El Topo, a film by Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky, achieved prominence based on the controversial nature of the film as well as its various references to art, culture, and religion. What made El Topo controversial was its “steady pulse of visual shocks ranging from physical deformity to bestiality.” The symbolism the film provokes through its peculiar imagery creates unsettling effects on audiences that cause them to remember the film for its artistic nature; for example, the film opens with an image of an umbrella carrying El Topo, clad in black, riding on a horse through a desert with his naked son. The film follows with El Topo instructing his son to bury his mother’s photo and first toy; which could be perceived as a biblical reference to Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac. The film continues to shock audiences with its imagery of genocide, slaughter, and the sound of feasting insects.
No comments:
Post a Comment