Topo, El (1970)

Director:

Alejandro Jodorowsky

Guionista:

Alejandro Jodorowsky (written by)

Release Date:

15 abril 1971 (Mexico)

Genre:

Western

Frase comercial:

See the naked young Franciscans whipped with cactus. See the bandit leader disemboweled. See the priest ride into the sunset with a midget and her newborn baby. What it all means isn't exactly clear, but you won't forget it.

Plot:

The gunfighter El Topo ("The Mole") and his young son ride through a desert to a village, whose inhabitants have been massacred...

Plot Keywords:

Experimental Film | Lesbianism | Sexual Violence | Bare Butt | Extreme Violence

Awards:

2 wins

Comentarios de los usuarios:

A religious allegorical western of redemption with surrealist imagery.

Cast

Alejandro Jodorowsky	...	El Topo
Brontis Jodorowsky	...	Son of El Topo, as a boy
José Legarreta	...	Dying Man
Alfonso Arau	...	Bandit #1
José Luis Fernández	...	Bandit #2
Alf Junco	...	Bandit #3 (as Alí Junco)
Gerardo Zepeda	...	Bandit #4 (as Gerardo Cepeda)
René Barrera	...	Bandit #5
René Alís	...	Bandit #6
Federico Gonzáles	...	Bandit #7
Vicente Lara	...	Bandit #8
Pablo Leder	...	Monk #1
Giuliano Girini Sasseroli	...	Monk #2
Cristian Merkel	...	Monk #3
Aldo Grumelli	...	Monk #4

También conocida como:

The Gopher
The Mole

Duración:

125 min

País:

Mexico

Idioma:

Español

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (Klangfilm)

Clasificación:

South Korea:18 | France:-16 | Italy:VM18 (1974) | Australia:MA (2007 re-rating) | West Germany:18 | Finland:K-18 | Netherlands:18 | UK:18 | Hong Kong:III | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Estudios América, Mexico City, México D.F., Mexico

Company:

Producciones Panicas

Trivialidades:

The title of the movie and the main character's name are a metaphor of the underground cinema in the sixties. The mole digs holes so as to emerge from the underground to the surface. This was happening with some low-budget movies that quickly gained mainstream popularity.

Quotes:

[first lines]
El Topo: [to his son] You are seven years old. You are a man. Bury your first toy and your mother's picture.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Constellation Jodorowsky, La (1994)

A religious allegorical western of redemption with surrealist imagery.

"El Topo", is probably Jodorowsky's most talked about film next to "Santa Sangre". Like all his films it is bizarre and full of symbolism. El Topo is a cowboy dressed in black. He is out for vengeance, kind of like the Biblical God of the old testament. Him and his son ride through a town of massacred civilians. He wants justice and to win the heart of a girl, Mara. He gives up his only son, in an act that could be looked at like God, or even Abraham. He has to kill seven master gunfighters. After all the violence and carnage, he is injured and taken under the care of cripples, dwarfs and other various misfits. He is reborn, almost like a Bhuddist monk. He becomes like the new testament God, Jesus Christ. El Topo is now like a savior to the oppressed. He vows to dig a tunnel out of the cave so the cripples can live among the villagers. The town is taken over by religious fanatics. Poor villagers are branded with the religious icon by force. An upper class of elitists now dominate the town. "El Topo" is beautiful, and chocked full of violent and disturbing imagery. The film became a popular cult sensation in the early 70's. It was embraced by the likes of John Lennon, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson, Peter Gabriel and Pink Floyd. More recently celebrities like Marilyn Manson and the Coen Brothers have talked about being strongly influenced by Jodorowsky's work. "El Topo" is important, because it was the first midnight movie. If people could forget about "the Rocky Horror Picture Show" just for a second, they'd realize that this is one of the most important cult films. A bizarre and surreal western that can never be imitated. The only 3 surreal westerns I can think of to pre-date "El Topo" that have many similarities are Brazilian director Glauber Rocha's "Black God, White Devil" (1964) and his follow up "Antonio Das Mortes" (1969) and the Italian Spaghetti western "Django, Kill if you Live, Shoot" (1967).