Alejandro Jodorowsky Prullansky (; born 17 February 1929) is a Chilean and French

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

filmmaker. Known for his films ''

El Topo ''El Topo'' (, "The Mole") is a 1970 Mexican acid Western film written, scored, directed by and starring Alejandro Jodorowsky. Characterized by its bizarre characters and occurrences, use of maimed and dwarf performers, and heavy doses of Jude ...

'' (1970), '' The Holy Mountain'' (1973) and ''

Santa Sangre ''Santa Sangre'' () is a 1989 surrealist psychological horror film directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky and written by Jodorowsky along with Claudio Argento and Roberto Leoni. It stars Axel Jodorowsky, Adán Jodorowsky, Teo Jodorowsky, Blanca G ...

'' (1989), Jodorowsky has been "venerated by

cult cinema Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ha ...

enthusiasts" for his work which "is filled with violently surreal images and a hybrid blend of

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...

and religious provocation". Dropping out of college, he became involved in theater and in particular

mime A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek language, Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a the ...

, working as a clown before founding his own theater troupe, the ''Teatro Mimico'', in 1947. Moving to Paris in the early 1950s, Jodorowsky studied traditional mime under

Étienne Decroux Étienne Decroux (19 July 1898 in Paris, France – 12 March 1991 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France) was a French actor who studied at Jacques Copeau's École du Vieux-Colombier, where he saw the beginnings of what was to become his life's obsess ...

, and put his miming skills to use in the silent film ''

Les têtes interverties ''Les têtes interverties'', also known as ''La cravate'', ''The Transposed Heads'' and ''The Severed Heads'', is a 1957 French short film written and directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, Saul Gilbert, and Ruth Michelly. Shot between 1953 and 1957, ...

'' (1957), directed with Saul Gilbert and Ruth Michelly. From 1960 onwards he divided his time between Mexico City and Paris, where he co-founded

Panic Movement Panic Movement () was an art collective formed by Fernando Arrabal, Alejandro Jodorowsky Alejandro Jodorowsky Prullansky (; born 17 February 1929) is a Chilean and French Experimental film, avant-garde filmmaker. Known for his films ''El T ...

, a surrealist

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

collective that staged violent and shocking theatrical events. In 1966 he created his first comic strip, ''Anibal 5'', and in 1967 he directed his first feature film, the surrealist ''

Fando y Lis ''Fando y Lis'' is a 1968 Mexican surrealist film directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky in his feature length directorial debut. It is an adaptation of a 1962 play of the same name by Fernando Arrabal, who was working with Jodorowsky on performance ar ...

'', which caused a huge scandal in Mexico, eventually being banned. His next film, the

acid western Acid Western is a subgenre of the Western film that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s that combines the metaphorical ambitions of critically acclaimed Westerns, such as '' Shane'' and ''The Searchers'', with the excesses of the Spaghetti Westerns ...

'' (1970), became a hit on the

midnight movie A midnight movie is a low-budget genre picture or distinctly nonmainstream film programmed for late-night screening or broadcast. The term is rooted in the practice that emerged in the 1950s of local television stations around the United Sta ...

circuit in the United States, considered the first-ever midnight cult film, and garnered high praise from

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

, who convinced former

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

manager

Allen Klein Allen Klein (December 18, 1931 – July 4, 2009) was an American businessman whose aggressive negotiation tactics affected industry standards for compensating recording artists. He founded ABKCO Music & Records Incorporated. Klein increased pr ...

to provide Jodorowsky with $1 million to finance his next film. The result was ''The Holy Mountain'' (1973), a surrealist exploration of

western esotericism Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...

. Disagreements with Klein, however, led to both ''The Holy Mountain'' and ''El Topo'' failing to gain widespread distribution, although both became classics on the underground film circuit. After a cancelled attempt at filming

Frank Herbert Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. (October 8, 1920February 11, 1986) was an American science-fiction author, best known for his 1965 novel Dune (novel), ''Dune'' and its five sequels. He also wrote short stories and worked as a newspaper journalist, ...

's 1965 science fiction novel ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

'', Jodorowsky produced five more films: the family film ''

Tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine tooth, canine teeth, as with Narwhal, narwhals, chevrotains, musk deer, water deer, muntjac, pigs, ...

'' (1980); the surrealist horror ''

'' (1989); the failed blockbuster ''

The Rainbow Thief ''The Rainbow Thief'' is a 1990 British fantasy drama film directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky and written by Berta Domínguez D. It reunites '' Lawrence of Arabia'' co-stars Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif in a fable of friendship. Christopher Lee ...

'' (1990); and the first two films in a planned five-film autobiographical series ''

The Dance of Reality ''The Dance of Reality'' () is a 2013 Chilean- French semi-autobiographical musical fantasy drama film written, produced, and directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, starring Brontis Jodorowsky, Pamela Flores, and Jeremias Herskovits. It is Alejandro ...

'' (2013) and '' Endless Poetry'' (2016). Jodorowsky is also a

comic book writer A script is a document describing the narrative and dialogue of a comic book in detail. It is the comic book equivalent of a television program teleplay or a film screenplay. In comics, a script may be preceded by a plot outline, and is almost al ...

, most notably penning the science fiction series ''

The Incal ''The Incal'' (; French: ''L'Incal'') is a French graphic novel series written by Alejandro Jodorowsky and originally illustrated by Jean Giraud (a.k.a. Mœbius). ''The Incal'', with first pages originally released as ''Une aventure de John Di ...

'' throughout the 1980s, which has been described as having a claim to be "the best comic book" ever written. Other comic books he has written include ''

The Technopriests ''The Technopriests'' () is an eight-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alejandro Jodorowsky, artist Zoran Janjetov, and colorist In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of t ...

'' and ''

Metabarons ''The Metabarons'' () or ''The Saga of the Meta-Barons'' is a science fiction comics series relating the history of a dynasty of perfect warriors known as the Metabarons. ''The Metabarons'' series was written by creator Alejandro Jodorowsky and ...

''. Jodorowsky has also extensively written and lectured about his own spiritual system, which he calls "psychomagic" and "psychoshamanism", which borrows from

alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

, the

tarot Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid-15th century, the tarot was used to play t ...

Zen Buddhism Zen (; from Chinese: '' Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka ph ...

and

shamanism Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

. His son Cristóbal has followed his teachings on psychoshamanism; this work is captured in the feature documentary ''Quantum Men'', directed by Carlos Serrano Azcona.

