A lot of times you'll see movies that a look a lot like all too many other movies you've seen before. Odd-couple buddy cops, one last heist, boy meets girl who hates him at first, the "chosen one" heroic quest, band of dysfunctional misfits who learn to pull together and triumph . . .
Every now and then, though, along comes a film that resembles nothing, an entirely singular work of inspiration. One such movie, on revival this month, is Alejandro Jodorowsky's "El Topo" ("The Mole"), the cult classic from 1970 that was pulled from distribution for decades.
Jodorowsky's film — best described as a kind of mystical spaghetti-Western- cum-psychedelic exploitation flick — was one of the original midnight movies, playing to acid-tripping freaks and assorted lowlifes at NYC's Elgin Theater at late-night screenings until John Lennon and Yoko Ono saw it — several times — and directed Lennon's manager, Allen Klein, to cut a deal with the director.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.