tedg I look forward to Jodorowky's later films. They've been recommended to me by people I trust.But in the meantime, because I've seen this celebration of his greatness, I'm skeptical. Its because the guy sounds dumber than I think his films will be.Its a common phenomenon, I think. Great filmmakers typically say less than enlightening things. Partly, I think it is because they are asked such trivial questions. Also that they have to "explain" themselves so they invent simpleminded stories for general consumption. Perhaps they even believe them. But usually, these folks aren't very articulate verbally. I think that is why they are driven to cinema. Films that change lives can only come from someone fully in the thing, and that comes from urges. There's talent and insight in the mix of course, but its the urge that matters here. The less possible it is for an artist to convey something in words, the more he or she is driven, obsessed, with revealing it in another media.So I expect these interview things to be relatively useless except for perhaps historical reasons. But this one is worse than usual because of the guy's theatrical background. He's created a persona and some trivial catchphrases. He's fully internalized them, and in the end he convinces me that he cannot do anything meaningful.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

christopher-underwood The perfect documentary. It is made by someone fascinated by his subject and includes valuable contributions from people who are able to speak insightfully about the subject. And then it simply lifts off and goes beyond. We begin traditionally enough with Jodorowsky being interviewed, although we should have known something was going on when the first question is, 'Who are you?' After a big smile Joorowsky, first says that the interviewer cannot ask that question and then points out that you have to be dead to be in a position to answer. He has simply not yet reached a position where he can describe himself. One has to smile too because surely this is what all artists are doing; continuing to try to define themselves and their vision, yes? So we proceed, spellbound and there are conversations with the illustrator, Jean Giraud (Moebius), the mime artist, Marcel Marceau for whom Jodorowsky wrote a piece (reprised in Santa Sangre) and even Peter Gabriel although I'm not really sure why. Then from nowhere, we are talking tarot and seminars when the documentary implodes as Jodorowsky strides across a crowded room pointing and heading towards us the viewer. No not us the viewer but Louis Mouchet, the man making the documentary. What happens next is nothing short of extraordinary and further illuminates the 'mad enough to be an artist' - Alejandro Jodorowsky. I should also mention that the clips included in the documentary are those scratchy, bleached images that used to be the only way to see this man's films until the recently released, completely restored gems that are now before us.

MisterWhiplash Alejandro Jodorowsky would be the sort of filmmaker/artist/therapist I might want to have a talk with over a cup of coffee or something about a slew of things he's concerned with- cinema, family, theater, art- but it'd be hard for me to imagine what he would do if I were on a film set with him. He's impulsive, and probably more than a bit crazy, but as one of his old cohorts in abstract art says, he's a disciplined madman with a method to his madness. He sometimes says things that make me think 'what a pretentious guy', like when he says he's hasn't started making films since he's only made six or seven of them. He also replies with a very typical answer for something that's obviously asked as a trick- who are you- with a story of an Emperor in China. But I also think after seeing this that he is a man genuinely happy with his niche in life. He's created all of these films that have been probably even more important for him than for the audience- even the times of failures like the aborted Dune project or Tusk- and he moved on to a kind of weekly group therapy he conducts where he gets people in touch with their 'family tree' and the problems that arise from past generations, one's parents, and in the end one's self. One sees that he went through an "enlightenement" with The Holy Mountain, and controlled his ego through doing the Rainbow Thief and the Moebius comic books, and even through an overlong treatment of the documentary director, Louis Mouchet, and his familial angst, that he's maybe even wiser than he would admit. Not that one doesn't raise an eyebrow when he deals in tarot cards, or never admits that some things are coincidence or luck (but then again he also never says anything about traditional religious institutions either, as part of the anarchy likely deep within him), but he never comes off dis-genuine, and he's even amusing in some of his telling of tales and conducting of group sessions. I may not precisely know who Jodorowsky is, but I have an idea, which is the best that Mouchet can do at any rate.

Afracious This is a fascinating documentary about the Chilean writer, director, artist Alexandro Jodorowsky. The interviewer Louis Mouchet asks Jodorowsky a potpourri of questions about his films, philosophy, art, and his opinion and feelings on a host of subjects. Mouchet begins the interview with the simple, but spellbinding, inquisition: "who are you?", to which Jodorowsky replies with a tale of the Emperor of China. He states that when we can define ourselves we cease to be. He shares with us his thoughts and definitions of his lifelong quest for knowledge and the unknown, and his exploits into the Panic Movement in France, and his drawings and art and how he avoided the lynching by the audience at the premiere of Fando and Lis. There are also interviews with his associates Fernando Arrabal, Marcel Marceau, Jean Giraud and the musician Peter Gabriel. We also learn of his plans of the project of Dune, which fell through and was later made by David Lynch. There is also an interesting and amusing look at Jodorowsky as an orator in a class of students, in which Mouchet is invited to join in. It is a fascinating and enlightening look at the life and works of this creative and artistic guru.