Fando & Lis
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Movie Reviews of Fando & Lis
Movie Review: Whimsical and spooky
Summary: 4 Stars
Ever since I first heard about Alejandro Jodorowsky's "El Topo," I wanted to see it. Supposedly on the surface a spaghetti western, but so much more underneath, the movie sounded delightfully bizarre in a way I often enjoy. Well, I have not gotten a chance to see this movie yet since it has not come out on DVD. When I saw the opportunity to watch "Fando and Lis," an earlier film from the same director, I grabbed the chance figuring that something was better than nothing. I was wrong. While "Fando and Lis" does contain some interesting scenes, this Jodorowsky picture dwells deep in the land of surrealism. Nonsensical films do not usually bother me as long as there is some sort of touchstone to hang your hat on. A director can take his project completely over the top as long as a plot exists somewhere under the madness. This is the central problem of "Fando and Lis." The film, a totally improvised production based on memory and a one-page synopsis of a play written by Francisco Arrabal, never makes a bit of sense. It's theater of the absurd time here, folks, so prepare for the ultimate in weirdness. Fortunately, the disc also contains "Constellation Jodorowsky," a documentary about the filmmaker and artist that follows a more traditional approach to storytelling."Fando and Lis" tells the story of, predictably, Fando (Sergio Kleiner) and his main squeeze Lis (Diana Mariscal) in glorious black and white photography. The two live in a post-apocalyptic world, in an environment of desert climes and shattered cities. Earth as we know it is gone, so Fando and Lis begin a quest for the mythical city of Tar, a city that seems to promise hope and regeneration for the weary couple. The only possessions they have appear to be a drum, a phonograph, and a wooden cart in which Lis serenely rides. She cannot walk, for some reason, so her man pushes her around wherever they go. The two are a temperamental pair, with Fando often tiring of dealing with Lis's constant complaints. All of this information is the only thing we know for sure about the movie. You see, "Fando and Lis" soon embarks on a bizarre odyssey of disjointed scenes, sparse scenery, and downright odd secondary characters. Never before has such an incoherent movie found its way to my DVD player. And you thought Luis Bunuel or Salvador Dali were weird. Until you check out Jodorowsky, you ain't seen nothing yet. This movie would give Sigmund Freud a nervous breakdown.
I can offer no ample explanations for the unfolding silliness. Scenes and situations include a piano on fire collapsing and then reconstituting itself only to collapse again, a bunch of people rolling about in the mud while a religious figure cackles madly in the background, and a bunch of old ladies sitting around a table eating something that looks like eggs while a guy in a diaper lurches around in the background. You get more, such as a blindfolded Fando led around by women, a scene in which some strange guy drains blood from Lis's arm into a wine glass, and a funeral scene where Fando's mother lies down in her grave. Are you still here? Good, because I have not described my favorite scene yet. It's just as unfathomable as any other situation in the film, but it's so ridiculous that it bears mentioning. At one point, Fando stumbles over a bunch of Amazonian type women who chase him around a craggy hill while knocking him down with bowling balls. Yep, you heard right-bowling balls. Just when Fando thinks he has escaped these wacky women, another bowling ball comes crashing down a hill and fells our hero like he's a pin. Jodorowsky missed out on really giving the scene meaning by failing to shod these gals with bowling shoes. As for the music score, you have to listen to it yourself to believe how peculiar it is.
What could this madness possibly imply? Good luck figuring it all out. As far as I can tell, the film means whatever you want it to mean. I would not worry too much about extracting a coherent theme from "Fando and Lis" unless you want to end up in a rubber room for a few years. What really threw me for a loop was how much I enjoyed specific parts of the movie. I usually despise films this whimsical, but Jodorowsky's vision occasionally possessed a certain charm that made the whole thing worthwhile. That scene with the paint was interesting, as was the couple posing over tombstones. Yet, I would never attempt to recommend the movie to anyone else. It's way too abnormal for you to take my word that you should possibly watch the picture. You have to decide yourself whether to dive in to Jodorowsky's film
"Constellation Jodorowsky" is a bit easier on the eyes and ears. The documentary runs nearly as long as "Fando and Lis." Consisting of lengthy interviews with the director about such diverse subjects as life, philosophy, and theology, "Constellation" shows us what the filmmaker does with his time nowadays. Apparently, he teaches some course at a university where he tosses off lots of new age aphorisms to a docile audience. These scenes run far too long and take away from the more interesting segments, namely the discussion about Frank Herbert's "Dune." Incredibly, Jodorowsky nearly directed the film adaptation of the book, going so far as to hire an artist to draw storyboards. His plans for "Dune" looked fabulous; it's too bad the project went to David Lynch. Only purveyors of atypical cinema should check out this disc. For me, I am still waiting for "El Topo" to come out on DVD.
Movie Review: Surrealistic treasure found.
