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El Topo: A Book of the Film
***RARE & OUT OF PRINT!*** 1971 FIRST EDITION Douglas Books SOFTCOVER includes 173 pages of photos from EL TOPO, featuring SCENE-BY-SCENE narrative and CONVERSATIONS WITH JODOROWSKY interview! In good condition with front/back cover creases + some spine wear. All pages intact. I also have a *SIGNED* video of that "lost" Jodorowsky film, THE RAINBOW THIEF on Amazon as well.
- GenresMedia Tie In
173 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
About the author
Alejandro Jodorowsky
607 books1,777 followersAlso credited as Alexandro Jodorowsky
Better known for his surreal films El Topo and The Holy Mountain filmed in the early 1970s, Alejandro Jodorowsky is also an accomplished writer of graphic novels and a psychotherapist. He developed Psychomagic, a combination of psychotherapy and shamanic magic. His fans have included John Lennon and Marilyn Manson.
Better known for his surreal films El Topo and The Holy Mountain filmed in the early 1970s, Alejandro Jodorowsky is also an accomplished writer of graphic novels and a psychotherapist. He developed Psychomagic, a combination of psychotherapy and shamanic magic. His fans have included John Lennon and Marilyn Manson.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 2, 2021
"Killing you doesn't bother me because
I know that death does not exist.
I'll let you fire first."
Hands down the most fucked-up head-tripping Western ever made. It's an absolute cult classic, and I've still got a special edition dvd from about 15 years ago which, if I'm right in thinking, isn't even available any more. For those who haven't a clue about the film, it's a deeply surreal, disturbing, ultra-violent, sometimes erotic, and Spiritually enlightened (towards the end anyway, before one of the most crazed final shootouts in cinematic history) take on the Sergio Leone westerns of the 60s, featuring a mysterious black-clad brutal gunslinger (Jodorowsky himself) who, along with his young son in tow, goes off on a mission, full of the bizarre, to challenge four zen masters to the death, before finding peace and redemption through a community of cripples and dwarfs living in a cave on a mountain. The telling of the film - which was basic, and accompanied by images from film - only covers rougly the first half of the book, and isn't anywhere near as good as the film itself. The highlight for me though in the second half of the book - which came as a bonus, as I really wasn't expecting it - was the fascinating interview Jodorowsky had about El Topo, which took place in New York in 1970, with one of the six in conversation being American poet/photographer/filmmaker Ira Cohen.
This interview was done in one sitting.
The reader must read it in one sitting.
And then take a shower and try to forget it.
If he cannot forget it, he must open a window
and stick out his hand and wait for a bird
to build a nest in it and lay three eggs.
And then he should pull in his hand violently
and crack the eggs on his forehead.
If the reader is not ready for that experience,
he should not eat this book.
— Alejandro Jodorowsky
January 30, 2015
Alejandro Jodorowsky may be a more interesting man than director ... and I don't say that lightly. His latest film, "Danza de la Realidad" (2014), is my favorite film of all time and there is a certain mesmerizing allure to "Fando y Lis" (1968) and "El Topo" (1970) that make them riveting to watch. However watching documentaries like "Jodorowsky's Dune" (2013) and "The Jodorowsky Constellation" (1994) reveal a man whose passion overwhelms everyone around him; a man who makes films from an incredibly masculine perspective; a man whose own subconscious may work against him.
I first came across this idea of Jodorowsky as an agent of self-sabotage while watching "Holy Mountain" (1973) at the Hollywood Theater in Portland. There was a group of people who did not stop laughing during the movie. Pieces I had always interpreted as deep and meaningful were painted as absurd and ridiculous; the images of self-delusional grandeur. Hearing this response, I thought, "hmm ... did he do this on purpose?"
If this book is true, the answer is "No."
For those who can't Netflix dvd's, the first half of the book does a fairly good job of describing the movie in its entirety. While advertised as the "script" of the movie, it is important to realize that Jodorowsky doesn't really believe in scripts so-to-speak. This is more a detailed description of everything on screen (with a few additional insights as to symbolic meanings of the images) and makes "El Topo" seem like a silent film when it is anything but. It's a great refresher if you don't want to watch the 2 hour film before reading the interview or can't get the movie (though I'm sure this book is harder to find than the movie is).
