Santa Sangre (1989)

After over 20 years, Severin Films announces the release of Alejandro Jodorowsky's internationally acclaimed 'SANTA SANGRE'. The 1989 production, rarely seen since its U.S. theatrical release, comes to Blu-ray and DVD featuring a restored print of the film's European version as well as 5 hours of Bonus Material.

Jodorowsky exploded onto the international scene in the early 70's with his bizarre sensations 'EL TOPO' and 'HOLY MOUNTAIN'. Endorsed by John Lennon, who released 'EL TOPO's soundtrack on the Beatles Apple label, and embraced by underground culture worldwide, these films redefined movies as both art and entertainment while almost single-handedly creating the 'midnight movie' genre. Legal frustrations with the films' owner (and Beatles' disreputable manager) Allen Klein, as well as a failed attempt to direct a 14-hour movie adaptation of `Dune' starring Orson Welles and Salvador Dali, kept Jodorowsky from making films for 16 years until his triumphant return with 'SANTA SANGRE'.

Blanca Guerra, Guy Stockwell and the filmmaker's sons Axel and Adan Jodorowsky star in this surreal epic about a young circus performer, the crime of passion that shatters his soul, and the macabre journey back to the world of his armless mother, tattooed-strongman father and deaf-mute lover. "This is a movie like none I have seen before," wrote Roger Ebert in his original four-star review, "a wild kaleidoscope of images and outrages, a collision between Freud and Fellini." It contains blood and glory, saints and sinners, drug addicts and dealers, pimps and prostitutes, side-show freaks and the disenfranchised, circuses and churches, the pious and the perverse, as well as other unspeakable secrets of the night. And it's delivered to us wrapped in a parade of bold and flamboyant imagery, with Alejandro Jodorowsky as the circus ringmaster. SANTA SANGRE is a movie in which the inner chambers of the soul are laid bare.

A bizarre love triangle turns deadly when a circus strongman, Orgo, is caught fooling around with a tattooed woman by his wife, Concha, an aerial performer. Incensed, Concha throws acid on him, and Orgo retaliates by sawing off her arms before killing himself. All of this transpires before the eyes of their young son, Fenix (Adan Jodorowsky), who goes insane and is sent to an institution.

Years later, Fenix (now portrayed by Axel Jodorowsky, Adan's older brother, in a fantastic performance) is rescued by his armless mother and returns to the circus. Embittered by the tragic events, Concha now plans revenge, but needs assistance from her emotionally broken son. Violence spawns more violence in this terrifying, color-saturated psychedelic and unforgettable film by a master visionary who is worthy of more recognition than he's ever received. Maybe now?

Bonus Features on the Blu-ray and two-disc DVD include deleted scenes, domestic and international trailers, an audio commentary with Jodorowsky, multiple documentaries, new on-camera interviews with the majority of the film's cast and crew, and the 81-year-old Chilean-born filmmaker/playwright/graphic artist/shaman.

This film must be seen several times to be believed I have never viewed a nightmare brought to life with such conviction, beauty or perversity.

What is a movie? Is it an entertainment? A work of ART? Is a motion picture only a lure to get you to engage in a mass spectacle of consumerism? Is it the catharsis of a crowd in the dark?

Are you an intellectual? Are you passionate? Have you even been interested in Archetypes and Collective unconscience? Do you know that when you take the journey with a story--that that story will always stay with you?

In 1989, a lot of things changed in my life. I really can't explain what they all were, but between August and December of 1989, my hair went from black to white, and I started on the life that I lead today. Then came Santa Sangre.

Allesandro Jodorowsky is what is frequently called a 'visionary' film director. What he is is a wizard and a shaman. Jodorowski is a Jungian psychiatrist who writes comic books and directs movies. He started way back in the sixties, and was actually the first person to direct for the beatle's Apple Corporation. As a result his first film (El Topo) is almost impossible to acquire or see. Like everything from Apple--there is an immense legal battle over it's soul.

