Alejandro Jodorowsky

[iansales]

In the last couple of years, I've become a fan of Jodorowsky's science fiction comics: the Incal, the Technopriests, the Metabarons, and Megalex. There's an appalling clumsiness to some of the story-telling in the books--I'm thinking of the Metabarons, where the narrative is framed as one robot telling another the history of the Metabarons (and has clearly done so many times before). But the stories are also wildly inventive, and there's a strange philosophical dimension to them that's rare in science fiction and, even more so, in comics. They can also be very silly...

Any thoughts?

 

[Milk]

Yeah, Ive read all of those titles you mention above and im a huge Jodorosky fan.

The Metabarons is my favorite by him, its brilliant.
I love the words he uses.
'divine amputation'
'technopriest'
'supra-divinoid'

Some of his concepts are really imaginative.
He is also a director of movies.

Alexandro was involved in an early treatment of the movie Dune that didnt go through. He had tried enlisting Salvador Dali to play the Emperor (from Dune) and Dali's idea was to create some bizzarre throne for the Emperor that was both funny and obscene, something about mounted dolphins in the chair that were receptacles for the pee-pee and poo-poo of the Emperor. I think Alaxandro had a vision that was perhaps to grandios or even bizzarre for the financial backing, so the project was taken from him.

One thing positive that did result from this almost 'dune' movie was Alexander calling up one of his friends H.R Giger, who, at that time, was an obscure unknown, this put Giger in touch with the people he would later design the movie Alien for.


Jodoroski did direct the highest budget Mexican movie of its time "The Holy Mountain." It is a movie I liked, sort of like Don Juan (the Carlos Castenada one) meets Sidhartha. It was very bizarre.

Another movie he made was El Topo which I hated--His worst movie.

Santa Sangre-- was amazing though. His best movie imo.


All his movies are very artsy though so be warned.


Also... Ive been searching the internet quite a bit to find out if he wrote any books. Im guessing if he did they would be in french or something, so what I would like to find is a novel by him (if one exists) translated in english.

 

[iansales]

Amazon.fr has several books by Jodorowsky available for sales. In French, of course.

I think I like The Technopriests best. I've started buying them in French because they're taking so long to translate them into English.

I've seen various references to Jodorowsky's movies. I'm not sure I'd like them. Maybe one day I'll try them. I have a Metal Hurlant article on Jodorowsky's attempt at making Dune. It would have been... interesting.

 

[iansales]

I recently bought and watched Jodorowsky's The Rainbow Thief, his most commercial movie. It was.... odd. But on the strength of it, I might try some of his more surreal movies. I think I'll also try more of his graphic novels...

 

[Milk]

Santa Sangre is a good one.

 

[Harpo]

Alexandro was involved in an early treatment of the movie Dune that didnt go through.

Got any information on his wanting a Pink Floyd soundtrack for it? Did anything actually happen about that? Or was it just him fancying the idea of their music in his film?

 

[Milk]

No I havent actually.

I dont get much when I google him. Which is odd because he is prolific. I'm almost certain theres a novel somewhere: either he wrote, co-wrote or written about him, but I've never been able to get info about it.

Im going to assume any novel about him or written by him is in French without english translation .

I realize the guy probably hates the West (or at least America) but damn I like his imagination. I wish he could overlook his apparent hatred of the USA to produce something in English and sell it here lol. Sigh.