For over thirty minutes The Holy Mountain progresses with heedless imagination and without a word of dialogue—this is among the most visionary portions of cinema I’ve seen, even though the narrative logistics and cohesive mysticism (which the film seems so intent in maintaining) are entirely second service. Scenes progress to the next with little to no foresight, and legions of characters (a group of identically dressed prostitutes, a group of young boys with green penises, a group of toads reenacting the conquest of Mexico, etc.) are introduced sporadically. A thief whose countenance resembles Jesus’ finds the Alchemist within his near-inaccessible tower, and the journey to the holy mountain begins.
As celebrated and legendary as El Topo is, The Holy Mountain is inarguably its superior.
by Rumsey Taylor | Source: ABKCO Films 35mm print
01 Feb 2007 11:25 AM | Comments (2)
Well, one can always argue. I’ll have to see this one soon…
Although I don’t believe this is the popular concensus, I think “Santa Sangre” is Jodorwosky’s best, simply because the carnival-dream imagery services a story with emotional impact, as opposed to a trippy fragmented narrative. I don’t find any of the same emotional kick from either “Holy Mountain” or “El Topo”, fascinating as they are. “Santa Sangre” does seem to be a little over-looked when discussing Jodorowsky, but as his working through of his misogyny – he said himself that he used to hate women and this film proved cathartic and a cure of sorts – it’s surely more interesting than all the crazed and random Freudian symbolism of his previous films.
Tyree
1 February 2007
2:40 PM