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The Holy Mountain | 
 enlarge | Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Category: DVD
List Price: $24.97
Buy New: $15.37
You Save: $9.60 (38%)
New (34) Used (7) from $15.37
Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 15770
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 113 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: D76001D
UPC: 013137600197
EAN: 0013137600197
ASIN: B000NY1E94
Theatrical Release Date: 1973
Release Date: May 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED
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Amazon.com
Alejandro Jodorowsky stars as The Alchemist in Holy Mountain--apt self-casting in this psychedelic masterpiece about Jesus searching for enlightenment. Fusing together many of his previously investigated themes, Holy Mountain catalogues a religious icon's surreal journey through magical realms that both mirror reality and verge on the psychotic Financed entirely by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Holy Mountain is a more associative, more abstract, and better version of El Topo, which also features a protagonist searching for his soul. In Holy Mountain, Jesus encounters seven magicians who represent each planet, who then converge under the tutelage of The Alchemist to prepare for their life-threatening climb up a sacred hill. Completely original in its blend of Mexican magical surrealism and peace-inducing, humorous commentary on Latin American colonialism and the idiocy of war, Holy Mountain is one of the most outlandish examples of avant-garde filmmaking. Wonderfully colorful sets, zany characters in costumes straight out of the subconscious, and an inspired soundtrack, reinforce this absurdist statement about death and rebirth. Though Jodorowsky purportedly deprived himself of sleep to study Zen as research for the film, this is no flowery hippie movie. Carcasses, skinned animals, and even a scene showing frogs and toads dressed as Aztecs and Conquistators who fight until the bloody death, will make a viewer's skin crawl. After being mesmerized by such a powerful vision, the ending, in which Jodorowsky reminds us that "reality awaits," is the most bizarre part. --Trinie Dalton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 16 more reviews...
 Tell me what September 1, 2008
Michael Kerjman (The Earth)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Assembling own delusions akin a sort of religious exploration of a human soul mounting to Jesus Christ's endeavours is a hardly understandable story comprehended just with reading the filmmaker's comments appearing under a wide-format screening simultaneously.
Not much to lose if not spending a hip of money on this DVD.
Ed Wood attempts Fellini! May 28, 2008
River
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
If you think filming people with bugs crawling on their face represents High Art, then fasten your seatbelt and open your mouth. You are about to be treated to a big steaming bowl full of ART!
According to the Director, "Holy Mountain" is not supposed to entertain you, but to help bring you to "Enlightenment". The Director is a "Performance Artist" who once made money by charging people to watch him kill live animals on stage. There is a certain amount of such "Art" in this movie.
Although some of the scenes blatantly attempt to outdo Fellini as bizare spectacle, Fellini movies are in a completely different category because his films have actual believable characters and dialog. There are no real characters or, for that matter, plot elements in this film. All the persons who appear are "Symbols". People symbolize planets, tarot cards, zodiac signs, etc. Watching these symbols is supposed to help bring you to Enlightenment. That is, if you are willing to sit humbly at the feet and receive wisdom from a guy who tortures animals on stage and film for money. If not, "you just don't get it, Dude."
If you didn't realize that climbing a mountain can be a symbol representing the quest for enlightenment, you might learn something from this film. But if you already knew that, there is not much in it except for watching some strange scenes. The first half is very artfully photographed, but later on it becomes incredibly lame and amateurish. In the last part, the actors/symbols "confront their fears" by having bugs crawl over their bodies, etc. Do you remember the scenes in Ed Wood's "Glen or Glenda" where he gets his transvestite friends together to wear outlandish clothes and make faces at the camera?
There are differing Schools of Enlightenment.
One holds that Enlightenment has something to do with treating people kindly and positioning one's self to do some good in the world.
But the School of Enlightenment here is related to getting naked, meditating on New Age symbols, shocking people by desecrating their beloved traditional symbols, sacrificing animals, confronting your worst fears, climbing mountains, burning fecal matter, and tossing dwarfs into the ocean.