Early life and education

Early life

Alejandro Jodorowsky was born on February 17, 1929, in

Tocopilla, Chile Tocopilla is a List of cities in Chile, city and List of communes in Chile, commune in the Antofagasta Region, in the north of Chile. It is the capital of the Provinces of Chile, province that bears the Tocopilla Province, same name. Every year ...

to immigrant

Ukrainian Jewish The history of the Jews in Ukraine dates back over a thousand years; Jewish communities have existed in the modern territory of Ukraine from the time of the Kievan Rus' (late 9th to mid-13th century). Important Jewish religious and cultural move ...

parents Jaime Jodorowsky Groismann and Sara Felicidad Prullansky Arcavi from

Yekaterinoslav Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

and Elisavetgrad in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. According to Jodorowsky's account, he was conceived from sexual violence that his mother had faced, as his father was physically and sexually abusive towards her. Due to this, his mother disliked Jodorowsky, and detested his father. Alejandro also had an elder sister, Raquel Jodorowsky, but disliked her, as he believed that she was selfish and trying to "expel me from the family so that she could be the centre of attention." Alongside his dislike for his family, he also held contempt for many of the local people, who viewed him as an outsider because of his status as the son of immigrants. Jodorowsky did not have a

Bar Mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...

or celebrate any Jewish holidays as his parents concealed their Jewish identity for much of Jodorowsky's life. Jodorowsky moved to

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

at the age of 9, a decision he did not favor, as he liked the local areas of Tocopilla. Growing up, his dislike of the American mining industrialists who worked locally and treated the Chilean people badly later influenced his condemnation of

American imperialism U.S. imperialism or American imperialism is the expansion of political, economic, cultural, media, and military influence beyond the boundaries of the United States. Depending on the commentator, it may include imperialism through outright mi ...

and

neo-colonialism Neocolonialism is the control by a state (usually, a former colonial power) over another nominally independent state (usually, a former colony) through indirect means. The term ''neocolonialism'' was first used after World War II to refer to ...

in Latin America in several of his films. He immersed himself in reading, and also began writing poetry, having his first poem published when he was sixteen years old, alongside associating with such Chilean poets as

Nicanor Parra Nicanor Segundo Parra Sandoval (5 September 1914 – 23 January 2018) was a Chilean physicist and poet. He has been considered one of the most influential Spanish-language Chilean poets of the 20th century. Parra described himself as an " an ...

Stella Díaz Varín Stella Díaz Varín (11 August 1926 – 13 June 2006), also known as ''La Colorina'' ("The Redhead"), was a Chilean poet of the Generation of '50. Her unprecedented deep and philosophical style, as well as her controversial personality, marked a ...

and

Enrique Lihn Enrique Lihn Carrasco (3 September 1929 – 10 July 1988) was a Chileans, Chilean writer, Literary criticism, literary critic, and cartoonist, mostly known as a poet, but who also wrote Essay, essays, Short story, short stories, Novel, novels, Pla ...

. Becoming interested in the political ideology of

anarchism Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

, Jodorowsky briefly attended the

University of Chile The University of Chile () is a public university, public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

, studying

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

and philosophy, but dropped out after two years. After leaving university, he developed an interest in theatre and particularly

, he took up employment in a

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

as a

clown A clown is a person who performs physical comedy and arts in an Improvisational theatre#Comedy, open-ended fashion, typically while wearing distinct cosmetics, makeup or costume, costuming and reversing social norm, folkway-norms. The art of ...

, as well as beginning a career as a theatre director. Meanwhile, in 1947 he founded his own theatrical troupe, the Teatro Mimico, which by 1952 had fifty members, and the following year he wrote his first play, ''El Minotaura'' (''The Minotaur'').

Performing arts career and Panic Movement foundation

Jodorowsky moved to France as he felt there was little for him left in Chile. He settled in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and started to study philosophy at the

Paris-Sorbonne University Paris-Sorbonne University (also known as Paris IV; ) was a public university, public research university in Paris, France, active from 1971 to 2017. It was the main inheritor of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Paris. In 2018, it m ...

. He also started to study mime with French actor

and joined the troupe of one of Decroux's students,

Marcel Marceau Marcel Marceau (; born Marcel Mangel; 22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) was a French mime artist and actor most famous for his stage persona, "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence", performing professionally worldwide ...

. It was with Marceau's troupe that he went on a world tour, and wrote several routines for the group, including "The Cage" and "The Mask Maker". After this, he returned to theatre directing, working on the music hall comeback of

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...

in Paris. In 1960, Jodorowsky moved to Mexico, where he settled down in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. He continued to return occasionally to France, on one occasion visiting the

Surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

artist

André Breton André Robert Breton (; ; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

, but had increasingly felt disillusioned by him as he felt he had become somewhat conservative in his old age. Continuing his interest in surrealism, in 1962 he founded the

along with

Fernando Arrabal Fernando Arrabal Terán (; ; born August 11, 1932) is a Spanish playwright, screenwriter, film director, novelist, and poet. He was born in Melilla and settled in France in 1955. Regarding his nationality, Arrabal describes himself as "desterra ...

and

Roland Topor Roland Topor (7 January 1938 – 16 April 1997) was a French illustrator, cartoonist, comics artist, painter, novelist, playwright, film and TV writer, filmmaker and actor, who was known for the surrealism, surreal nature of his work. He was of Po ...

. The movement aimed to go beyond conventional surrealist ideas by embracing absurdism. Its members refused to take themselves seriously, while laughing at those critics who did. It was in Mexico City that he encountered (1928–1997), a

Zen Buddhist Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

monk who had studied at the Horyu-ji and Shofuku-ji monasteries in Japan before traveling to Mexico via the U.S. in 1967 to spread Zen. Jodorowsky became a disciple of Takata and offered his own house to be turned into a

Zendō () or is a Japanese meditation hall. In Zen Buddhism, the ''zen-dō'' is a spiritual ''dōjō'' where ''zazen'' (sitting meditation) is practiced. A full-sized Zen Buddhist temple will typically have at least one ''zen-dō'' as well as a ''h ...

