The Holy Mountain (50th anniversary re-release)
A Christ figure seeks liberation in a surreal world populated by legless dwarves, crucified sheep and hermaphrodites. Cult classic.
In Jodorowsky’s most ambitious film, the director himself plays The Alchemist, a guru who guides a group of pilgrims, each representing a different planet of the solar system, on their quest to the Lotus Island, where they must climb the Holy Mountain in their quest for spiritual enlightenment. They cross the path of martyrs, prostitutes and false prophets. The surreal images are a potpourri of religious symbolism, erotic madness, mysticism, social criticism, blasphemy, political satire and references to other works of art.
THE HOLY MOUNTAIN caused quite a scandal when it premiered at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival. The film was produced by Beatles manager Alan Klein; rumour has it that John Lennon and Yoko Ono contributed to the film’s financing.