Summary: 4 Stars
Based on the Fernando Arrabal's play, "Fando y Lis" is a journey of tortuous love in the middle of an unreal puzzle. Doomed by the controversy, it was banned just after the release in the Acapulco Festival (1967). Now it's available on DVD, a perfect oportunity (to many of us) to watch for the very first time this movie.
Warning: (no fake blood were used in this film)
Movie Review: Surreal road story
Summary: 3 Stars
This is Jodorowsky's first full length feature film from 1968, which is something of a homage to the silent era of films, as well as to films by surrealists, such as Luis Bunuel (Un chien andalou,1929) . In 1957 he did direct a short film, "Les tetes interverties" which was a mime adaptation of Thomas Mann's 1940's play "The Transposed Heads" (La Cravae, The Transposed Heads, The Severed Heads).
"Fando Y Lis" is a road story, which follows Fando, and his paraplegic sweetheart Lis, through urban rubble, and desert badlands, looking for an unattainable, enchanted city, called Tar. This surreal adventure is full of odd events and unusual people. There are some cinematically interesting shots where where time is reversed, such as when a charred piano appears to be animated to life after crumbling to the ground, or when a doll is unburied from its grave of dirt. This later sequence reminded me of a scene from "Vampyr", where a shadow of a grave digger has the earth falling back onto his shovel. Jodorowsky's film is largely linear, but it does have these passages where time reverses that emphasizes the dreamlike, nonlinear, or surreal aspect of the story.
Jodoroswky has influenced other directors, including David Lynch (Eraserhead), and E. Elias Merhige (Begotten). He later followed this film with several others, including "El Topo" (1970), and "The Holy Mountain" (1973). "The Rainbow Thief" is scheduled to be released in 2010, which will star Nick Nolte, Asia Argento, and Marilyn Manson.
Movie Review: Avante Garde cinema takes more than casual viewing
Summary: 3 Stars
I find the basic dilemma in watching any avante garde cinema, especially that which came out in the 50's and 60's is that one truly cannot evaluate it based on any objective criteria. Some might say this is true of any and all film, but upon watching "Fando & Lis" I discovered that I had very little to say beyond how I personally "experienced" the film.If you watch the accompanying documentary, "Constellation Jodorowosky," you might begin to understand the intent and the context of such films. This, however, does not mean you will understand the film itself. Not quite "theater of the absurd," not quite true surrealism, this is what I like to call "theater of the question mark." Upon watching it, you may find yourself with many questions that can only be "answered" by watching it or experiencing it again.
I have not seen all of Jodorowsky's opus, but there might be an opportunity for critique in comparing his works. I commend this film for the experiment of watching it. Should you desire more experiences like it, watch on!
Movie Review: Utterly Bizarre
Summary: 2 Stars
When Alejandro Jodorowsky's debut Fando y Lis was originally released back in 1967, a full-scale riot broke out in the audience, the director barely escaped the theater with his life, and the film was banned. That has got be the best, most intriguing publicity I have ever heard of any picture receiving. Of course, when I heard about this, I simply had to see it. I mean, what could this film possibly contain that could provoke such an extreme reaction?
After watching it, I honestly have to say that I really don't know.
Fando y Lis is by far the strangest, most bizarre film I have ever seen. There is no cohesive narrative, no coherent style, and in the end, no real point. The movie feels like some incredibly strange spawn of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Eraserhead, and 8 1/2, though it is very different (and far more bizarre) than any of those films. This is an art house flick, through and through. Fiercely experimental and filmed on a shoestring budget, its unbelievably loose (almost non-existent) plot follows Fando and his half-paralyzed girlfriend Lis as they search a wasteland inhabited by hoards of...erm...interesting characters for the mythical city of Tar, a paradise on Earth. Or are they even on Earth? In this film, nothing is for certain.
When one watches an obtuse art film such as Fando y Lis, one's first reaction is most likely to try and decipher it and unlock its "message" or "meaning", so to speak. However, there is no such thing in Fando. Jodorowsky himself said that he finds what he doesn't understand to interest him the most, so in reality, no one is going to understand this film, because I'm not really even sure there is anything to understand.
That said, there are still some rather intriguing visuals and scenes in Fando, such as an incredibly striking sequence involving black paint (at least I think it's black paint - the black and white cinematography makes it hard to tell). Actually, this brings me to the point of the cinematography, which, in my opinion, is the most unsettling aspect of the film. Though it was filmed in the 1960s, the black and white is bleached and brightened to an uncomfortable degree, giving one the impression that the film was shot in 1920s. For some reason, it gives the whole picture something of a disturbing aura.
Unfortunately, the fact that this is Jodorowsky's first film really shows. The whole thing seems more like a big experiment than anything else, and some rather amateur editing and borderline laughable sequences ruin a lot of the interesting segments. That's not to say the film is without worth; it makes for a rather interesting watch. But overall, it just feels like a heavily experimental student film with no real purpose. It can be hard to sit through occasionally, but at 93 minutes, it doesn't drag for too long, and it is worth viewing if only for its historical value.