El Topo

It has been said that Jodorowsky's "El Topo" is like a Spaghetti Western directed by Luis Bunuel and who am I to argue, but you may find the excessive blood-letting, copious displays of nudity, (including a seven year-old boy), emphasis on all kinds of physical deformity and some girl-on-girl action more in keeping with an exploitation picture albeit one dressed up in some very fancy new clothes, (at least of the emperor's variety). There is also so much religious imagery and symbolism that it almost verges on the blasphemous.

It's also a movie very much of it's time, (1970). There is no real narrative structure and its surrealism tends towards the psychedelic. It's a product of the drug-culture and its cult reputation stems mainly from those who were high when they first saw it. But there are certainly few films like it, (and any that are were probably directed by Jodorowsky). There are even those who hail it as a masterpiece. The magazine 'Films and Filming' voted it the best film of its year while others may feel it is closer to a Monty Python sketch or an X-rated version of "Blazing Saddles". In the end, it's a film that needs to be experienced; whether or not you 'like' it or even admire it is something else again.