The second half of the book is an interview Jodorowsky participated in after "El Topo" hit it big as a midnight movie. This is like listening to a madman. What is strange is how Jodorowsky avoids giant elephants in the room (elephants that are only revealed after watching "Danza de la Realidad"), instead taking on the mantle of guru that was thrown on him by John Lennon and other New York Artistic Elites (yes, Jodorowsky also was invited to Warhol's Factory and hobnobbed with them). He claims that his theories float and travel and are consistently undoing themselves to be revealed as completely different theories and interpretations.
Sigh, if only he realized he would be telling the same story for the rest of his life.
For fans of the director, this book can be illuminating. I don't know if I ever realized how completely wrapped up in his own myth he was during the 70's, but this book shows it. I also hold to the idea that "Holy Mountain" was his own subconscious rebuttal to the guru-handle he had been given. Somewhere in his brain, he realized that he was playing The Fool (appropriately enough, the main character of "HM" is introduced with The Fool tarot card and Jodorowsky's voice) and avoiding the skeletons in his closet that he has just projected on the screen. He also was a lot more angry during this time period than he realized. Sure, he comes across in interviews and such as a jovial and passionate man with an extremely optimistic viewpoint, but compare "El Topo" with "Danza de la Realidad" to see how truly angry and the strong hatred he was dealing with in the 70's and how he slowly came to love and forgive towards this latter part of his life.
Intriguing, interesting, and other "i" words. El Topo: A Book of the Film is essential reading for those who wish to deeply engage with Jodorowsky as director, philosopher, spiritual leader, oracle, and flawed human being.
I first came across this idea of Jodorowsky as an agent of self-sabotage while watching "Holy Mountain" (1973) at the Hollywood Theater in Portland. There was a group of people who did not stop laughing during the movie. Pieces I had always interpreted as deep and meaningful were painted as absurd and ridiculous; the images of self-delusional grandeur. Hearing this response, I thought, "hmm ... did he do this on purpose?"
If this book is true, the answer is "No."
For those who can't Netflix dvd's, the first half of the book does a fairly good job of describing the movie in its entirety. While advertised as the "script" of the movie, it is important to realize that Jodorowsky doesn't really believe in scripts so-to-speak. This is more a detailed description of everything on screen (with a few additional insights as to symbolic meanings of the images) and makes "El Topo" seem like a silent film when it is anything but. It's a great refresher if you don't want to watch the 2 hour film before reading the interview or can't get the movie (though I'm sure this book is harder to find than the movie is).
The second half of the book is an interview Jodorowsky participated in after "El Topo" hit it big as a midnight movie. This is like listening to a madman. What is strange is how Jodorowsky avoids giant elephants in the room (elephants that are only revealed after watching "Danza de la Realidad"), instead taking on the mantle of guru that was thrown on him by John Lennon and other New York Artistic Elites (yes, Jodorowsky also was invited to Warhol's Factory and hobnobbed with them). He claims that his theories float and travel and are consistently undoing themselves to be revealed as completely different theories and interpretations.
Sigh, if only he realized he would be telling the same story for the rest of his life.
For fans of the director, this book can be illuminating. I don't know if I ever realized how completely wrapped up in his own myth he was during the 70's, but this book shows it. I also hold to the idea that "Holy Mountain" was his own subconscious rebuttal to the guru-handle he had been given. Somewhere in his brain, he realized that he was playing The Fool (appropriately enough, the main character of "HM" is introduced with The Fool tarot card and Jodorowsky's voice) and avoiding the skeletons in his closet that he has just projected on the screen. He also was a lot more angry during this time period than he realized. Sure, he comes across in interviews and such as a jovial and passionate man with an extremely optimistic viewpoint, but compare "El Topo" with "Danza de la Realidad" to see how truly angry and the strong hatred he was dealing with in the 70's and how he slowly came to love and forgive towards this latter part of his life.
Intriguing, interesting, and other "i" words. El Topo: A Book of the Film is essential reading for those who wish to deeply engage with Jodorowsky as director, philosopher, spiritual leader, oracle, and flawed human being.
December 20, 2021
This man is wild
March 27, 2011
THIS IS THE GREATEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN.
July 29, 2013
half is film script, laden with symbols and significance; other half is an interview, more like a conversation, beautiful ideas, sometimes horrifying and insane
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews