Zardoz

The supremely visionary gifts of imagination of director/writer John Boorman rival those of legendary Arthur C. Clarke in this production, one even more amazing today than it was nearly thirty-seven years ago. Almost a template of what social engineering has wrought as a model for our future, depopulation and protected environment exclusively for the elite (with even a presumption of immortality thrown in) Zardoz is about manipulation through myth and where any ultimate conclusion to inherently confined and opportunistic "unnatural selection", as opposed to that natural selection of evolution, leads. This leap in inevitability is thus an utter inspiration inspired by profound wisdom in the acknowledgment of the complex that makes humankind unique in their adaptability. The very thing social engineering most frequently overlooks, in its mindless service to the elite.

The performances of Sean Connery as, Zed and that of Charlotte Rampling as, Consuella are among this film's many gifts, not the least of which is its beautiful setting, choreography, special effects, and scene changes. Be all this as it may, however, the value of this movie in expressing a potential for the future wholly untenable for most to at once conceive at the time it was made....now, which is becoming more and more apparent, at least in intent, is worthy of utmost praise. JCH