El Topo

Alejandro Jodorowsky didn't invent the midnight movie or the "head" film, but his allegorical head-trip of a Western "El Topo" (1971) defined the spirit of both so perfectly we might as well hand him the credit for both. The metaphysical odyssey of a mystic gunfighter (played by Jodorowsky) is a counterculture spiritual trip by way of a spaghetti Western on acid, a tale of revenge and redemption painted in blood and flesh and mud and sex. It's surreal and grotesque and obscure and you love it or you don't. It was a mainstream flop but a midnight-movie success and thus Jodorowsky was handed a big budget for his next production, the even more metaphysical mix of the sacred and the profane, "The Holy Mountain" (1973). After years of requests, "El Topo" and "The Holy Mountain" make their DVD debuts, both available separately (each with commentary by and video interviews with Jodorowsky) and in packed box sets that also feature his scandalous, banned-in-Mexico debut feature "Fando and Lis" (1968) and his recently rediscovered debut short "La Cravate" (1957). The six-disc set also features the documentary "Constellation Jodorowsky" and CD soundtracks for "El Topo" and "The Holy Mountain."