. Subsequently, Takata attracted other disciples around him, who spent their time in

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

and the study of

koan A ( ; ; zh, c=公案, p=gōng'àn ; ; ) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement from Chinese Chan Buddhist lore, supplemented with commentaries, that is used in Zen Buddhist practice in different ways. The main goal of practice in Z ...

s. Eventually, Takata instructed Jodorowsky that he had to learn more about his feminine side, and so he went and befriended the English surrealist

Leonora Carrington Mary Leonora Carrington (6 April 191725 May 2011) was a British-born, naturalised Mexican Surrealist painter and novelist. She lived most of her adult life in Mexico City and was one of the last surviving participants in the Surrealist movem ...

, who had recently moved to Mexico.

Film career

Early comics and films

In 1957, while Jodorowsky was in Paris studying mime, he created ''

'' (''The Severed Heads''), a 20-minute adaptation of

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...

's novella. It consisted almost entirely of mime and told the surreal story of a head-swapping merchant who helps a young man find courtship success. Jodorowsky played the lead role. The director

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th-c ...

admired the film and wrote an introduction for it. It was considered lost until a print of the film was discovered in 2006. In 1966, he produced his first comic strip, ''Anibal 5'', which was related to the Panic Movement. The following year he created a new feature film, ''

'', loosely based on a play written by

, who was working with Jodorowsky on

at the time. ''Fando y Lis'' premiered at the 1968

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...

Film Festival, where it instigated a riot amongst those objecting to the film's content,Rosenbaum, 1992. p. 92 and was subsequently banned in Mexico.Rosenbaum, 1992. p. 93

''El Topo'' and ''The Holy Mountain'' (1970–1974)

In 1970, Jodorowsky released the film ''

'', which sometimes is known in English as ''The Mole'', which he had both directed and starred in. An

, ''El Topo'' tells the story of a wandering Mexican bandit and

gunslinger Gunfighters, also called gunslingers () or in the late 19th and early 20th century gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in shootouts. Today, the term "gunslin ...

, El Topo (played by Jodorowsky), who is on a search for spiritual enlightenment, taking his young son along with him. Along the way, he violently confronts a number of other individuals, before finally being killed and being resurrected to live within a community of deformed people who are trapped inside a mountain cave. Describing the work, he stated that "I ask of film what most North Americans ask of psychedelic drugs. The difference being that when one creates a psychedelic film, he need not create a film that shows the visions of a person who has taken a pill; rather, he needs to manufacture the pill." Knowing how ''Fando y Lis'' had caused such a scandal in Mexico, Jodorowsky decided not to release ''El Topo'' there, instead focusing on its release in other countries across the world, including Mexico's northern neighbour, the United States. It was in New York City where the film would play as a "

" for several months at

Ben Barenholtz Ben Barenholtz (October 5, 1935 – June 27, 2019) was a Polish-born American film producer, exhibitor, and distributor with a significant presence in the independent film scene since the late 1960s. In 1968 Barenholtz opened The Elgin Cinema in ...

Elgin Theater The Elgin Theater is a former movie theater on the corner of 19th Street and Eighth Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The theater showed films from its opening in 1942 until 1978. Its longtime manager, Ben Ba ...

. It attracted the attention of rock musician and countercultural figure

, who thought very highly of it, and convinced the president of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' company

Apple Corps Apple Corps Limited is a British multimedia company that was established in London by the members of the Beatles in the 1960s to form a Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. The company's name, pronounced "apple core", is a pun. Its chief div ...

, to distribute it in the United States. Klein agreed to give Jodorowsky $1 million to go toward creating his next film. The result was '' The Holy Mountain'', released in 1973. It has been suggested that ''The Holy Mountain'' may have been inspired by

René Daumal René Daumal (; 16 March 1908 – 21 May 1944) was a French spiritual para-surrealist writer, critic and poet, best known for his posthumously published novel '' Mount Analogue'' (1952) as well as for being an early, outspoken practitioner of ...

's Surrealist novel ''

Mount Analogue ''Mount Analogue: A Novel of Symbolically Authentic Non-Euclidean Adventures in Mountain Climbing'' is a classic allegorical adventure novel by the early 20th-century French novelist René Daumal. The novel describes an expedition undertaken by ...

''. ''The Holy Mountain'' was another complex, multi-part story that featured a man credited as "The Thief" and equated with Jesus Christ, a mystical

alchemist Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

played by Jodorowsky, seven powerful business people representing seven of the planets (Venus and the six planets from Mars to Pluto), a religious training regimen of spiritual rebirth, and a quest to the top of a holy mountain for the secret of

immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some species possess "biological immortality" due to an apparent lack of the Hayflick limit. From at least the time of the Ancient Mesopotamian religion, ancient Mesopotamians, there has been a con ...

. During the completion of ''The Holy Mountain'', Jodorowsky received spiritual training from

Oscar Ichazo Oscar Ichazo (July 24, 1931 – March 26, 2020) was a Bolivian philosopher and an advocate of integral theory. Following his early life in Bolivia, Ichazo was later principally based in Chile, where he founded the Arica School in 1968. He lived ...

of the

Arica School Oscar Ichazo (July 24, 1931 – March 26, 2020) was a Bolivian philosopher and an advocate of integral theory. Following his early life in Bolivia, Ichazo was later principally based in Chile, where he founded the Arica School in 1968. He lived ...

, who encouraged him to take

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

and guided him through the subsequent

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

experience. Around the same time (2 November 1973), Jodorowsky participated in an

isolation tank An isolation tank, sensory deprivation tank, float tank, float pod, float cabin, flotation tank, or sensory attenuation tank is a water filled, pitch-black, light-proof, soundproof environment heated to the same temperature as the skin. Method ...

experiment conducted by John Lilly. Shortly thereafter, Allen Klein demanded that Jodorowsky create a film adaptation of Pauline Réage's classic novel of female

masochism Sadism () and masochism (), known collectively as sadomasochism ( ) or S&M, is the derivation of pleasure from acts of respectively inflicting or receiving pain or humiliation. The term is named after the Marquis de Sade, a French author known ...

, ''

Story of O ''Story of O'' (, ) is an erotic novel written by French author Anne Desclos under the pen name Pauline Réage, with the original French text published in 1954 by Jean-Jacques Pauvert. Desclos did not reveal herself as the author until 1994, ...

