The ’70s are responsible for a lot of strange and outlandish cinema, but it’s also produced some of the most lasting and influential films of all time. When Chilean-French filmmakerAlejandro JodorowskybroughtThe Holy Mountain–his follow-up to the acclaimed WesternEl Topo–to the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, it was so uniquely strange, it was almost destined to become a midnight movie classic. Jodorowsky’s film was a surrealist mélange of jaw-dropping, often disturbing imagery, exploring vast themes in a way that hadn’t been done before or since.
Jodorowsky turned to prominent businessman Allen Klein, founder of ABKCO Music & Records and best-known for managing the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, to produce and finance the film. Infact, evenJohn LennonandYoko Onoponied up money to finance it, havingbecome fans of the filmmaker afterEl Topo.The movie might not have the easiest plot to explain in a five-minute studio pitch, but it offered a cornucopia of glorious visuals that many people have wanted to experience on the big screen. Most of those people would have to stay up very late to do so.
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The Holy Mountainfollows a nameless traveler, played byHoracio Salinas, sporting only a loin cloth and later identified as “the thief.” He goes on an unspecified journey while interacting with strange characters and even wild animals. In one memorable scene, the traveler takes a bath with a baby hippo–it’s never explained how or why the hippo was there, but it’s just a singular scene, whereas a chimpanzee plays a recurring supporting role throughout the film. In another sequence, the traveler arrives at an enormous tower stretching far into the sky, andin a jaw-dropping moment that doesn’t seem to involve any wirework or special effects, Salinas scales this tower with just a rope. Once atop the tower, our unlikely protagonist encounters the “Alchemist,” played by Jodorowsky himself, who introduces his visitor to seven “immortals,” each aligned with one of the seven other planets, bearing in mind that Pluto was still considered a planet in the early ’70s. Each of these immortals (or acolytes, if you will) is introduced through a truly bizarre sequence explaining their unconventional backgrounds.
When you combine thereligious imageryJodorowsky instilled intoThe Holy Mountain,including his protagonist’s Jesus-like appearance, with the overtly sexual images, it takes things to another level. The film also acts as a commentary on the Mexican government’s military oppression via soldiers wearing gas masks, who shoot people with guns creating wounds that then spout tiny birds. That’s just one example of the unique, often conflicting, visuals that truly stand out inThe Holy Mountain. Some may be surprised to learn that Jodorowsky was heavily involved in designing thefilm’s unforgettable costumesas well.
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“We began in a fairytale and we came to life, but is this life reality? No. It is a film.”
How Did ‘The Holy Mountain’ Become Such a Mandatory Midnight Movie Staple?
Jodorowsky’s movie received quite a bit of pushback after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, mostly due to the fact that it challenged conventional societal norms. And yet, as more people saw the movie, they became fascinated by and even obsessed with it, as the film offeredthe chance for all sorts of interpretations, particularly with the way it combines the occult with astrology and the tarot. A lot has been written aboutThe Holy Mountainover the decades, butit’s nearly impossible to say that one particular take is the correct one.
Ultimately,The Holy Mountainwould begin its theatrical run playing at New York City’s Waverly Center in the West Village on Friday and Saturday nights at midnight, becoming so popular, it would remain there as a midnight movie for over a year. It was an unconventional release that preceded the likes ofThe Rocky Horror Picture Showin terms of becoming a cult film that worked better as late-night viewing. Ever sinceThe Holy Mountainfirst became a pioneering staple of the midnight movie circuit,it was clear Jodorowsky had significant influence on other arthouse fimmakers, such asDavid Lynch,Peter Greenaway,Leos Carax, and Swedish filmmaker,Roy Andersson. One can see an even more substantial influence on the work of artistMatthew Barneyand his “Cremaster Cycle,” a series of five films released between 1994 and 2002, which share a similar surreal and macabre visual sensibility found inThe Holy Mountain. SuggestingWes Andersonwas inspired by Jodorowsky’s film might be a slight reach, until you watchthe trailer for his movie,The Phoenician Scheme, and see the “ABCKO” logo at the end. It’s more than a coincedence sinceABCKO Music & Recordshas released the soundtracks for many of Anderson’s recent films, just as they did with the score forThe Holy Mountain.
Interestingly, long before David Lynch andDenis Villeneuve, Jodorowsky was approached to make a film based onFrank Herbert’s Dune novels, and those watchingThe Holy Mountainnowadays might wonder what a crazy movie that could have been, and whether it would have become a similar cult classic. Either way, in the decades sinceThe Holy Mountainfirst came out, people continue to discover it, whether it be on streaming or by staying up well past their bedtimes, often trying to analyze what it all means with no conclusive answer to speak of.The Holy Mountainmight remain an unsolved mystery, but it’s one worth experiencing at whatever time and in whatever way you have a chance to watch it.
The Holy Mountain
