REVIEW: THE HOLY MOUNTAIN
REVIEW: ALEJANDRO JODOROWSKY [ 1973 ] 114'
REVIEW: ABKCO FILMS
CAST: HORACIO SALINAS, ALEJANDRO JODOROWSKY,
CAST: ZAMIRA SAUNDERS, JUAN FERRARA
PERSONAL RATING:
CRITICAL RATING:
WTF-FILMOMETER: OFF THE F'ING SCALE

"You are excrement... You can change yourself into gold."

This seems to have been precisely Jodorowsky's intent when creating the unparalleled absurdist spiritual experience that is THE HOLY MOUNTAIN. At times an actor, play write, comic book author, lecturer, Tarot expert, mime, screenwriter, and director, Jodorowsky's third feature length film was intended to provide an enlightening journey for both him, the creator, and the audiences who viewed it. In keeping with this intention, Jodorowsky hired several non-actors for various parts in the film - the two women seen in the opening credits were, according to the director, not actors but were seeking a spiritual experience - and cohabited with his New York crew for a length of time. The film was produced by John Lennon and Yoko Ono through intermediary Allen Klein and his company ABKCO and was originally budgeted at 1.5 million dollars - though considerably less than that was actually utilized during production.

For a long time Jodorowsky's two most famous films, this and 1970's EL TOPO, were both officially unavailable due to an ownership dispute between the director and ABKCO. This dispute was resolved in 2004 and the two came together almost immediately to see that the films were re released. ABKCO financed full restorations, under Jodorowsky's personal supervision, of EL TOPO and THE HOLY MOUNTAIN - the director has said that the resulting prints are the best he's ever had of the two films - and have begun to release both to theaters around the country. Individual DVD releases of both films were released at the beginning of this month [05/2007] along an extensive 6 disc boxed set featuring the extensively restored 2006 versions of FANDO Y LIS and LA CRAVATE as well - let fans rejoice.

Until very very recently I must admit that I was entirely unsure of what to make of Jodorowsky. Having only seen EL TOPO, and having likewise only seen that once, my opinion of him was much less than concrete. That film struck me as both ugly and crude at the time of the viewing - due mostly to the overall lack of quality in the print. All the same, too many people had said too much of him and his work for me to simply write him off based on one unpleasant experience from years in the past. It was with much anticipation that I sat down to ABKCO's restored DVD of THE HOLY MOUNTAIN - in the end it was a film experience to rival any other.

A drunken man - the Thief - lies unconscious on the dirt surrounded by empty bottles and his own urine with his face covered with flies. A small man with amputated arms and legs attempts to wake him and, upon failing, a group of naked young children drag the Thief out of the village, mount him on a cross, and begin to throw stones at him. The Thief awakens and, while initially angry, is placated by the small man by his sharing of a joint. The Thief carries the small man, now his friend, into the city where a violently militaristic dictatorship rules. Students are shot by bands of armed guards and oblivious American tourists are raped by the same. The Thief and the small man join a circus that performs a re-enactment of the conquering of Mexico, through the use of lizards (Aztecs) and toads (Spaniards), that ends with the explosive death of the Aztec empire. Here the Thief learns the value of money and starts trying to earn more of it.

After the circus, the Thief and the small man find a group of street vendors - obese and dressed as both Roman centurions and the virgin Mary - advertising "Christs for sale". The American tourists from before, oblivious as ever, descend upon the shop - one of the women dances with a gold replica of the Sacred Heart placed over her genitals. One of the tourists buys a large cross but finds it too heavy to carry himself, so the Thief and small man carry it for him. The fat centurions tempt the Thief into having a drink with them and, while he is passed out, take advantage of his Christ-like appearance by making a mold of him. The Thief awakens to find himself surrounded by a multitude of himself. Angered, he whips the corrupt businessmen who took advantage of him and destroys the false images of himself with the exception of one, which he begins to carry with him.

The Thief happens upon a group of prostitutes who are coming out of a church - most of them simply laugh at him but one realizes his Christ-like potential and, with her monkey in tow, begins to follow him. The Thief enters the church and awakens the priest, who rejects the naked image of Christ the Thief is carrying and casts him out on the street. Realizing the Church has lost touch with the true meaning of their faith, he gives himself communion by eating the face of his own image. He sends what's left of the image into the sky strapped to two bunches of balloons - one red and one blue. The Thief and the small man enter a banquet at the base of a tall tower where only fish, bread, and grapes are served. Everyone there, from soldiers to mystics, are staring towards the top of the tower waiting for something to happen.

A hook descends from the top of the tower with a small packet of gold attached to its tip - the bait. The faithful load the hook with fish, bread, and grapes - but the Thief has other plans. Seeing the gold he runs to the hook where he dashes the offerings aside and begins to climb to the top of the tower himself. He climbs into the hole at the top of the tower and, breaking through a paper barrier, enters into an enormous chamber that resembles a rainbow. At the end of it, seated in a chair of goats between a woman and a camel, is the white-clothed Alchemist. The Thief tries to attack him with a dagger but fails miserably. The Alchemist enlightens him and his female assistant uses the dagger to remove the blue tumor of the Thief's past.

His consciousness reborn, the Thief is washed by the Alchemist and his assistant. He then follows them to the Alchemist's workshop, where he sees his own excrement turned into a lump of gold. The Alchemist brings forth a mirror - upon seeing himself in it the Thief promptly destroys it. The Alchemist shows the Thief the soul, the art of Tarot, and eventually joins together with a group of evil capitalists searching for immortality in a cross-country quest that leads them to discover, of all things, themselves.

The first thing one needs to realize before THE HOLY MOUNTAIN can be appreciated is that there is very little in the way of a coherent and typical plot present. The events of the film are portrayed through and connected via images that rarely make sense and, more often than not, appear entirely nonsensical at first glance. Every individual shot in the film from its first frame to the end of its 114 minutes is charged with meaning, however, with each progressing the development of one of the lead characters. Jodorowsky, who helped create the Panic movement in response to the unpleasant direction in which surrealism was heading, continued his passion for the free expression of art with THE HOLY MOUNTAIN and the result is arguably his most beautifully made film.

Performances are solid throughout, with only a few of the lesser characters - notably those involved in the Pantheon bar sequence - needing work. The actors work well with Jodorowsky's visuals, but their performances can't help but take backseat to his style. Of special note with this film is the absolutely fantastic music score. Composed by Don Cherry, Ronald Frangipane, and Jodorowsky himself, it suits the visual palette of the film perfectly and follows the film through a variety of musical styles.

The most astonishing thing about THE HOLY MOUNTAIN is Jodorowsky's inane sense of style. Nearly every individual shot in the film can be seen as an individual work of art, making the film a collective of thousands upon thousands of works of art all working in synchronization to further the human experience. As I mentioned earlier, this film was a spiritual journey for Jodorowsky and was intended to be such for the audience as well. However much or little you may get out of the film the shear creative force so obviously behind its conception cannot be ignored. Jodorowsky, reviled for FANDO Y LIS [1968] and made famous for EL TOPO [1970], achieves greatness with the magnitude of the visuals in THE HOLY MOUNTAIN.

I'm aware that this film won't be for everyone - but attempting to find a film that is would be an exercise in futility. THE HOLY MOUNTAIN is an always beautiful, often disturbing, and utterly engrossing absurdist film experience that, even if you end up hating it, shouldn't be missed. This one comes highly recommended - especially with the fantastic DVD releases that are finally available for it.