Alejandro Jodorowsky war born in Chile in 1929, however, the son of Russian-Jewish parents later re-located to Mexico – and not just for private reasons. It was there that he could convert his artistic ambitions into the surreal movies and masterpieces that earned him his legendary status as a visionary cult director.
FANDO & LIS (1968) tells of the impotent Fando and his paraplegic lover Lis in the search for Tar – a magical place where spiritual ecstasy resides. During their journey the pair is greeted by all sorts of eccentric characters, something that could not be said about the movie’s premiere at the Acapulco Film Festival: a hysteric crowd wanted to lynch the movie’s director!

Two years later, and far from being discouraged, Jodorowsky presented EL TOPO, the original ‘Midnight Movie’. This bizarre, allegorical Spaghetti Western features an avenging gunslinger, who between endless shoot-outs and various acts of violence, encounters cavemen, Lilliputians and other religious sects – and becomes witness to the infamous cactus-cunnilingus. The story has two halves – the first half is exceedingly violent, whereas the second half bears a more spiritual note – and the film’s structure has been compared to the Old and the New Testament. Truly a Western like no other!
The reaction to the film was similar to the first one; only this time ‘round famous support in the shape of John Lennon and Yoko Ono came to the rescue. The couple convinced Allen Klein – former manager of Apple Corps, the Beatles’ company – to grant Jodorowsky financial support for his next project, THE HOLY MOUNTAIN (1973).
Trying to explain this movie is probably as successful as explaining Mexico’s native Indio culture to Europeans. The main character is a thief, who joins a group of politicians and industrialists in order to storm the Holy Mountain. The group is lead by an alchemist guru (Jodorowsky) who plans to steal the secret of eternal life – a secret only known to the immortals that inhabit the mountain…
THE HOLY MOUNTAIN contains some of the most provocative scenes in celluloid history – from skinned and crucified lambs to executions in the market place, where the victims are gutted – although their guts consist of flesh-coloured ribbons and squashed melons! The film is best digested (or understood) whilst under the influence of hallucinogens….
In 1975 Jodorowsky began work on his monumental adaptation of Frank Herbert’s DUNE – a project for which he could secure the interest of Orson Welles, Salvador Dali, Mick Jagger, Alain Delon and Geraldine Chaplin. In addition, H.R. Giger was drafted in to come up with the set designs, whilst comic book artist Moebius was commissioned for the storyboards – all rounded up with a soundtrack by Pink Floyd. A monumental undertaking indeed! Unfortunately, finances ran out before the film could be completed –David Lynch and his version several years later only achieved this.

Between various activities as author, playwright and tarot card reader, Jodorowsky tried to cough up the necessary money for his next project. The result was SANTA SANGRE (1989), a delightful tale of sideshow freaks, crazed knife throwers, zombie vixens and other folk you’d love to have around for tea. Central figure is Fenix (played by Jodorowsky’s charismatic son Axel), who in the film is the son of a tattooed knife thrower and a trapeze artist (who in turn is the leader of the Holy Blood cult). When she finds her Strongman in bed with another dame, she pours acid over his genitalia. Before he expires, Strongman manages to hack off his partner’s arms. Charming! From that moment, Fenix is made psychological and physical slave to his insane mother… always behind her to carry out her dastardly deeds…
FANDO & LIS, EL TOPO and THE HOLY MOUNTAIN (MONTANA SACRA) were released by Tartan Video UK (www.tartanvideo.com) in a gorgeous 6-disc box set with countless Extras – including the short LA CRAVATTE, the 90min document LA CONSTELLATION JODOROWSKY as well as CDs with the soundtrack to EL TOPO and HOLY MOUNTAIN. Reason enough for the Maestro to take a trip to London – and Moviestar insisted on a pilgrimage to Senor Jodorowsky:

Moviestar: John Lennon and Yoko Ono were fans of yours – were you surprised that the ultimate Love & Peace couple displayed enthusiasm for a violent film like EL TOPO?

