Renowned cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky is currently part of IMMA’s As Above So Below exhibition. After hearing the title, Jodorowsky agreed to allow some of his work to be featured, including a screening of 1973’s The Holy Mountain at the IFI.
Among comics, seagulls and tarot cards, one of the most interesting pieces is a short video of Jodorowsky sharing his spirituality, “Psychomagic.” The viewer sees him in command of crowds in theatres and conference halls, getting them up, dancing, shouting, hugging and carrying one another. In this rare glimpse at his teaching, one cannot help but be reminded of theatre games and warm-ups. Jodorowsky’s first love was theatre—he started a theatrical troupe, Teatro Mimico at eighteen and directed and wrote many works, before going to study mime in Paris. His techniques with the crowd are rooted in vocalization, movement, community creation and ultimately, finding self-confidence. Seeing a clip like this reassures that Jodorowsky is not just a director of actors or an actor himself, but someone who also spiritually directs people.
The clip highlights his transition from the stage to screen, something evident in all his movies. Acting in a Jodorowsky film is over-expressive, more for a back row theatre audience than a camera crew. His movies almost always feature mime and clowning, even when these don’t “add” much to the plot. He also often leads his own set and costume design. Many of the most striking interior sets in The Holy Mountain are large, colourful “flats” (flat wood sheets with supports), a theatre staple. Another example is Endless Poetry’s Café Iris, the bar is laid out as if on a square stage as opposed to a “real” bar in a city. This entire set could be lifted onstage and be at home there.
At 85, Jodorowsky is still directing films, and now his whole family is involved: His sons all act—notably Brontis Jodorowsky, who plays Alejandro’s abusive father in his autobiopic series. Such a role must be particularly emotionally challenging, but he takes it in his stride. Another son, musician Adan Jodorowsky (also known as “Adanowksky”) composes the film’s soundtracks. His wife, Pascale Montandon, leads costumes. In Jodorowsky’s own words, they are like a family circus troupe, again, harkening back to a world beyond the screen.
Furthermore, the exhibition displays some of Jodorowsky’s comics, which in a way are like printed theatre, or films. Comics are his most frequent and profitable medium. In the 1960s, he created a weekly strip called Fabulas Panicas for one of Mexico’s leading newspapers. He has continued creating comics throughout his career, the most famous being a serialized world, The Jodoverse. These stories often have mystical themes, similar to his movies and spiritual teachings themselves. They are also blended with sci-fi—which due to funding, Jodorowsky has yet to do onscreen (see Jodorowsky’s Dune to learn about greatest sci-fi film never made). In seeing the pages displayed at IMMA, they have the same cinematic nuances as his films: surrealist scenarios but with an infinite budget to create effects and characters that are too expensive in a film.
It’s impossible to pin down Jodorowsky as a director (of film, or theatre?), spiritual guide, actor, comic creator, writer—and the list goes on… Above all else, he is an artist. “All my comics, all my movies, they are the starting of a change in all levels” he has said, and that change is the combining of genres and techniques. Despite this, one of the most endearing things about Jodorowsky is his lack of artistic ego. He is confident in himself, but not to the extent that he must be treated as anything other than a human being. Perhaps this comes from never being commercially accepted by the mainstream. His most recent film, Endless Poetry was mostly crowd funded, partially through online tarot readings where he would often use his cat’s tail to “bless” the cards.
His pieces at IMMA give a glimpse into the great variety in his career. Be it in film, theatre, publications or spirituality, Jodorowsky continues to bring magic in many forms.
As Above So Below continues at IMMA until 27th August 2017.
