Before he made El Topo and The Holy Mountain, Alejandro Jodorowsky made his feature directorial debut with Fando y Lis, which became "a great scandal," according to the filmmaker.
In our exclusive clip from Alejandro Jodorowsky's 4K Restoration Collection, which will be available on Friday, September 18, 2020 from Abkco, Jodorowsky explains that he always wanted to show his first film in Hollywood, 'the land of cowboys.' The distributor, however, cut the picture against his wishes. He also recalls a particularly brutal review by The New York Times, leading to a premiere in Mexico City that was, er, not well received; a big-name director threatened to kill him!
Watch the clip below to see the filmmaker's reaction to all the harsh criticism. Alejandro Jodorowsky's 4K Restoration Collection will include his latest, Psychomagic, A Healing Art, as well as 4K restorations of El Topo, The Holy Mountain, and Fando y Lis. Per an official release:
"Loaded with extras and ephemera, the box set features a 78-page book with photos and essays, a set of art cards together with four Blu-ray discs, and two CDs housed in a high-quality case.
"At the age of 91, Jodorowsky is as relevant as he's ever been. In addition to completing Psychomagic, A Healing Art, he supervised the color correction of the 4K restorations of his essential films using the original 35mm elements, with vibrant results. El Topo is presented in 1:33:1 aspect ratio as it was originally shown in 1970. It is also available for the first time in 1:85:1 widescreen. Jodorowsky originally envisioned the film with this aspect ratio as an homage to Sergio Leone, and a half-century later, that dream has finally been fulfilled."
It all sounds quite fabulous, and I'm sure that the legion of Jodorowsky fans are, even now, digging through their couch cushions and/or selling vital bodily organs to find the money to get this deluxe set for themselves.
Watch the clip, plus another video on the set as a whole, below. Learn more about the set, and where to buy it, at the official Abkco site.