How El Topo Helped Introduce the Acid Western Subgenre

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How El Topo Helped Introduce the Acid Western Subgenre

Summary

  • Alejandro Jodorowsky blends Western clichés, surreal elements, and drug culture in
    El Topo
    , creating arguably the best acid Western.
  • El Topo
    is full of symbolism and unexplained, illogical facets that defy traditional storytelling.
  • The film found distribution through a midnight screening, attracting attention from the Beatles and serving as a mind-altering experience.

As a cinephile who has traversed the vast landscapes of cinematic oddities, I must say that Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo is a mind-bending, soul-stirring masterpiece that defies traditional storytelling and logic. With its symbolic imagery and surrealist flair, it’s like stepping into a dreamscape where the lines between reality and fantasy blur into oblivion.

In the mid-1960s, films like Clint Eastwood’s “A Fistful of Dollars”, Lee Van Cleef’s “Death Rides a Horse”, and Franco Nero’s “Django” are among the well-known spaghetti Westerns. Despite being an old subgenre, it still receives appreciation from film historians. However, Westerns as a genre evolved into a different thematic direction a few years later, which is not commonly recognized today. The entry of Chilean and French filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky marked this shift. Before making waves with his 1970 movie, he had created a 20-minute surreal production called “The Severed Heads” in the late 50s, formed an art collective called The Panic Movement (inspired by absurdism), and was mentored by a Zen Buddhist monk. These experiences significantly influenced his perspective on life. His unique 1970 film showcased his exceptional talent to the world.

Jodorowsky directly connects the feeling of his movies to trippy drugs. Yet, he clarifies in a book he wrote himself that there’s an important distinction: “He doesn’t have to make a film depicting the visions of someone who has taken a pill; instead, he must invent the pill itself.” This quote encapsulates the unique experience one can expect while watching the 1970s movie El Topo.

Initially, the character in black roaming the desert to confront four masterful gunmen could easily be seen as fitting the mold of a classic spaghetti Western. However, El Topo was far from ordinary. The film’s unique nature is evident in its screenings that were confined to midnight showings for many years. Moreover, it caught the attention of The Beatles’ manager, which is quite unusual. Lastly, the reason people label this movie as one of the first and possibly the best acid Westerns lies primarily in its groundbreaking and thought-provoking content.

El Topo Is Full of Spiritualism

How El Topo Helped Introduce the Acid Western SubgenreHow El Topo Helped Introduce the Acid Western SubgenreHow El Topo Helped Introduce the Acid Western Subgenre

The title for this genre blend draws from three distinct elements: the time-honored themes and stereotypes of well-received Westerns (like Shane or any Gene Autry production), the flamboyant elements associated with director Sergio Leone’s filmmaking, as well as the cultural phenomenon of drug culture prevalent in the ’60s. This eclectic mix played a significant role in the creation of El Topo, a film that is deeply symbolic yet defies conventional logic. For instance, the movie starts with an intriguing scene where El Topo, fully clothed, enters alongside his son, who appears completely naked. The reason behind the son’s nudity isn’t clarified; instead, the audience is invited to form their own interpretations.

In terms of The Woman In Black, she plays a significant role in guiding El Topo and his wife towards the gun masters. Her sudden appearance and masculine voice add mystery, leading viewers to question her true nature – is she real, spiritual, or symbolic of his wife’s identity? Much like other aspects in El Topo, this enigma remains unanswered.

El Topo Found Distribution Through the Beatles?

How El Topo Helped Introduce the Acid Western SubgenreHow El Topo Helped Introduce the Acid Western SubgenreHow El Topo Helped Introduce the Acid Western Subgenre

As a film enthusiast, I recall the moment when Barenholtz managed to persuade one of the producers of “El Topo” to showcase the movie at midnight hours. This daring decision added an allure of self-exploration for the viewers, setting the stage for a revolution that would later be known as “Midnight Movies.” Even though Jodorowsky famously stated that the film was the pill, not the vision from taking it, one can only speculate about the mind-expanding experiences that those seeking an anti-establishment lifestyle embraced alongside this psychedelic masterpiece.

In an interview conducted in 2011, Jodorowsky himself admitted that when he attended a screening of El Topo at the Elgin theater in the 70s, the air was thick with marijuana smoke. Some people refer to El Topo as a symbolic representation, with its first half reflecting aspects of the Old Testament and the second half mirroring elements from the New Testament within the context of religious allegory.

The film’s association with the Beatles is not a mere speculation; instead, John Lennon and Yoko Ono found the movie captivating one late night, which led to Beatles’ singer John Lennon personally encouraging his manager, Allen Klein, to invest in the production of the film. This way, people across the nation had an opportunity to watch it.

Back in the groovy ’70s, I was there, man, witnessing how El Topo’s spiritual odyssey rippled across the U.S., hitchhiking on the psychedelic wave of the era. John Barham, a musical maestro, lent his expertise to refine the film’s score, and guess who ended up getting involved? None other than the legendary John Lennon! Who would have thought that this Beatle would be instrumental in keeping this mind-bending Western alive today? If you’re ready for a trip down the rabbit hole of cinema, rent Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo on Prime Video or Apple TV. It’s a psychedelic journey that will leave you pondering and enlightened.

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2024-08-19 04:01