And this guy's work has got SOUL that won't quit. Take the little number we are discussing today. Here you have the story of Fenix, raised in a circus by his parents Orgo (a hypnotic knife thrower played by guy stockwell) and Alma(who hangs by her hair and worships at the shrine of HOLY BLOOD hence the film's title.) Fenix cries as his pet elephant dies, gets a tattoo with a bowie knife from a quart jar of ink while biting on a stick,cavorts with a little girl mute tightrope walker, sees his mother's cult of blind women being driven away as their 'shrine' is demolished, and, finally, witnesses his own parents murder suicide over an affair with a tatooed woman. That's all in the prologue..

Vaudeville. Strippers. Murder. Clowns. Dwarfs. The Invisible Man. Chuco hoods. Illusion. Mime (mime?) Chemistry. Madness. Denoument. Samba-ing Down's syndrome children. Reincarnation of painted corpses as ducks or swans. ritual crucifixion. Taxidermy. Every bottle of booze has a dead crow on the label (just something I personally noticed) Ventriloquism. Symbolism.

And it's based on the stories of a real serial killer.

Jodorowski is not slick (although this is by far his slickest work) He is in no way pretentious. This film is bone deep and meant to stop your cognitive process, to derail and reboot your mind.

Allessandro Jodorowski is what we get less of in today's cinema--it is the real deal. A human soul laid bare by art. You might cry when you watch this. You will probably laugh. But if you know what's good for you, you will watch it again.

persevere,

Buy Santa Sangre (1989) Now

Alejandro Jodorowosky has been making films since the 1960s.Though he has made only a handful of films(7 in all),given the quality of "Santa Sangre",a visionary and haunting work,one wishes he was more prolific.It is not possible to describe "Santa Sangre" with due justice within such a small review;the only succinct way of describing it:it as if Pedro Calderon had written "Psycho",or that Alfred Hitchcock had directed "La Vida es Sueno".Influenced by Freudian and Jungian psychoanalysis,the mordant satire and wit of Luis Bunuel and the beautiful baroque pageantry of Fellini,"Santa Sangre" tells the story of a reluctant serial killer(!) controlled by his dominating and insane mother and details his struggle to be liberated from her.The mother worships an imaginary saint,whose hagiography and devotion entails repression,guilt and false self-sacrifice.The son's attempt to attain romantic and sexual normalcy achieves(surprisingly,given the subject matter)much pathos.The ending is transcendent and the film contains many memorable images.Despite the criticisms leveled against the film's violence,"Santa Sangre" is not gory-it artfully suggests rather than explicates.However,if your idea of cinematic excellence are movies like:"The Towering Inferno","Terms of Endearment" or "Ghost"-then probably this film is not for you.However,if films like:"The Exterminating Angel",Satyricon",The Devils" and "Wild at Heart" are for you compelling and important works of art,then "Santa Sangre" is definitely to be experienced.

Read Best Reviews of Santa Sangre (1989) Here

Wow,this film blew me away the first time I saw it. It is 10 times easier to watch than El Topo and 1000 times easier to watch than Holy Mountain (by the same director). Although as disturbing as the aforementioned, it maintains a discernable plot along with the surreal imagery for which Alejandro Jodorowsky is best known. It is a strange story with bleeding elephant, circus performers (i hate clowns and the circus, but the presentation in this film made it easy to watch), a fully tatooed woman, cult religion which worships an armless saint, a crazed mother with a son who is obviously too attached to mama, and a visually disturbing rite of passage into manhood. All of the nightmarish scenery is somehow manipulated through the camera by mr. jodorowsky to bring us a beautifully disturbing film with a wonderful story and a great plot twist ending. Not for all people, but if you are sick of the loads of big-budget schlock that really has no redeeming value like I am then this will come as a nice and refreshing suprise to you.

I am also a big Evil Dead fan so I must be right about this one! (Evil Dead is in no way similar to this film with the exception of maybe the gore)

Want Santa Sangre (1989) Discount?

The first time I watched this film I was completely taken aback by something that has never happened to me before while watching a movie: at the midpoint of the film I could not guess what was going to happen next! In every other film I had seen to that point I could always make a good guess on where the plot was going, and what could be expected of the main charater(s). Not in this movie! And that alone to me made the movie that much more worthwhile and enjoyable. I am a great fan of what little work of Jodorowsky's that I've seen and read, he has an insight on humanity that would frighten many, but the truth will do that.

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