Alejandro Jodorowsky is doubtlessly one of the most unique directors in the history of motion pictures. I guess I am not alone by stating that his brilliantly bizarre midnight movie milestone "El Topo" of 1970, the surrealist masterpiece "The Holy Mountain" (1973) and the stunning "Santa Sangre" (1989) all rank among my favorite films, and that there is hardly another living filmmaker I respect as deeply as Jodorowsky. Made eleven years before his impressive feature length debut "Fando y Lis" (1968), Jodorowsky's first film "La Cravate" (aka. "Les têtes interverties"/"The Severed Heads") of 1957 is a delightful surrealist silent short, which was long considered a lost film. While this film may not be as essential as "El Topo" and "The Holy Mountain" it is definitely a highly memorable film for lovers of surreal avant-garde cinema and Jodorowsky fans in particular. Jodorowsky made this film when he was in Paris, where he had joined the troupe of celebrated pantomime Marcel Marceau in 1954, and become a part of the surrealist movement.
I don't want to get into detail about the plot, so I'll just say this much - the film is a surreal mixture of Fantasy and bizarre love-story which revolves around the possibility of exchanging one's head... The film is set in (a painted) Paris, the characters are entirely bizarre, and some of them very lovable. Jodorowsky himself plays the leading character, and, in his comical costume with a huge collar, has barely any resemblance to the full-bearded gunslinger he would play in "El Topo". The film also stars Jodorowsky's future wife Denise Brossot and American actor Saul Gilbert. Gilbert died shortly thereafter, and his wife, who was from Germany, took the only copy home with her after his death. The film then disappeared in an attic for almost half a century, until it was rediscovered in 2006. How lucky for us! Compared to Jodorowsky's later films "La Cravate" - the original title refers to the tie worn by Jodorowsky's character - is very harmless and innocent, which also makes it a nice contrast to his other films. While his feature length debut "Fando Y Lis" of 1968 is in black and white, this 1957 debut short is very colorful, by the way. All things considered, this is a worthy debut of a cinematic genius, a great short film, and an absolute must for my fellow Jodorowsky-fans.
