EL TOPO (1970) | Alejandro Jodorowsky, Part 2

Cinema Shock

In the 2nd part of our series on Alejandro Jodorowsky, we'll discuss the creation and release of the controversial director's most notorious film, EL TOPO.

With EL TOPO, Jodorowsky effectively invented the Midnight Movie as we know it. In this episode, not only will we recount the history of EL TOPO's production, but also a short history of the Midnight Movie circuit of the early 1970s, including the introduction of its chief architect, the legendary Ben Barenholtz!

Trigger Warning: This episode includes a discussion of sexual assault.

Show Notes:

📰Read: Is 'El Topo' A Con? by Vincent Candy (The New York Times, 1971): https://www.nytimes.com/1971/05/23/archives/is-el-topo-a-con-is-el-topo-a-con.html

📰Read: Should 'El Topo' Be Elevated to 'El Tops'? by Peter Schjeldahl (The New York Times, 1971): https://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/06/archives/should-el-topo-be-elevated-to-el-tops.html

Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.

This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, and Todd A. Davis.