El Topo (1970)

Especially for Pride, a couple of guest curators of other programmes in Melkweg have selected an inspiring film, with a short introduction. Amber Vineyard chooses the psychedelic western El Topo from 1970, after House of Vineyard in UP.

After saving a woman from the clutches of a gang of bandits in the desert, the black-clad avenger El Topo (Jodorowsky himself) sets out to eliminate four infamous gunslingers. He awakes four years later, having been shot, in a cave complex inhabited by a community of misshapen people who worship him as their god. El Topo gets to work to lead ‘his’ people to freedom.

So much for the bare synopsis, which in no way does justice to what Jodorowsky presents audiences with in his second film (now in colour): an overflowing grab bag of religious and mythological symbols in the style of a baroque, surrealist and über-violent spaghetti western. John Lennon was so impressed by the film that he persuaded Beatles manager Allen Klein to buy the rights and further invest in Jodorowsky's next head trip, The Holy Mountain (which was selected by Amber Vineyard last year).

Melkweg often hosts different types of programmes at the same time, such as concerts, club nights and films. Please note that there may occasionally be some noise pollution from other programmes during the screening.