''. Klein had promised this adaptation to various investors. Jodorowsky, who had discovered

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

during the filming of ''The Holy Mountain'', refused to make the film, going so far as to leave the country to escape directing duties. In retaliation, Allen Klein made ''El Topo'' and ''The Holy Mountain'', to which he held the rights, completely unavailable to the public for more than 30 years. Jodorowsky frequently decried Klein's actions in interviews. Soon after the release of ''The Holy Mountain'', Jodorowsky gave a talk at the Teatro

Julio Castillo Julio César Castillo Torres (born 10 May 1988) is an Ecuadorian amateur boxer. He won two medals at the Pan American Games: a bronze in 2007 and a silver in 2011. Career At the 2006 South American Games, Castillo lost to Hamilton Ventura in t ...

University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countries. It also has 34 ...

on the subject of koans (despite the fact that he initially had been booked on the condition that his talk would be about cinematography), at which Ejo Takata appeared. After the talk, Takata gave Jodorowsky his kyosaku, believing that his former student had mastered the art of understanding koans.

''Dune'' and ''Tusk'' (1975–1980)

In December 1974, a French consortium led by Jean-Paul Gibon purchased the

film rights Film rights are rights under copyright law to produce a film as a derivative work of a given item of intellectual property. In US law, these rights belong to the holder of the copyright, who may sell (or " option") them to someone in the film indus ...

's epic 1965 science fiction novel ''

'' and asked Jodorowsky to direct a film version. Jodorowsky planned to cast the Surrealist artist

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

, in what would have been his only speaking role as a film actor, in the role of Emperor

Shaddam IV ''Dune (franchise), Dune'' is a science fiction media franchise that originated with the 1965 Dune (novel), novel of the same name by American author Frank Herbert. ''Dune'' is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in histor ...

. Dalí agreed when Jodorowsky offered to pay him a fee of $100,000 per hour. He also planned to cast

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

as Baron

Vladimir Harkonnen Baron Vladimir Harkonnen () is a fictional character in the ''Dune'' franchise created by Frank Herbert. He is primarily featured in the 1965 novel ''Dune'' and is also a prominent character in the ''Prelude to Dune'' prequel trilogy (1999–2001 ...

; Welles only agreed when Jodorowsky offered to get his favourite gourmet chef to prepare his meals for him throughout the filming. The book's protagonist,

Paul Atreides Paul Atreides (; later known as Paul Muad'Dib, and later still as The Preacher) is a fictional character in the Dune (franchise), ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. He is a main character in the first two novels in the series, ''Dune ( ...

, was to be played by Jodorowsky's son,

Brontis Jodorowsky Brontis Jodorowsky (born 27 October 1962) is a Mexican-French actor and theatre director. Personal life Brontis Jodorowsky was born on October 27, 1962 in Mexico. He is the son of Chilean-French writer, director, and actor Alejandro Jodorowsky ...

, 12 years old at the start of pre-production. The music would be composed by

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

and

Magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma (sometimes colloquially but incorrectly referred to as ''lava'') is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also ...

. Jodorowsky set up a pre-production unit in Paris consisting of

Chris Foss Christopher Frank Foss (born 1946) is a British artist and science fiction illustrator. He is best known for his science fiction book covers and the black and white illustrations for the original editions of '' The Joy of Sex''. Career Earl ...

, a British artist who designed covers for science fiction publications,

Jean Giraud Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (; 8 May 1938 – 10 March 2012) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer who worked in the Franco-Belgian comics, Franco-Belgian ''bandes dessinées'' (BD) tradition. Giraud garnered worldwide acclaim predomin ...

(Mœbius), a French illustrator who created and also wrote and drew for ''

Métal Hurlant ''Métal Hurlant'' (; literal translation: "Howling Metal," "Screaming Metal") is a French comics anthology of science fiction and horror comics stories. Originally created in 1974, the anthology ceased publication in 1987, but was revived b ...

'' magazine, and

H. R. Giger Hans Ruedi Giger ( ; ; 5 February 1940 – 12 May 2014) was a Swiss artist best known for his airbrushed images that blended human physiques with machines, an art style known as " biomechanical". He was part of the special effects team that won ...

. Frank Herbert travelled to Europe in 1976 to find that $2 million of the $9.5 million budget had already been spent in pre-production, and that Jodorowsky's script would result in a 14-hour movie ("It was the size of a phonebook", Herbert later recalled). Jodorowsky took creative liberties with the source material, but Herbert said that he and Jodorowsky had an amicable relationship. The production for the film collapsed when no film studio could be found willing to fund the movie to Jodorowsky's terms. The aborted production was chronicled in the documentary ''

Jodorowsky's Dune ''Jodorowsky's Dune'' is a 2013 American-French documentary film directed by Frank Pavich. The film explores cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's unsuccessful attempt to adapt and film Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction novel ''Dune'' in ...

'', directed by

Frank Pavich Frank Pavich ( ) is a Croatian-American film director and producer. Career Pavich's first film as director was '' N.Y.H.C.'', a feature-length documentary about the New York hardcore music scene. The film was shot in the summer of 1995 and was rele ...

. Subsequently, the rights for filming were sold to

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian film producer and businessman who held both Italian and American citizenship. Following a brief acting career in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he moved into f ...

, who employed the American filmmaker

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

to direct, creating the film ''

'' in 1984. The documentary does not include any original film footage of what was to be ''Jodorowsky's Dune'' though it states that the unmade film was an influence on other science fiction films, such as ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'', '' Alien'', ''

The Terminator ''The Terminator'' is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, written by Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd and produced by Hurd. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cybernetic assassin sent back in t ...

'', ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' ...

'' and ''

Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana ...

''. In particular, the Jodorowsky-assembled team of O'Bannon, Foss, Giger, and Giraud went on to collaborate on the 1979 film '' Alien''. Later, in January 2023, Frank Pavich, director of the documentary film ''Jodorowsky's Dune'', published an essay in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' related to ''Jodorowsky's Dune'' (and more) that involved artwork generated by

generative AI Generative artificial intelligence (Generative AI, GenAI, or GAI) is a subfield of artificial intelligence that uses generative models to produce text, images, videos, or other forms of data. These models learn the underlying patterns and str ...

. After the collapse of the ''Dune'' project, Jodorowsky completely changed course and, in 1980, premiered his children's fable ''

'', shot in India. Taken from Reginald Campbell's novel ''

Poo Lorn of the Elephants Feces (also known as faeces or fæces; : faex) are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relatively small amount of ...

'', the film explores the soul-mate relationship between a young British woman living in India and a highly prized elephant. The film exhibited little of the director's outlandish visual style and was never given wide release.

