8 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
"The Alchemist" is a man who assembles a group of people from all walks of life and renames them for the planets in the solar system. Putting his recruits through strange mystical rites and divesting them of their worldly baggage, he leads them on a trip to Lotus Island to ascend the Holy Mountain and displace the immortal gods who secretly rule the universe.
Starring: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Juan Ferrara, Richard Rutowski, Harry Cohn (II), David Silva (I)Foreign | 100% |
Drama | 67% |
Surreal | 31% |
Imaginary | 8% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: LPCM 2.0
I noticed the Spanish audio track was the commentary..
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Picture a Venn diagram with three overlapping circles. Label one “Midnight Movies,” the second “Arthouse Cinema,” and the third “Esoteric Occultism.” Now, at the intersection of these, write “The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky.” This is probably the easiest way to classify the Chilean director’s bizarre underground output, which includes acid-western El Topo, Freudian giallo Santa Sangre, and The Holy Mountain—his most famous film—a cinematic pilgrimage that borrows symbolism from just about every religious tradition imaginable, from Zen Buddhist tea ceremony and the high pomp of Catholicism to Kabbalah, Rosicrucianism, and the I Ching. Adding to the density of imagery, Jodorowsky structures the film around the zodiac and the tarot deck, both of which are essentially encyclopedias of arcane symbolism. Don’t worry, the film isn’t as daunting—or as scholarly —as it sounds. The Holy Mountain is meant to be experienced, according to Jodorowsky, not simply interpreted, and the filmmaker has long posited that his movies—so called “psychomagical” shock treatments—are intended to aid his audience toward enlightenment. Ambitious? Yes. Effective? Maybe in the counterculture 1970s, but it all seems a bit hokey today. You may not feel any closer to spiritual nirvana after watching The Holy Mountain, but if you’re a cult film fan who values the surreal and absurd, you’ll be in heaven.
The Thief enters the Rainbow Room.
With the original negatives and various source prints in poor condition, The Holy Mountain was subject to an extensive, high-definition, director-
approved restoration in 2005-2006. The Blu-ray's 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer has been sourced from this remaster—which was also used for the film's
2007 DVD release—and in most respects it makes for a revelatory advance in picture quality. The Blu-ray bests the DVD in all objectively measurable and
subjectively eye-balled categories. While there are, and have always been some soft shots, clarity is much improved, revealing the fine detail in
Jodorowsky's absurdist compositions. Just examine the texture of the marzipan Christ face as the thief bites into it. Color is also significantly bolstered—
see the Alchemist's "rainbow" chamber—and although blacks seem a bit hazy at times, this appears to be an attempt to preserve some of the previously
lost shadow detail. Beyond a few flecks, small debris, and occasional color strobing, there's no major print damage.
However, the upgrade to Blu-ray also reveals traces of the restoration process that weren't as visible in standard definition. For instance, noise reduction
has been applied somewhat unevenly; there are sections of the film that exhibit a natural-looking grain structure, but other scenes have that frozen,
wiped quality that usually accompanies DNR. Thankfully, though, we're never subjected to any overt abuses of the technique—unlike the recent
Predator re-release, the actors here aren't transformed into shiny, waxy, plasticine model versions of themselves. The other issues are small,
but worth mentioning. There are some slight halos around certain outlines, suggesting edge enhancement, and you'll occasionally spot some digital-ish
artifacts in flat expanses of color, like the blue sky above the mountain. Certain hues also seem artificially oversaturated—in one shot, the grass appears
almost neon green. The transfer/restoration isn't perfect, but if you've ever suffered through a VHS bootleg of the film, you'll be glad that you can finally
see The Holy Mountain in a state closer to its intended glory.
Along with receiving a visual overhaul, the film also had its original mono soundtrack expanded into a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix. The surround channels are only implemented subtly, but I can honestly say it adds to the experience. The deep shimmer of a struck gong reverberates in the space behind your head, Tibetan throat singing eerily fills the soundfield, and the film's kooky soundtrack—which runs the gamut from rock to lounge jazz to atonal ambience—is quietly bled into the rear speakers. It's important to note that this is not a conventional mix by any means. Most of the dialogue was dubbed in after filming—while intelligible throughout, it often has a thin, tinny quality—and the effects are noticeably weak, lacking any substantial low-end foundation. Gunshots emit with a paltry ping and explosions have no heft whatsoever. Still, this is the way the film has always sounded, and without a significant amount of re-recording and remixing, I don't think it could ever get much better. This is one of those tracks that you just have to accept as-is, while appreciating the work the film's restorers put into cleaning up the audio. Aside from some mild hissing on occasion, and music that can sound a bit brash, there's really nothing here that would qualify as a distraction.
Like a cross between a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel and the Illuminatus! trilogy, Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain is a mystical, magical realism-inspired experience that's strange, wonderful, and truly unforgettable. We're lucky we can even see it. The film's producer, Beatles's manager Allen Klein, withheld the film from distribution for thirty years after Jodorowsky broke his contract with ABKCO, but the two reconciled a few years back, leading to the release of the film on DVD, and now, on Blu-ray, where it looks better than it ever has. If you're a connoisseur of the cult, psychedelic, or bizarre, Holy Mountain belongs in your collection immediately. Highly recommended!
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