El Topo (1970)
Part of the Don't Panic Panic - Question Reality
| Director: | Alejandro Jodorowsky |
|---|---|
| Certificate: | BBFC R18 |
| Length: | |
| Format: | DVD |
| Language: | Spanish/English |
| Country: |
"If you are great, El Topo is a great picture. If you are limited then El Topo is limited." - Alejandro Jodorowsky. The Midnight Movie sensation El Topo, like a cross between Sergio Leone and Siddharta, is not a classic for it's genre - because it does not have one!
El Topo (1970)
Jodorowsky is El Topo, the black clad gunslinger and he's looking for trouble. Traveling the desert with his young son he comes across a small town razed by bandits and so begins a quest for vengeance. El Topo soon finds and bests the bandits, humiliates and castrates their leader, then frees those held hostage including the mysterious woman Mara. Leaving his son behind he travels on, goaded by Mara into finding and killing the greatest gunfighters in the land. He successfully beats them all in combat but the encounters lead to an epiphany, a realization of his limits and the depths of his narcissism. After sacrificing himself to a literal crucifixion by bullet, things really go through the rabbit hole and El Topo, the Mole must resurface and become reborn!
If you ask of your films that they hold a mirror up to their creators, revealing passions, idiosyncrasies, and spiritual beliefs then El Topo may be unmatched. If you prefer narrative cohesion, more allusive imagery and a little less batshit lunacy then beware!
After the film the spirit and themes of El Topo will be continued by DJs Fenrus Crill and Levi Mendez playing the likes of Captain Beefheart, The Residents, Faust and other prog/psyche/kraut delights! Surreal and Occult imagery will be projected to compliment the tunes. Enjoy seekers!
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3joYVNyyi5w
Other films in the Don't Panic Panic - Question Reality:
16
Film: Viva La Muerte (1971)
16 Mar 2012, 7:30 p.m.
An extremely rare chance to see a print of a masterpiece of its type. Fernando Arrabal, was co-founder of the Panic Movement with Alejandro Jodorowski and this film owes much to that style. However where his more famous collaborator's work is unapologetically trippy, Arrabal's films and plays use the same chaotic and extreme language to serve a social conscience of sorts.
01
Film: The Colour Of Pomegranates + The World Is A Window: Making The Colour Of Pomegranates + Live Q&A (1968)
1 Apr 2012, 6:30 p.m.
Rebellious cinema masterpiece - a biography of the Armenian troubadour Sayat Nova reveals the poet’s life through unconventional narration and visual stimulation. Introduction and Q&A by Daniel Bird the director of The World is a Window.
05
Film: Fando And Lis (1968)
5 Apr 2012, 7:30 p.m.
This tale of sadomasochistic love and unattainable paradise premiered at the 1968 Acapulco Film festival, inciting a riot that forced the director Alejandro Jodorowsky to flee for his life.