The Holy Mountain (1973)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Alejandro Jodorowsky

Writer:

Alejandro Jodorowsky (written by)

Release Date:

21 August 1974 (West Germany)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A Christlike figure wanders through bizarre, grotesque scenarios filled with religious and sacrilegious imagery...

Plot Keywords:

Mysticism | Pubic Hair | Psychedelic | Blood | Gore

Cast

Alejandro Jodorowsky	...	The Alchemist (as Alexandro Jodorowsky)
Horácio Salinas	...	The Thief (as Hector Salinas)
Zamira Saunders	...	The Written Woman (as Ramona Saunders)
Juan Ferrara	...	Fon, He whose planet is Venus
Adriana Page	...	Isla, She whose planet is Mars
Burt Kleiner	...	Klen, He whose planet is Jupiter
Valerie Jodorowsky	...	Sel, She whose planet is Saturn
Nicky Nichols	...	Berg, He whose planet is Uranus
Richard Rutowski	...	Axon, He whose planet is Neptune (as Richard Rutowsky)
Luis Lomeli	...	Lut, He whose planet is Pluto
Ana De Sade	...	The Prostitute
Chucho-Chucho	...	The Chimpanzee
Letícia Robles	...	Bald Woman 1 (as Leticia Robles)
Connie De La Mora	...	Bald Woman 2
David Kapralik	...	Tourist

Also Known As:

Montaña sagrada, La (Mexico)
The Sacred Mountain (International: English title) (reissue title)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

Mexico | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (re-rating, uncut) | UK:X (original rating, cut version) | France:-16 | Netherlands:18 | Australia:MA (2007 re-rating) | South Korea:18 | West Germany:18 | Italy:VM14 (2001) | USA:R | Hong Kong:III

Filming Locations:

Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico

Company:

Allen & Betty Klein and Company (ABKCO)

Trivia:

The film is based on "The Ascent of Mt. Carmel" by St. John of the Cross and "Mt. Analogue" by Rene Daumal.

Quotes:

The Alchemist: The grave recieves you with love. Surrender yourself to the Earth. Return what was loaned to you. Give up your pleasure, your pain, your friends, your lovers, your life, your past, what you desire. You will know nothingness, it is the only reality. Don't be afraid...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Constellation Jodorowsky, La (1994)

Revolutionary

Deep, trippy, schizophrenic, symbolic, mystical, with great blasts of violence and astonishing sequence of Pictures, The Holy Mountain is simply what i call revolutionary art. If you want a comparison i'd say that it's more symbolic and meaningful than a Lynch film but with a simpler and clearer script. The dialogs are few to nonexistent, but the Images alone are enough to keep your mind busy for hours. For almost 110 minutes you're watching -experiencing is a more suitable word- an insane delusion but the finale comes to overthrow your previous state of mind- truly unique, one of the most subversive in the history of cinema. Watch this movie with an open mind and you'll surely witness one of the most provoking and mind-challenging pieces of art ever made. Brilliant! 10/10