"The Holy Mountain" is an unusual tale, deep in philosophical symbolism and imagery. On the surface, it tells the tale of a thief who enters the tower of an alchemist and is taught that he can turn his worthless life into one more meaningful. But then we get the symbolism: religious imagery, Tarot-inspired imagery and other oddities.
There is a scene early on where the lead character, the thief, is thought to look like Jesus. His unconscious body was used by local merchants (including a cross-dressing nun) to make Christ statues. He is also followed by a teenage prostitute and a chimpanzee... and another part where he "eats the body of Christ" by devouring one of the statues. Just to give you a sense of the possible sacrilegious nature.
We also have toads and chameleons dressed as Spanish conquistadors, a scene where the alchemist turns excrement to gold (the most blatant metaphor in the film), a gun made from a menorah, and a one-handed, one-footed dwarf. And this is just the beginning.
Those who don't like excessive nudity should avoid the movie. There is an endless supply of male and female full frontal nudity, and a close-up of man's nether region being washed. Apparently, this movie was supposed to star George Harrison but he declines because of the nudity and specifically the washing scene. Harrison, along with John Lennon, largely funded this project (which was produced by Allan Klein).
How to describe this film? Well, I'd say it may be the greatest film ever made if you like cult films. It's sort of like Danny Elfman's "The Forbidden Zone" meets Salvador Dali meets the Beatles meets a snuff film. If that sounds inviting, you need to check this out. If that scares you, run away fast.
There is a scene early on where the lead character, the thief, is thought to look like Jesus. His unconscious body was used by local merchants (including a cross-dressing nun) to make Christ statues. He is also followed by a teenage prostitute and a chimpanzee... and another part where he "eats the body of Christ" by devouring one of the statues. Just to give you a sense of the possible sacrilegious nature.
We also have toads and chameleons dressed as Spanish conquistadors, a scene where the alchemist turns excrement to gold (the most blatant metaphor in the film), a gun made from a menorah, and a one-handed, one-footed dwarf. And this is just the beginning.
Those who don't like excessive nudity should avoid the movie. There is an endless supply of male and female full frontal nudity, and a close-up of man's nether region being washed. Apparently, this movie was supposed to star George Harrison but he declines because of the nudity and specifically the washing scene. Harrison, along with John Lennon, largely funded this project (which was produced by Allan Klein).
How to describe this film? Well, I'd say it may be the greatest film ever made if you like cult films. It's sort of like Danny Elfman's "The Forbidden Zone" meets Salvador Dali meets the Beatles meets a snuff film. If that sounds inviting, you need to check this out. If that scares you, run away fast.