The beginning scene exploits two drug addled girls who appear naked without pay because they thought it would make them movie stars. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of putting handicapped people into freak shows, you will not be able to escape the evil stench of exploitation that hangs over this production.
Did you know that tossing a dwarf/amputee into the Gulf of Mexico is a symbol of "getting rid of your monstrosity"? That is Jodo's interpretation of a scene that been partially cut from recent versions of the film. Some might interpret this as "practicing your monstrosity" or "exhibiting your monstrosity for all the world to see".
There is a commentary track by Jodo, which I actually enjoyed. Definitely listen to this commentary, even if you don't ever watch with the real soundtrack. Like most people who live to be 70, Jodo has acquired something at least tangentially related to wisdom, and he comes off as an entertaining old crank. His reminiscence of the making of the film is interesting history of a by-gone age. He takes credit for many of the innovations that make life in the 21st Century so pleasant, such as self reproducing machines, the Internet, and Body Art. Jodorowsky sees himself as a person who has done great things for the human race. He claims that in this film, he "solved humanity's problems with War and Homosexuality". If he has any second thoughts about the treatment of the animals, he fails to mention them. And he is completely oblivious to what a truly bad film this is. He does not talk much about the amputee who played the main supporting actor role. Is it vain to hope that Jodorowsky paid that guy enough to take care of his needs for the rest of his life?
 Hieronymus pandemic May 5, 2008
Edgar Ape (Upstate)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I got me a copy of Combe's Jerome Bosch (Tisne, Paris,1917) with every minute detail of Garden of Delights and other top works examined on a separate page. Bird-pecked strawberry arschen and the like. And a similar Gruenwald edition... all down to pig-bristle scrapings of paint made in plague-ridden years. Goya carbon-sketched down at this level during his plague-time - minute studies.
This is the level of detail imagined in Holy Mountain - and also wonderfully scored with pig-bristle music over moving figures. This is a necessary step forward of the genre in our bulbous projection era, done 35 years back and rarely if ever exceeded.
Pretensions aside - studying tarot, zen, dead deptford men with dialogue no more - Chutney sez it gotta come down to sensory images, aural and visual now. And this film is striding atop with I think no pretensions at all. Pan out, and pantasm.
There's this one minute zen thing by Cage where one monk carries a girl across a stream, and later is remining the moment(agin-biting-his-inwit). Two monk says, 'But you put her down one hour ago.' I feel the guilt of one monk when I reflect on my viewing of Holy Mountain. It was a string of moments... but I cannot give some of em up.
What is that Greenaway film based on time-lapsing the decomposition of living things - 'Z00' or something? This is the feeling I have when watching the great Plague Artists at work.
This film has been unavailable to the sensory public for more than 30 years. And soon enough the infrastructure will fall apart and projected images and sounds available only to a few, unsensory, toads.
Library of Alexandria they say was a good one. O, burn it all.
Chez.
The Holiest of Holys March 23, 2008
An eclectic DJ (USA)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I had no inkling that a film like this could ever or WOULD ever exist. But...it being made in the 70's, like alot of good films came from, it deserves more praise and attention than most movies. The symbolism is great. The visuals are amazing! It truely is a ride. A ride like none other. I'll use just a couple of enticing words: "psychedelic shot guns", "weapons that induce delusions of granduer", "poo into gold", "animals you've never seen" and..."Jesus smokin a doobie". Now, if those things dont tickle your fancy, then dont even bother watching this film. But let me just say...it WILL change how you view alot of the things you've held dearly throughout life. Oh, and make sure to watch the Tarot feature in the special features, you wont be a let down! I give this film as many stars that there are in the heavens. Enjoy!
 uh... yeah. December 12, 2007
Darrick Dishaw (Madison, WI)
7 out of 18 found this review helpful
this movie is overly random and allegorical to the point of ridiculous absurdity. Holy Mountain isn't really even a movie, it's a visual documentary of the director's artistic rambling that tries to be ironic, provocative, amusing, bizarre, surrealistic, and poignant. and tries too hard, in my view. while some of the visuals were appealing, there was no story and no plot.
after a decent beginning, i couldn't wait for this thing to end.
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