Zardoz
September 27th, 2006
My first time épater la bourgeoisie: dinner party at my father’s boss’s place, late seventies. I was the misbehaving ten-year old who couldn’t stop whining about the science fiction movie that was going to be on TV, with James Bond! The boss’s wife had a heart and turned it on: Sean Connery in a red leather thong, and then a giant flying head comes floating by and starts talking about the penis is evil and the gun is good.
That was about as far as we got, but it left a lasting impression: movies could wig people out. Even without the boss’s dinner party, Zardoz is great campy midnight fun.
Zardoz. John Boorman, 1974. ***
September 27th, 2006 at 11:29 pm
Perhaps you are being a little kind/
I wrote this in Dec of 2005:
Zardoz (1974), John Boorman, C+
I will take this quote from ArtFilm3000, writing on the imdb: “Does a film have to be “good” to be enjoyed?” That sums it up right there. “Zardoz” is awful, yet I could not turn away. But not in the usual train wreck Ed Wood sorta way. And that is what is key. “Zardoz” has 9 million different interesting themes — preserving mankind’s knowledge, immortality, communism, death as elemental to enjoying life, telekinesis, giant flying stone heads, erections, rape rape and more rape. Unfortunately no one has bothered to sort through any of ‘em. Another cool thing: the shooting style. This is exhibit A for some of those cineastes who claim CGI is ruining the movies. Every dopey thing in this sci-fi epic is actually there on the set. Boorman employs in-camera effects, freeze-frame, slow mo and nutty editing. Also, a lot of projected images within the frame. If triangular mirrors, black rooms and early block computer fonts are your thing (cf. any planetarium from the 1980s) then you gotta check this out. Kitsch-lovers will dig Sean Connery (man, he can be a bad actor some times!) in a tight red loin cloth, showing off his unit, his gut and his hairy back all at once. That and the thunderous voice of Zardoz exclaiming “The penis is bad!!!!” I hardly ever watch movies with commentary tracks anymore, but I feel like I gotta give this one a listen. John Boorman not only directed this fabulous mess, but also wrote and produced it — so it is his baby. He’s made some terrific films (”The General,” “Hope and Glory,” “Deliverance,” “Point Blank”) so I really want to hear how he rationalizes this.