I think sometimes we take our master filmmakers for granted.
I think it comes from our somewhat misconstrued idea that with old age comes a deterioration of an artist work, even though even in the past few years we’ve seen elder stateswomen and men such as Martin Scorsese, Agnes Varda, Claire Denis and Steven Spielberg put out some of their best, most personal work during the latter part of their careers. Alejandro Jodorowsky is no different.
After shaking the world with two of his undeniable masterpieces (El Topo and The Holy Mountain) and essentially inventing the midnight movie as we know it today, Jodorowsky would have a hard time getting projects made, most (in?) famously his adaption of Frank Herbert’s Dune, which became the subject for the great documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune. The release of Jodorowsky’s Dune saw the near simultaneous release of Jodorowsky’s first film in 23 years, The Dance of Reality. A surreal and sumptuous biopic about his childhood in Chile with his own son Brontis Jodorowsky portraying his father. Jodorowsky continues the exploration of his youth in the upcoming Endless Poetry, the second in a planned five part series about his life. The movie was partially funded by a ($442,313) Kickstarter campaign where people gave money in exchange for “Poetic Money.” Judging by the trailer we are in for another deeply engaging—yet simultaneously alienating work—from the master of shamanistic psychedelia himself. However it looks like in his late years he’s digging even deeper down to give us personal stories about someone who’s thought to be so enigmatic.
Endless Poetry will be released nationwide July 24th, 2017.
Dance of Reality and Jodorowsky’s Dune both screened in 2014 as part of the International Arthouse Series that year.
David Carter is a film lover and a menace. He plays jazz from time to time but asks you not to hold that against him. His taste in movies bounces from Speed Racer to The Holy Mountain and everything in between.