''Santa Sangre'' and ''The Rainbow Thief'' (1981–1990)

In 1989, Jodorowsky completed the Mexican-Italian production ''

'' (''Holy Blood''). The film received limited theatrical distribution, putting Jodorowsky back on the cultural map despite its mixed critical reviews. ''Santa Sangre'' was a surrealistic

slasher film A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic ...

with a plot like a mix of

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

's '' Psycho'' with

Robert Wiene Robert Wiene (; 27 April 1873 – 17 July 1938) was a German film director, screenwriter and Film producer, producer, active during the Silent film, silent era. He is widely-known for directing the landmark 1920 film ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ...

's '' The Hands of Orlac''. It featured a protagonist who, as a child, saw his mother lose both her arms, and as an adult let his own arms act as hers, and so was forced to commit murders at her whim. Several of Jodorowsky's sons were recruited as actors. He followed in 1990 with a very different film, ''

''. Though it gave Jodorowsky a chance to work with the "movie stars"

Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...

and

Omar Sharif Omar Sharif (, ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub ; 10 April 1932 – 10 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the 1950s. He is bes ...

, the executive producer,

Alexander Salkind Alexander Salkind (; 2 June 1921 – 8 March 1997) was a French film producer, the second of three generations of successful international producers. Life and career Salkind was born in the Free City of Danzig to Russian Jewish parents, Maria ...

, effectively curtailed most of Jodorowsky's artistic inclinations, threatening to fire him on the spot if anything in the script was changed (Salkind's wife, Berta Domínguez D., wrote the screenplay). That same year (1990), Jodorowsky and his family returned to France to live.

Attempts to return to filmmaking (1990–2011)

In 2000, Jodorowsky won the Jack Smith Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF). Jodorowsky attended the festival and his films were shown, including ''El Topo'' and ''The Holy Mountain'', which at the time had grey legal status. According to festival director Bryan Wendorf, it was an open question of whether CUFF would be allowed to show both films, or whether the police would show up and shut the festival down. Until 2007, ''Fando y Lis'' and ''Santa Sangre'' were the only Jodorowsky works available on DVD. Neither ''El Topo'' nor ''The Holy Mountain'' were available on

videocassette Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocasset ...

or DVD in the United States or the United Kingdom, due to ownership disputes with distributor

. After settlement of the dispute in 2004, however, plans to re-release Jodorowsky's films were announced by ABKCO Films. On 19 January 2007, it was announced online that Anchor Bay would release a box set including ''El Topo'', ''The Holy Mountain'', and ''Fando y Lis'' on 1 May 2007. A limited edition of the set includes both the ''El Topo'' and ''The Holy Mountain'' soundtracks. And, in early February 2007, Tartan Video announced its 14 May 2007, release date for the UK ''PAL DVD'' editions of ''El Topo'', ''The Holy Mountain'', and the six-disc box set which, alongside the aforementioned feature films, includes the two soundtrack CDs, as well as separate DVD editions of Jodorowsky's 1968 debut feature ''Fando y Lis'' (with his 1957 short ''La cravate'' a.k.a. ''Les têtes interverties'', included as an extra) and the 1994 feature-length documentary ''La constellation Jodorowsky''. Notably, ''Fando y Lis'' and ''La cravate'' were digitally restored extensively and remastered in London during late 2006, thus providing a suitable complement to the quality restoration work undertaken on ''El Topo'' and ''The Holy Mountain'' in the States by ABKCO, and ensuring that the presentation of ''Fando y Lis'' is a significant improvement over the 2001 Fantoma DVD edition. Prior to the availability of these legitimate releases, only inferior quality, optically censored, bootleg copies of both ''El Topo'' and ''The Holy Mountain'' have been circulated on the Internet and on DVD. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Jodorowsky attempted to make a sequel to ''El Topo'', called at different times ''The Sons of El Topo'' and ''Abel Cain'', but did not find investors for the project. In an interview with ''

Première A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the wikt:debut, debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. Play (theatre), play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a Performing arts#Performers, performer in that work. History R ...

'', Jodorowsky said he intended his next project to be a gangster film called ''

King Shot King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by fi ...

''. In an interview with ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' newspaper in November 2009, however, Jodorowsky revealed that he was unable to find the funds to make ''King Shot'', and instead would be entering preparations on '' Sons of El Topo'', for which he claimed to have signed a contract with "some Russian producers". In 2010, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City staged the first American cinema retrospective of Alejandro Jodorowsky entitled ''Blood into Gold: The Cinematic Alchemy of Alejandro Jodorowsky''. Jodorowsky would attend the retrospective and hold a master class on art as a way of transformation. This retrospective would inspire the museum

MoMA PS1 MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution at 2201 Jackson Avenue in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in New York City, United States. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, th ...

to present the exhibition ''Alejandro Jodorowsky: The Holy Mountain'' in 2011.

''The Dance of Reality'' and ''Endless Poetry'' (2011–present)

In August 2011, Alejandro arrived in a town in Chile where he grew up, also the setting of his autobiography ''

'', to promote an autobiographical film based upon his book. On 31 October 2011,

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

night, the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

(New York City) honored Jodorowsky by showing ''The Holy Mountain''. He attended and spoke about his work and life. The next evening, he presented ''El Topo'' at the Walter Reade Theatre at Lincoln Center. Alejandro has stated that after finishing ''

'' he was preparing to shoot his long-gestating ''

'' sequel, '' Abel Cain''. By January 2013, Alejandro finished filming on ''The Dance of Reality'' and entered into post-production. Alejandro's son and co-star in the film, Brontis, claimed the film was to be finished by March 2013, and that the film was "very different than the other films he made". On 23 April, it was announced that the film would have its world premiere at the Film Festival in Cannes. coinciding with ''The Dance of Reality'' premiered alongside the documentary film ''

'', which premiered in May 2013 at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

, creating a "Jodorowsky double bill". In 2015, Jodorowsky began a new film entitled '' Endless Poetry'', the sequel to his last "auto-biopic", ''The Dance of Reality''. His Paris-based production company, Satori Films, launched two successful

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...

campaigns to finance the film. The Indiegogo campaign has been left open indefinitely, receiving donations from fans and movie-goers in support of the independent production. The film was shot between June and August 2015, in the streets of

Matucana ''Matucana'' is a genus of cacti (family Cactaceae), containing approximately 20 species of mostly globular plants. The genus is known only from Peru, mostly along the Marañón River. Some species are endangered due to collection for the speci ...

in Santiago, Chile, where Jodorowsky lived for a period in his life. The film portrays his young adulthood in Santiago, years during which he became a core member of the Chilean poetic avant-garde alongside artists such as

Hugo Marín Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Hugo (film), ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise ...

