The Holy Mountain [Blu-Ray]

The Holy Mountain is basically the closest thing to tripping on LSD without actually doing it (or so I imagine). The entire film is a hallucinatory journey through a mysterious planet replete with religious, sacrilegious, psychedelic and pop culture iconography. The film follows a Christ-like figure known as the Thief (Jodorowsky) as he's introduced to the planet through a series of bizarre and grotesque rituals such as a tour through a sex toy factory and a pilgrimage to reach the peak of the eponymous Holy Mountain, an ode to Siddhartha and the path of enlightenment. The Thief commences his journey with the aid of seven people who are mortal like him. The magnificent seven are interrelated through the solar system, as each of them portrays certain bizarre characteristics of each planet. Though the film's loose narrative structure may initially throw people off, the film is truly about the abundant surrealist visual imagery, remarkable sets and cinematography. The colourful throng of characters featured are enough to forget the film's premise and fully delve into the world of the bizarre, one that begun with Lewis Carroll's Wonderland and is subverted and fantastically manipulated by Jodorowsky. It has been a long time coming for a Blu-Ray release ― there are message boards that pleaded for it. The Blu-Ray technology infinitely increases the engulfing surrealism of the film by bringing the saturated colours to the forefront and illuminating the quirks and disfigured characters. Watching the film on Blu-Ray adds an element of tangibility to the characters and settings. It's truly a psychedelic experience without even adding weed or any other drug into the mix (though I'm sure most will). It is definitely worth picking this film up on Blu-Ray, especially if you have a home theatre or a way to access a large screen. The Blu-Ray disc includes a wealth of bonus material such as an engaging commentary with the strange Jodorowsky, the process of restoring the film and an interesting photo gallery, with shots from the film that contain original script excerpts.