Alejandro Jodorowsky: Yes, at first it did surprise me that they were fans of EL TOPO. On the other hand, Yoko Ono was by then already known for her controversial exhibitions and installations. From that point of view it make sense that the couple liked my movies. Also, I don’t necessarily see EL TOPO as a violent film, but more like an art film. Besides, Lennon and Ono made their own avantgarde movies as well – therefore their support seemed natural.

MS: Several scenes in EL TOPO remind of Sergio Leone’s THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY…

AJ: Leone shot his famous scene in a cemetery. In my film, the duel takes place in a corral, and this has nothing to do with Leone. I have my own visions and make my own movies without being influenced by others. Leone was a cynic – the persons in his movies are not honest, they always fight and kill for money. In contrast, the characters in my film fight for spiritual enlightenment, and that’s a totally different philosophy to the one Leone has. Don’t get me wrong, I respect him as a filmmaker, he was very talented. I knew him and I also know that he liked my movies. But his world was never my world.

MS: Quite often, the characters in your films are missing various limbs, or are otherwise handicapped or mutilated. Do you find this fascinating?

AJ: Turn your head direction window and look at the street. What do you see? Within five minutes a ‘monster’ will walk along that street, a crippled or deformed person. It is something we don’t want to see. But those people are part of our world, just like you and I. And I don’t wish to make films in which everyone looks ‘normal’. I don’t look upon deformed people as ugly people, but simply as different. For me, the abnormal is art. Goya drew monsters so to speak, and Brueghel and Hieronimus Bosch, too. Rembrandt painted the human body dissected and the flesh exposed. One understands such things when one is an artist. In my youth, I was very taken by Tod Browning’s FREAKS and Charles Laughton’s portrayal as the HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. All my life, people who are despised by society for being monsters fascinated me.

MS: In 1975 you began with your adaptation of DUNE, but the money ran out and there were creative differences between you and the Hollywood studios…

AJ: Not only that. Hollywood came to the conclusion that the film – the way I envisaged it – was impossible to make. My script was considered too surreal, too literary and above all, too long. They sold the movie rights for $5000, which is nothing! Because my storyboard contained over 3000 sketches – which would have made the film incredibly expensive – the producers refused us the right to bring the film to the movie theatres. But in order to get the enormous expenses back, the film would have needed to be booked and screened by cinemas everywhere. And that wasn’t possible anyway, because of the planned length of my version. That’s the reason why Hollywood only makes SciFi films that promise to be a commercial success – such as STAR WARS and the ALIEN-movies.

MS: Why didn’t you try to realise DUNE in Europe?

AJ: That would have been equally impossible. Although Europeans might understand my artistic vision better, the European film studios simply don’t have the necessary finances at hand. To make the kind of movie I wanted to make, you need 30 million dollars absolute minimum. And you need a majority of actors who not only can speak English, but whose mother tongue is English. Therefore, you need Hollywood.

MS: There are rumours that your next movie is a gangster flick in which shock-rocker Marilyn Manson plays a 300-year-old pope.

AJ: That’s true. Marilyn Manson is a friend of mine, who often quotes my films during his stage shows. And Hollywood star Nick Nolte has a part in the film as well.

MS: Will it be more of a surreal gangster film?

AJ: Well, it will be a Jodorowsky film… (smiles), and I have already started to get the finances together. The film will be everything but one thing: it won’t be commercial! Because I do as I please… if I can. Manson will portray a 300-year-old pope – a sexy pope who seduces and rapes a young girl. In addition, I have engaged a brilliant comic for my project, although he is little known outside Spain. His name is Santiago Seguara, and he earns incredible money with his movies. And I got interest from Johnny Depp! He once said that he really likes to work with only three directors, and I’m one of them. So far, I haven’t discussed any details with him, but I would like Johnny to play the part of the scarab.

MS: You want Johnny Depp to play a scarab?

AJ: Please let me explain: the character that narrates the story in my film is a scarab – a holy beetle. I would like to propose to Johnny to be the voice of this scarab. Of course, I doubt very much that I can afford to pay him his usual fee… therefore I will invite him over for coffee one morning and ask him to record his voice… (smiles).
© Interview: Claudia Andrei 07