, Gustavo Becerra,

and others. Jodorowsky's son

Adan Jodorowsky Adan may refer to: *Garden of Eden, the Biblical paradise, Adan in Arabic People * Adan (given name) * Adan (surname) Places * 'Adan or Aden, a city of Yemen * 'Adan Governorate, Yemen * Al-Adan, a district of the governorate of Mubarak ...

plays him as an adult; and

plays as his father, Jaime. Jeremias Herskovitz, from ''

'', portrays Jodorowsky as a teenager.

Pamela Flores Pamela commonly refers to: * ''Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'', a novel written by Samuel Richardson in 1740 * Pamela (name), a given name and, rarely, a surname. Pamela may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pamela Spence, a Tur ...

plays as Sara (his mother) and Stella Díaz Varín (poet and young Jodorowsky's girlfriend). Leandro Taub portrays Jodorowsky's best friend, the poet and novelist Enrique Lihn. The film premiered in the

Directors' Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight (, formerly ) is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festival as a ...

section of the

on 14 May 2016.

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

's review was overwhelmingly positive, calling it "...the most accessible movie he has ever made, and it may also be the best." During an interview at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016, Jodorowsky announced his plans to finally make '' The Son of El Topo'' as soon as financial backing is obtained.

Other work

Jodorowsky released a 12" vinyl with the Original Soundtrack of Zarathustra (Discos Tizoc, Mexico, 1970).

Comics

Jodorowsky started his comic career in Mexico with the creation of '' Anibal 5'' series in mid-1966 with illustrations by Manuel Moro. He also drew his own comic strip in the weekly series ''Fabulas pánicas'' that appeared in the Mexican newspaper, ''

El Heraldo de México ''El Heraldo de México'' is a Mexican national daily newspaper published in Mexico City. Initially founded in 1965, after a 14-year absence of the name, the newspaper was relaunched on May 2, 2017. History Original ''El Heraldo de México'' ...

''. He also wrote original stories for at least two or three other comic books in Mexico during those days: '' Los insoportables Borbolla'' was one of them. After his fourth film, ''

'', he started ''

'', with

(Mœbius). This

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

has its roots deep in the tarot and its symbols, e.g., the protagonist of ''The Incal'', John Difool, is linked to the Fool card. ''The Incal'' (which would branch off into a prequel and sequel) forms the first in a sequence of several science fiction comic book series, all set in the same

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes Space warfare in science fiction, space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, i ...

Jodoverse ''The Incal'' (; French: ''L'Incal'') is a French graphic novel series written by Alejandro Jodorowsky and originally illustrated by Jean Giraud, Jean Giraud (a.k.a. Mœbius). ''The Incal'', with first pages originally released as ''Une aventur ...

(or "Metabarons Universe") published by

Humanoids Publishing A humanoid is any non-human entity that resembles a human. Humanoid(s) may also refer to: * Humanoid robot, a robot resembling the human body in shape Music * Humanoid (musician), Brian Dougans (born 1965), Scottish musician and composer * ''H ...

. Comic books set in this milieu are Incal (trilogy: '' Before the Incal / Incal / Final Incal''),

(trilogy: '' Castaka / The Caste of the Metabarons / Weapons of the Metabaron''), and ''

'' and also an RPG adaptation, '' The Metabarons Roleplaying Game''. Many ideas and concepts derived from Jodorowsky's planned adaptation of ''

'' (which he would have loosely based upon

's original novel) are featured in this universe. Mœbius and Jodorowsky sued

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French filmmaker. He directed and produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Associated with the '' Cinéma du look'' film movement, he h ...

, director of ''

The Fifth Element ''The Fifth Element'' () is a 1997 English-language French science-fiction action film conceived and directed by Luc Besson, and co-written by Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. It stars Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, an ...

'', claiming that the 1997 film borrowed graphic and story elements from ''

'', but they lost their case. The suit was plagued by ambiguity since Mœbius had willingly participated in the creation of the film, having been hired by Besson as a contributing artist, but had done so without gaining the approval of ''Incal'' co-creator Jodorowsky, whose services Besson did not call upon. For more than a decade, Jodorowsky pressured his publisher

Les Humanoïdes Associés Les Humanoïdes Associés (or Humanoids) is a French- American publishing house specializing in comics and graphic novels, founded in December 1974 by comic artists Mœbius, Jean-Pierre Dionnet, Philippe Druillet, and financial director Be ...

to sue Luc Besson for

plagiarism Plagiarism is the representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 ''Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close ...

, but the publisher refused, fearing the inevitability of the outcome. In a 2002 interview with the Danish comic book magazine ''Strip!'', Jodorowsky stated that he considered it an honour that somebody stole his ideas. Other comics by Jodorowsky include the Western ''Bouncer'' illustrated by Francois Boucq, ''Juan Solo'' (''Son of the Gun''), and ''Le Lama blanc'' (''The White Lama''), the latter were illustrated by Georges Bess. ''Le Cœur couronné'' (''The Crowned Heart'', translated into English as ''The Madwoman of the Sacred Heart''), a racy satire on religion set in contemporary times, won Jodorowsky and his collaborator,

, the 2001

Haxtur Award The Haxtur Award (''Premios Haxtur'') is a Spanish award for Spanish comics. It is awarded annually at the Salón Internacional del Cómic del Principado de Asturias (International Comics Convention of the Principality of Asturias). It takes its n ...

for Best Long Strip. He is currently working on a new graphic novel for the U.S. market. Jodorowsky's comic book work also appears in ''

Taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

'' volume 4 (ed. Stephen R. Bissette), which features an interview with the director, designs for his version of Frank Herbert's ''Dune'', comic storyboards for ''El Topo'', and a collaboration with Moebius with the illustrated ''Eyes of the Cat''. Jodorowsky collaborated with

Milo Manara Maurilio Manara (; born 12 September 1945), known professionally as Milo Manara, is an Italian comic book writer and artist. Career After architecture and painting studies, he made his comics debut in 1969 drawing for ''Genius'', a fumetti neri ...

in ''Borgia'' (2006), a graphic novel about the history of the

House of Borgia The House of Borgia ( ; ; Spanish language, Spanish and ; ) was a Spanish noble family, which rose to prominence during the Italian Renaissance. They were from Xàtiva, Kingdom of Valencia, the surname being a Toponymic surname, toponymic from ...

