdb I've ever seen its even surpassed stupid indian movies in imdb anyone that gives more than 2 star is a fucking retard