Del Toro On Jodorowsky
April 26, 2007

Last Friday night, I checked out Mexcan filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky’s 1973 infamous cult favorite The Holy Mountain, that’s only now getting a domestic DVD release on May 1 as part of

DEL TORO: I love my Japanese boxed set of the films of Alejandro Jodorowsky.
VB: Wow! Jodorowsky’s biggest films—El Topo, Holy Mountain and Santa Sangre—aren’t even available on disc in the U.S. He’s one of the biggest Latino cult filmmakers here.
DEL TORO: Yes, I know The Japanese box is pretty rare.
VB: I’m not surprised you like Jodorowsky. His visual style is quite jarring and really leaves an impression. You must also enjoy the work of another Latin filmmaker who’s just starting to get a following on DVD, Fernando Arrabal.
DEL TORO: Yes, yes, from Spain. He made Viva la Muerte. He had to be one of the most brilliant, absolutely deranged filmmakers out there.
VB: He and Jodorowsky worked together in the Sixties, didn’t they?
DEL TORO: Yes, they founded the “Panic Theater” movement. With that, they were extolling the virtues of lack of control and free association. Quite crazy.
VB: Is that, well, “insanity” something you aspire to?
DEL TORO: Well, I can watch it and admire it, but I don’t think that’s me.

Posted by Laurence Lerman on April 26, 2007 | Comments (3)