Psychomagic

Jodorowsky spent almost a decade reconstructing the original form of the

Tarot de Marseille The Tarot of Marseilles is a standard pattern of Italian-suited tarot pack with 78 cards that was very popular in France in the 17th and 18th centuries for playing tarot card games and is still produced today. It was probably created in Milan befo ...

. From this work he moved into more therapeutic work in three areas: psychomagic, psychogenealogy and initiatic massage. Psychomagic aims to heal psychological wounds suffered in life. This therapy is based on the belief that the performance of certain acts can directly act upon the unconscious mind, releasing it from a series of traumas, some of which practitioners of the therapy believe are passed down from generation to generation. Psychogenealogy includes the studying of the patient's personality and family tree in order to best address their specific sources. It is similar, in its phenomenological approach to genealogy, to the

Constellations A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellations were likely defin ...

pioneered by Bert Hellinger. Jodorowsky has several books on his therapeutic methods, including ''Psicomagia: La trampa sagrada'' (''Psychomagic: The Sacred Trap'') and his autobiography, ''La danza de la realidad'' (''

''), which he was filming as a feature-length film in March 2012. To date, he has published more than 23 novels and philosophical treatises, along with dozens of articles and interviews. His books are widely read in Spanish and French, but are for the most part unknown to English-speaking audiences. For a quarter of a century, Jodorowsky held classes and lectures for free, in cafés and universities all over the city of Paris. Typically, such courses or talks would begin on Wednesday evenings as

tarot divination Tarot card reading is a form of cartomancy whereby practitioners use tarot cards to purportedly gain insight into the past, present or future. The process typically begins with formulation of a question, followed by drawing and interpreting cards ...

lessons, and would culminate in an hour-long conference, also free, where at times hundreds of attendees would be treated to live demonstrations of a psychological "arbre généalogique" ("tree of genealogy") involving volunteers from the audience. In these conferences, Jodorowsky would pave the way to building a strong base of students of his philosophy, which deals with understanding the

unconscious Unconscious may refer to: Physiology * Unconsciousness, the lack of consciousness or responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli Psychology * Unconscious mind, the mind operating well outside the attention of the conscious mind a ...

as the "over-self", composed of many generations of family relatives, living or deceased, acting on the

psyche Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" ( ψυχή). Psyche or La Psyché may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unc ...

, well into adult lives, and causing

compulsion Compulsion, Compulsive, Compelling, or Compulsory may refer to: Psychology * Compulsive behavior, a psychological condition in which a person does a behavior compulsively, having an overwhelming feeling that they must do so. * Obsessive–compul ...

s. Of all his work, Jodorowsky considers these activities to be the most important of his life. Though such activities only take place in the insular world of

Parisian café Parisian cafés are a type of café found mainly in Paris, where they can serve as a meeting place, neighborhood hub, conversation matrix, rendez-vous spot, and a place to relax or to refuel for Parisian citizens. Typical Parisian cafés are not ...

s, he has devoted thousands of hours of his life to teaching and helping people "become more conscious," as he puts it. Since 2011 these talks have dwindled to once a month and take place at the Librairie Les Cent Ciels in Paris. His film ''Psychomagic, a Healing Art'' premiered in Lyon on 3 September 2019. It was then released on streaming services on 1 August 2020.

Influences and impact

He has cited the filmmaker

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...

as his primary cinematic influence; other artistic influences included

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

Sergio Leone Sergio Leone ( ; ; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian filmmaker, credited as the pioneer of the spaghetti Western genre. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. Leone's film-making style ...

Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim, ; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, screenwriter, actor, and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of ...

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

George Gurdjieff George Ivanovich Gurdjieff ( – 29 October 1949) was a philosopher, mystic, spiritual teacher, composer, and movements teacher. Born in the Russian Empire, he briefly became a citizen of the First Republic of Armenia after its formation in 1 ...

Antonin Artaud Antoine Maria Joseph Paul Artaud (; ; 4September 18964March 1948), better known as Antonin Artaud, was a French artist who worked across a variety of media. He is best known for his writings, as well as his work in the theatre and cinema. Widely ...

, and

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish and Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

.Leo Braudy
''The World in a Frame''
University of Chicago Press, 2002, p. 73. He has been described as an influence on such figures as

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...

Darren Aronofsky Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American Filmmaking, filmmaker. His films are noted for their surreal, dramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological realism. His accolades include a Golden Lion ...

Taika Waititi Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( ), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. Known for quirky comedy films and expanding his career as a voice actor and producer on numerous projects, he ...

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. Fans included musicians

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and

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, Luke Steele and

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, guitarist of

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, said that the film ''Holy Mountain'' was a big influence on him, especially as a visual artist, and that the concept album ''Lotus Island'' of his band

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was a tribute to it.

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was influenced by Jodorowsky and ''The Holy Mountain'' in the video for her song

911 911, 9/11 or Nine Eleven may refer to: Dates * AD 911 * 911 BC * September 11 ** The 2001 September 11 attacks on the United States by al-Qaeda, commonly referred to as 9/11 ** 11 de Septiembre, Chilean coup d'état in 1973 that ousted the ...

. Danish director

thanks Alejandro Jodorowsky in the ending titles of his 2011 film ''

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,'' and dedicated his 2013 Thai crime thriller, ''

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'', to Jodorowsky. Jodorowsky also appeared in the documentary ''My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn'', directed by Refn's wife Liv, giving the couple a tarot reading. Jodorowsky has influenced the poetic work of his friend Diego Moldes, in two books: ''Ni un día sin poesía'' (''Not One Day Without Poetry'', Madrid, 2018), with a prologue by Alejandro Jodorowsky and in ''Ni una poesía sin día-Not a Poem Without a Day'' (New York, 2023). Argentinean actor Leandro Taub thanks Alejandro Jodorowsky in his book ''La Mente Oculta'', for which Jodorowsky wrote the prologue.

