It Isn't "Burning Money" To Buy This On Amazon
Recently, hubbie purchased the boxed set of restored Alejandro Jodorowsky films.
Those who know me know I almost never watch movies any more. I find most films dull. People have said a lot of things (positive and negative) about Jodorowsky over the years. Some have hailed him as a genuine mystic. Others have glanced at the Chilean director with a more skeptical eye, deriding him as pretentious and over-indulgent.
But no one has called him dull.
Me? I’m a huge fan. I don’t believe in gurus, but I do believe Jodorowsky has a fascinating perspective and an irresistible skill at communicating it.
Today at my day job, I had the unusual experience of completing tons of paperwork and answering phone calls with Jodorowsky soundtracks playing in the background. In my opinion, everyone in the United States should do the same thing. I’m confident that if we snuck even that tiny amount of Jodorowsky into every American workplace, we’d all be happier workers, well-adjusted to our drudgery and whistling while we worked.
Well, maybe not. Besides the point, that’s not going to happen.
The soundtracks are definite novelties. I imagine that they probably appeal most to Jodo-heads like myself who have watched the films several times and are interested in recapturing the musical aspect of that experience. And, to that extent, they work.
There are two soundtracks in the boxed set. El Topo and The Holy Mountain. Here are a few brief notes on both.
El Topo (1970) — Listening to the soundtrack of this film (images in absentia) is a fascinating experience. It seems to me that, perhaps, in El Topo, Jodorowsky is looking backward. For all the bizarre imagery in the film, the soundtrack is downright conventional. The music is a mix of sentimental tunes juxtaposed next to circus riffs. Jodorowsky’s early childhood was spent around circuses (his father performed in one). So this supports the notion that El Topo is Jodorowsky exploring some of his childhood issues.
The Holy Mountain (1973) — The soundtrack to The Holy Mountain is much different. It is distinctly influenced by Eastern music (opening to the chanting of Tibetan monks). There’s almost no sentimentality. There’s more of a sense of exploration and experiment. It’s a braver soundtrack (which makes a certain amount of sense, he had much more money to play with in making this film, and could indulge his muse a bit more). Collectors should take note that this original score had not been previously released.
So there’s my mini-review of the Jodorowsky boxed-set soundtracks. While it probably makes the most sense to purchase these in the boxed set, you can also obtain them individually on Amazon for an extraordinarily low price (about three bucks).
Have fun listening to the weirdness!
