El Topo
(1970)
|
|
| 0Share... |
El Topo
(1970)
|
|
| 0Share... |
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Alejandro Jodorowsky | ... | ||
|
|
Brontis Jodorowsky | ... | |
|
|
José Legarreta | ... |
Dying Man
|
| Alfonso Arau | ... |
Bandit #1
|
|
|
|
José Luis Fernández | ... |
Bandit #2
|
|
|
Alf Junco | ... |
Bandit #3
(as Alí Junco)
|
|
|
Gerardo Zepeda | ... |
Bandit #4
(as Gerardo Cepeda)
|
|
|
René Barrera | ... |
Bandit #5
|
|
|
René Alís | ... |
Bandit #6
|
|
|
Federico Gonzáles | ... |
Bandit #7
|
|
|
Vicente Lara | ... |
Bandit #8
|
|
|
Pablo Leder | ... |
Monk #1
|
|
|
Giuliano Girini Sasseroli | ... |
Monk #2
|
|
|
Cristian Merkel | ... |
Monk #3
|
|
|
Aldo Grumelli | ... |
Monk #4
|
El Topo decides to confront warrior Masters on a trans-formative desert journey he begins with his 6 year old son, who must bury his childhood totems to become a man. El Topo (the mole) claims to be God, while dressed as a gunfighter in black, riding a horse through a spiritual, mystical landscape strewn with old Western movie, and ancient Eastern religious symbols. Bandits slaughtered a village on his path, so El Topo avenges the massacred, then forcibly takes their leader's woman Mara as his. El Topo's surreal way is bloody, sexual and self-reflective, musing of his own demons, as he tries to vanquish those he encounters. Written by David Stevens
To say that Jodorowsky uses symbolism in this film is an understatement. There is no plot; it's all symbolism, a Biblical allegory exploring themes that only Jodorowsky and his fans can appreciate. The script, if it could be called that, is amateurish and pointless, featuring random acts of violence, which veers from silly to repellent. The self-indulgent Jodorowsky may be called a poor man's Sergio Leone, but doing so would be an insult to the Italian master. The acting is uniformly terrible, including Jodorowsky himself in the title role, a la The Man With No Name. Films like this give surrealism a bad name.