Review of The Holy Mountain (1973) by Stuart K — 06 Feb 2015
Written and directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, whose avant-garde acid western El Topo (1970), had become a critically acclaimed underground cult hit, Jodorowsky was given money by ABKCO boss Allen Klein, as well as John Lennon and Yoko Ono, to make a follow-up film.
Filmed entirely in Mexico on a budget of $750,000, it's one of the most insane films ever made, but it's absolutely unforgettable. A thief (Horacio Salinas) goes to a big city to make money from tourists, which he does so by his resemblance to Jesus Christ.
After noticing a crowd gathered around a large tower, the thief decides to try and go up to the tower, especially when he hears there's gold up there. He gets up to the top of the tower, where he meets the Alchemist (Jodorowsky), who gives the thief a choice of being his apprentice, and the Alchemist shows the Thief seven people who represent the planets in astrological terms, and they are gathered before the Alchemist where they burn their money, and set off as a party to Lotus Island to discover the secret of immortality.
If you've seen El Topo, you'll probably know what to expect with this, but it does have some scenes that you'll never see in other films, like human excrement being turned into gold. But it's a shame Jodorowsky hasn't made more films, as he has a way of filmmaking like no other, and this has a touch of what he could have done with Dune.
This review of The Holy Mountain (1973) was written by Stuart K on 06 Feb 2015.
The Holy Mountain has generally received very positive reviews.
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