Psychomagic, A Healing Art Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Psychomagic, A Healing Art Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 21, 2020

Note: This film is available as part of The Alejandro Jodorowsky Collection.

Some pundits along the way have said that there’s a very fine line between being a visionary and being a madman, and it may be at least arguable that no contemporary filmmaker has blurred that line so vigorously (and most likely intentionally) as has Alejandro Jodorowsky. Just listing some of Jodorowsky’s other activities in addition to his filmmaking may give some indication of both of the characteristics listed above, at least in terms of how the combination of them all being done by one person might be perceived by outsiders as indicating both visionary and mad aspects. Jodorowsky at various points in his long life (as of the writing of this review, he’s still with us at the venerable age of 91) has been a puppeteer, a composer, a mime, a writer of comics, a therapist and a self- described mystic with a penchant for magical realist and/or surrealist thinking. Jodorowky first came to at least some prominence on the global cinema scene with El Topo in 1970, though Fando y Lis, also included in this set, preceded it by two years, causing more than a bit of a scandal upon its release, including being rather quickly banned in Mexico after its debut, something that probably kept it from greater renown at the time. El Topo at least managed to screen internationally, including in New York City, where it caught the attention of none other than John Lennon, who convinced Apple executive Allen Klein to fund further Jodorowsky efforts. This set also aggregates two other films from Jodorowsky, including 1973’s The Holy Mountain (one result of Klein's financing efforts), which, like El Topo, has had a previous release on Blu-ray (more about the previous releases in the appropriate individual reviews of those titles). Bookending the never before released on Blu-ray Fando y Lis, the first feature length film from Jodorowsky, is Psychomagic, A Healing Art, Jodorowsky’s most recent effort from 2019.

Note: Those who pay attention to things like menu designs and fonts utilized, or even to the look of the copyright warnings at disc boot up may instantly recognize how these discs look like Arrow releases, with an identical boot up that is only different from an Arrow release in that it's missing the Arrow masthead. That said, in fact Arrow's own masthead does show up here on occasion with regard to some of the supplemental material. Arrow's UK division has their own The Alejandro Jodorowsky Collection Blu-ray release which came out about a month or so ago. That release looks like it has Region B locked discs (I haven't received any screeners yet, and so can't confirm), but otherwise the releases seem to be identical.

While some online biographical information suggests that Jodorowsky dropped out of college before earning a degree, in a 1989 interview with Roger Ebert, Jodorowsky states that he actually earned a degree in psychology, though he opted later to burn his diploma, deciding instead to pursue puppetmaking as a vocation (in a decision that would probably give some Freudians a good run for their money). This has the slight scent of self mythologizing, but one way or the other, Jodorowsky reveals what he feels are innovative and effective therapeutic techniques that he developed over the course of years in the weirdly fascinating Psychomagic, A Healing Art. Jodorowsky begins the film by drawing a contrast between Freud's psychoanalysis, which Jodorowsky states relies on talking and the analyst remaining physically distant from the patient, and Jodorowsky's own "psychomagic," which Jodorowky compares to performing and which often includes rather intimate touching between the therapist and the patient.

There's a somewhat exploitative ambience to some of this quasi-documentary, one that features a number of people who frankly do claim to have been helped, and maybe even healed, by Jodorowky's techniques. A self congratulatory ambience may be exacerbated by Jodorowsky's use of his own movies to introduce various patients. Some of the therapies Jodorowsky utilizes are intentionally provocative, but the repeated need for patients to disrobe and have various things either poured over them or applied directly to their skin (either by Jodorowsky or some of his assistants) may strike some as questionable at the very least. There's also (perhaps unavoidably given the circumstances) some sexually charged behaviors on display on occasion, something that Jodorowsky seems to encourage, if tacitly at times.

As "iffy" as some of this material may strike some (my hunch is it's going to strike "pro analysts" more viscerally than the "unschooled"), there's no denying the fact that many of these people state outright how much Jodorowsky's approaches have helped them. That gives some of these stories an undeniable emotional heft, even if some of the extraneous material may seem unnecessary.

Psychomagic, A Healing Art Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Psychomagic, A Healing Art is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of abkco with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer (mostly) in 1.85:1 (some archival video as well as snippets from various Jodorowsky films can be in other aspect ratios). The insert booklet contains only the following pretty generic verbiage on the transfer:

Psychomagic, A Healing Art has been delivered to Arrow Films in High Definition and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 [sic] with 5.1 audio.

I haven't been able to dredge up any authoritative technical information on this quasi-documentary, but I'm assuming all of the contemporary interview footage was digitally captured. These sections generally look very good, with consistent detailing and a natural looking palette. Some of the archival elements definitely look like they were culled from interlaced sources and exhibit pretty noticeable combing artifacts.

Psychomagic, A Healing Art Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Psychomagic, A Healing Art features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that may be a bit unnecessary itself, given the fact that the vast bulk of this film is talking head material, with the bulk of that being first person confessionals delivered directly to the camera. That said, the soundstage can open up at moments, including in some outdoor material and with regard to some of the snippets of Jodorowsky films which are included. All spoken material is delivered cleanly and clearly without any issues whatsoever. A number of different languages show up here, including Spanish, French and English. Optional English subtitles are available.

Psychomagic, A Healing Art Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1080p; 1:49)

Psychomagic, A Healing Art Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Psychomagic, A Healing Art may come across as more performance art than therapy, but there's simply no arguing with the fact that several people "treated" by Jodorowsky are on record here stating unequivocally how much they've been aided by Jodorowsky. Technical merits are generally solid, for those who are interested in making a purchase.