1967
FANDO Y LIS
Fando y Lis is a brutal and scathing examination of the destructive co-dependence of two lovers conflicted by anguish and the demands they put on one another, pushing them to the point of violence, exploitation, and madness. On another level, it is an allegory of the unconscious internal passions and demons of the individual, torn between expectations and the lustful, torrid hidden desires and fears. Its grotesque and salacious imagery caused a riot at the film’s 1967 premiere in Mexico at which Jodorowsky’s life was threatened.
1970
EL TOPO
Described as a “psychedelic western,” El Topo follows a brazen gunslinger who abandons his young son in a quest to defeat four masters before being rescued by an underground society of dwarfs, paraplegic and disfigured people who are shunned by society. It is also the legendary cult film that was credited with starting the Midnight Movie phenomenon. This stunning and vibrant restoration from the original interpositive film stock is presented in 1:33 aspect ratio as it was shown in theaters in 1970.
It is also available for the first time in 1.85:1 widescreen. Jodorowsky originally envisioned the film with this aspect ratio as an homage to Sergio Leone. Now, a half century later, that dream has been fulfilled.
1973
THE HOLY MOUNTAIN
The scandal of the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, writer / director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s flood of sacrilegious imagery and existential symbolism is a surreal sojourn for enlightenment pitting illusion against truth. The alchemist (Jodorowsky) assembles together an elite group of thieves – ‘industrialists and politicians’ – that represent the planets in the solar system. The master’s adapt intention is to put his recruits through strange mystical rites and divest them of their worldly baggage before embarking on a trip to Lotus Island. There they ascend the Holy Mountain to displace the immortal gods who secretly rule the universe. The Holy Mountain is a mythical, mystical masterpiece, a Hieronymus Borsch painting come to life – part spiritual quest, part science fiction, part social satire, and completely without comparison.
2013
THE DANCE OF REALITY
After a 23-year hiatus, The Dance of Reality marks the triumphant return of Alejandro Jodorowsky, the visionary Chilean filmmaker behind cult classics El Topo and The Holy Mountain.
In the radiantly visceral autobiographical film, a young Jodorowsky is confronted by a collection of compelling characters that contributed to his burgeoning surreal consciousness. The legendary filmmaker was born in 1929 in Tocopilla, a coastal town on the edge of the Chilean desert, where the film was shot.
Blending his personal history with metaphor, mythology, and poetry, The Dance of Reality reflects Jodorowsky’s philosophy that reality is not objective but rather a “dance” created by our own imaginations.
Through renowned father of the midnight movies Alejandro Jodorowsky’s intensely personal lens, Endless Poetry tells the story of his years spent as an aspiring poet in Chile in the 1940’s.
Against the wishes of his authoritarian father, the 20 year old Jodorowsky leaves home to pursue his dream of becoming a poet, and is introduced into the bohemian and artistic inner circle of Santiago where he meets Enrique Lihn, Stella Diaz Varín, Nicanor Parra, all unknown at the time, but who would later become driving forces of twentieth century Hispanic literature.
Living with these inspirational artists, Jodorowsky’s exploration of his inner feelings takes him on a journey of sensual experimentation leading him to realize his innermost desires and passions.
Continuing the autobiographical story, he began in The Dance of Reality, Endless Poetry is an ode to the quest for beauty and inner truth, as a universal force capable of changing one’s life forever, written by a man who has dedicated his existence to creating spiritual and artistic awareness, told through Jodorowsky’s unique surreal and psychedelic visual language.