Personal life

Jodorowsky holds both Chilean and French citizenship. His first wife was the actress Valérie Trumblay. They had three sons: Teo, Axel "Cristobal", and Adan. They divorced in 1982. He is currently married to the artist and costume designer Pascale Montandon. He had five children. *

(b. 1962), an actor who worked with his father in ''El Topo'', ''The Dance of Reality'' and ''Endless Poetry'', is the child of Jodorowsky and Bernadette Landru. Brontis has a child, the fashion model

Alma Jodorowsky Alma Jodorowsky (born 26 September 1991) is a French actress, singer, and fashion model. Early life Alma Jodorowsky was born on September 26, 1991 in Paris. Her father Brontis Jodorowsky is the son of Chilean-French filmmaker Alejandro Jodorows ...

, who is the granddaughter of Alejandro. *Teo (d. 1995), who appeared in ''Santa Sangre'', was the eldest child of Jodorowsky and Valérie Trumblay. * Axel Cristóbal (b. 1965, d. 2022), a psychoshaman and an actor (interpreter in ''Santa Sangre'' and the main character in the shamanic documentary ''Quantum Men''), was the second child of Jodorowsky and Valérie Trumblay. *Eugenia Jodorowsky, Jodorowsky's fourth child, is the child of Jodorowsky and an unknown mother. *

(b. 1979), a musician known by his stage name of Adanowsky, was the third child of Jodorowsky and Valérie Trumblay, and Jodorowsky's fifth child overall. On his religious views, Jodorowsky has called himself an "

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

mystic". He does not drink or smoke, and has stated that he does not eat red meat or poultry because he "does not like corpses", basing his diet on vegetables, fruits, grains and occasionally marine products. In 2005, Jodorowsky officiated at the wedding of

and Dita Von Teese.

Criticism and controversy

When Jodorowsky's first feature film, ''Fando y Lis'', premiered at the 1968

Film Festival, the screening was controversial and erupted into a riot, due to its graphic content. Jodorowsky had to leave the theatre by sneaking outside to a waiting limousine, and when the crowd outside the theatre recognized him, the car was pelted with rocks. The following week, the film opened to sell-out crowds in

, but more fights broke out, and the film was banned by the Mexican government. Jodorowsky himself was nearly deported and the controversy provided a great deal of fodder for the Mexican newspapers. In regard to the making of ''El Topo'', Jodorowsky allegedly stated in the early 1970s: In the documentary ''

'', Jodorowsky states: Jodorowsky was criticised for these statements. Matt Brown of

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wrote that "it's easier to wall off a certain type of criminality behind the buffer of time—sure, Alejandro Jodorowsky is on the record in his book on the making of the film as having raped Mara Lorenzo while making El Topo—though he later denied it—but nowadays he's just that hilarious old kook from Jodorowsky's Dune!" Emmet Asher-Perrin of Tor.com called Jodorowsky "an artist who condones rape as a means to an end for the purpose of creating art. A man who seems to believe that rape is something that women 'need' if they can't accept male sexual power on their own".

Jude Doyle Jude Ellison Sady Doyle (formerly known by the pen name Sady Doyle; born June 11, 1982) is an American feminist author. Career In 2005, Doyle graduated from Eugene Lang College. He founded the blog Tiger Beatdown (a punning reference to ''Tiger ...

of ''

Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...

'' wrote that Jodorowsky "has been teasing the idea of an unsimulated rape scene in his cult classic film ''El Topo'' for decades ... though he's elsewhere described the unsimulated sex in that scene as consensual", and went on to state that the quote "has not endangered his status as an avant-garde icon". On 26 June 2017, Jodorowsky released a statement on his

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account in response to the question: "Did you rape an actress during the filming of ''El Topo''?" The following excerpts are from said statement:

Filmography

Acting roles Documentary appearances * '' Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only'' (1991) * ''The Jodorowsky Constellation'' (1994) * ''NWR'' (2012) * ''

'' (2013) * '' My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn'' (2015) * ''Psychomagic, a Healing Art'' (2019)

Bibliography

Selected bibliography of comics, novels and non-fiction writings:

Graphic novels and comics

* ''The Panic Fables'' (; 1967–1970), comic strip published in ''El Heraldo de México''. * ''The Eyes of the Cat'' (1978) * ''The Jealous God'' (1984) * ''The Magical Twins'' (1987) * ''Anibal 5'' (1990) * ''Diosamante'' (1992) * ''Moonface'' (1992) * ''Angel Claws'' (1994) * ''Son of the Gun'' (1995) * ''Madwoman of the Sacred Heart'' (1998) * ''The Shadow's Treasure'' (1999) * ''Bouncer'' (2001) * ''The White Lama'' (2004) * ''Borgia'' (2004) * ''Screaming Planet'' (2006) * ''Le Pape terrible (2009-2019)'' * ''Showman Killer'' (2010) * ''Pietrolino'' (2013) * ''Royal Blood'' (2014) * ''The Son of El Topo'' (2016–2022) * ''Knights of Heliopolis'' (2017)

Jodoverse

Beginning with ''The Incal'' in 1981, Jodorowsky has co-written and produced a series of linked comics series and graphic novels for the French-language market known colloquially as the

. The series was initially developed with

using concepts and designs created for Jodorowky's unfinished ''Dune'' project. * ''

'' (1981–1988) * ''Before the Incal'' (1988–1995) * ''

The Metabarons ''The Metabarons'' () or ''The Saga of the Meta-Barons'' is a science fiction comics series relating the history of a dynasty of perfect warriors known as the Metabarons. ''The Metabarons'' series was written by creator Alejandro Jodorowsky and ...

'' (1992–2003) * ''

'' (1998–2006) * ''Megalex'' (1999–2008) * ''After the Incal'' (2000), incomplete series. * ''Metabarons Genesis: Castaka'' (2007–2013) * ''Weapons of the Metabaron'' (2008) * ''Final Incal'' (2008–2014), revised version of the ''After the Incal'' series with new art and text. * ''The Metabaron'' (2015–2018)

Fiction

Jodorowsky's Spanish-language novels translated into English include: * ''Where the Bird Sings Best'' (1992) * ''Albina and the Dog Men'' (1999) * ''The Son of Black Thursday'' (1999)

Non-fiction

* ''Psychomagic'' (1995) * ''The Dance of Reality'' (2001) * ''The Way of Tarot'' (2004), with Marianne Costa * ''The Spiritual Journey'' (2005) * ''The Manual of Psychomagic'' (2009) * ''Metageneaology'' (2012), with Marianne Costa * ''pascALEjandro: Alchemical Androgynous'' (2017), with Pascale Montandon

References

External links

* *
Jodorowsky publications in ''Métal Hurlant''
BDoubliées

Bedetheque

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