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rumz wrote:Not new news, per se, but evidence that the ball is still rolling:

Controversial Chilean-born cult director Alejandro Jodorowsky will attend the 44th New York Film Festival to present two of his most famous films, El Topo and The Holy Mountain in the Special Events section of the festival. The films, originally made in the 1970's in Mexico, have been fully restored and remastered under close supervision by Jodorowsky, and are being premiered at the Festival in advance of their release on DVD early next year.

\:D/
Is anybody from new york, or anybody attending this years fest going to check this out?
interested to find out what Jodorowsky has to say this time around. (also if any of the minor glitches noticed in the remasterd print shown at cannes have been fixed)

Bob Scramento wrote:interested to find out what Jodorowsky has to say this time around.

As am I, and I predict it will be totally incomprehensible.

The new issue of Film Comment is running a brief review / reconsideration of El Topo by Alex Cox, and he makes the brief and very non-detailed observation, "Now El Topo is being re-released on DVD. How does it stand the test of time?"

I'm going to both El Topo and Holy Mountain at NYFF, so will report back after smoking a few joints.

I saw El Topo at NYFF tonight with Jodorowsky present.

It was digitally projected and accordingly looked very video-y and television-y. To me, hideous, but that's just me. I'm sure it will look fine as a DVD, but it is disappointing that they can't tour a film print. Some of the brighter colors looked way too garish, shiny and neon-y, but that may just have been a function of the projection. Sound and image were crisp.

Jodorowsky was coherent and fun, especially for an 80-year old. He said little worth reporting, although I was not previously aware that "Tusk" was inspired by the region between his genitals and a**hole. The DVDs of Topo, Mountain and Fando will be out next year, but possibly not until fall 2007. El Topo will run at IFC Center in NYC in December, presumably in digital projection.

Barmy wrote:I saw this tonight with Jodorowsky present.

It was digitally projected and accordingly looked very video-y and television-y. To me, hideous, but that's just me. I'm sure it will look fine as a DVD, but it is disappointing that they can't tour a film print. Some of the brighter colors looked way too garish, shiny and neon-y, but that may just have been a function of the projection. Sound and image were crisp.

...

El Topo will run at IFC Center in NYC in December, presumably in digital projection.

Barmy have you seen any other features in IFC that were NOT projected by this hideous, hideous, hideous means? I ask because the only other film I saw at this particular house (not inlcuding, of course, it's prior incarnation as Waverly Th.) was projected by the same way. (Made even worse by the fact that this was my single viewing of Pennebakers DAYBREAK EXPRESS.) HORRIBLE. Who's fucking bright idea was it to start beaming flicks this way? It destroys every hint of celluloid in the image to me, it destroys the quality of the digital telecine to make the damned disc inna first place... and is a flat out cheap shit no account dung heap of entertainment logistics for which I refuse to pay full ticket price for ever again. Glad I didn't get suckered into that showing.

What is this, some ripoff midroad way of making ticket money on direct-to-home-video releases before they go to home video? They look better on your fucking tube television. How cheap can you be?

Barmy wrote:The DVDs of Topo, Mountain and Fando will be out next year, but possibly not until fall 2007.

Did he specify if it was going to be Criterion, personally distributed by Klein or otherwise? Thanks for the report.

I was sortve assuming it'd be coming from these ABKO guys. If it was sitting in the Janus library you can bet your lymphs they would have delivered reels to project... especially if the showing was one the frickin director was only merely coincidentally there in person for Q&A on this long awaited resto/rerelease!

Really hope these dudes don't screw the discs up like they are by putting the film on the road.

It's not going to be Criterion, it's going to be Klein. It sounded like there would be extras--AJ mentioned an early short involving pantomime, as well as boxes of footage that he turned over.

I forgot to mention that El Topo had ugly yellow subtitles in the shittiest typography imaginable.

Otherwise the remastering looks very good, although as I mentioned I had some concern about overly bright colors.

Regarding digital projection, it is an abomination. I would rather see a scratchy old film print. IFC sometimes does this, but rarely.

Nevertheless, this stuff is coming out a year from now.

Barmy wrote:It's not going to be Criterion, it's going to be Klein. It sounded like there would be extras--AJ mentioned an early short involving pantomime, as well as boxes of footage that he turned over.

From what I have heard, ABKO wanted to release these films through another company because they are not set up to release DVD's (or something to that effect)

All AJ mentioned was Klein, Klein, Klein. It seems likely that it would be distrbuted through someone else, but Criterion wasn't mentioned.

Tonight I saw Holy Mountain in a stunning 35mm print that I hope goes on tour. I'm almost ready to forgive the NYFF for digitally projecting El Topo.

O got a bit confused, I thought you saw Topo in IFC via digital projection, not NYFF. The time I was talking about where I saw DAYBREAK & another feature via that method was at IFC.

So HOLY M was projected from restored reels at NYFF last nite?

Barmy wrote:AJ mentioned an early short involving pantomime

That would be this one. Very glad this is going to be included. Very rare stuff!

To clarify, El Topo showed at NYFF in digital projection. They mentioned it would run at IFC in December. I am assuming that at IFC it will be the same digital projection, but I'm not sure.

Holy Mountain showed at NYFF in 35mm. The print looked pretty new.

OK, I wanted something like official confirmation. Now I have it, and thanks to Ain't it Cool News, you can read it here:

[quote]NYFF...

Alejandro Jodorowsky, the greatest living filmmaker, graced New York City for the first screenings of his masterpieces “El Topoâ€

The first half of that first sentence is very funny...

I totally agree.

Jodorowsky creates intricate set-pieces the way fat people stack pancakes

now THAT, my friends, is film writing.

I just got an email about this:

El Topo on DVD

Sounds fishy, any ideas?

*just noticed it has Japanese subs, it must be a boot*

Euro Cult is a notorious bootleg company. Wait for an official release.

(sigh) Everytime I see a new post in this thread, my heart sinks...

We just got those EuroCult Dvds of El Topo and Holy Mountain in at work (Amoeba Music). We're selling them for only $10. I was thinking of picking up Holy Mountain with my discount, anybody know the quality of those discs?

From ABKCO press release:

For the first time ever, a special DVD collector's box set is to be released in stores in April. The collectors set will include newly remastered versions of El Topo, The Holy Mountain and Fando Y Lis. Extras include director's commentary tracks, a special CD of the soundtrack from the films, previously unseen footage, and much, much more.

Lino wrote:Euro Cult is a notorious bootleg company. Wait for an official release.

(sigh) Everytime I see a new post in this thread, my heart sinks...

It didn't sound right. After all the work it sounds like has been put into the new transfers of these, there's no way a good copy could be had for $13. I'll gladly pay Criterion prices for these when they appear.