A Few Words About A few words about...™ Zardoz -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

Having never consumed Peyote, I can't be certain that a film like Zardoz is what such consumption might create, but it seems like a good bet.


There are those who love John Boorman's 23rd century drama, starring a continuously bemused looking Sean Connery. He always appears to be thinking, "have I wandered on to the wrong set?"


I'm not one of those aficionados of Zardoz, but I can understand those who are.


What's important here, is that Fox has deemed the film worthy of a quality transfer, which means that Twilight Time's new Blu-ray represents the film well.


Is Zardoz the ultimate trip? Don't know.


Image - 4.25


Audio 4.5


Pass / Fail - Pass


RAH

..some films do boggle the mind!

I'm just not a fan of this either, though I have read that the commentary track is amusing, but that's not enough to get me to buy it.

One of those films I have seen once and that will do for me. I recently had the same experience watching The Final Programme which is actually much worse than Zardoz.

Happy to hear that the film gets good marks from RAH.


My copy is in transit. With any luck I'll be visiting the Vortex this weekend.


- Walter.

By way of doing penance for non-attendance in 1974, I blindly pre-ordered this one in full expectation that my mind will be boggled (possibly even altered) and that my life will now...finally...be complete.

Been a while, but I love freaky movies like this. Jordorosky kind of stuff. I like being boggled whenever possible.

Yeah, Zardoz is a bit of a mess. Still, it's a wildly-original mess and I love Boorman for trying. You just don't see studios taking many risks on films like that these days. I enjoy it for what it is. Not sure I'd buy the Blu-ray unless I got a good deal on it but I'm sure there are plenty of folks who will. Glad that Twilight Time makes the effort to release these films that would otherwise never get a Blu-ray. It may be the "twilight time" of physical media as far as the majors are concerned, but it's a great time for releases from smaller outfits like Twilight Time, Grindhouse Releasing, Shout! Factory, and Arrow. Bless them.

It's on DVDBeaver: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-ray_reviews_67/zardoz_blu-ray.htm

Looks good. I like the actress with the freckles, something else yo don't see so much these day. how unperfect! lol

Radioman970 said:

Looks good. I like the actress with the freckles, something else yo don't see so much these day. how unperfect! lol

Click to expand...

Sara Kestelman. And doesn't she look...uhm...fetching in a codpiece too!


What a sport...

she absolutely does! you know, I stopped looking up actors for now since all the ones I do seem to be dead and gone. glad she's still active.

Sara, Charlotte, or Sean - or Mr. Boorman himself - would be a great coup for an autograph session.

I'm so glad that Sean Connery got fed up with being typecast as 007 and in a couple of years starred as red diaper Zed, a Muslim terrorist (The Wind and The Lion), and as a uppidy British soldier (The Man Who Would Be King).


I have the BRD of The Wind and The Lion and may get the one for Man Who Would Be King. I'm thinking I'll stay with my old DVD for Zardoz though.

don't forget a really cool king in Time Bandits! I'd want to be his son too!!

As I've posted elsewhere, the late 60s, early to mid 70s was an interesting time in sci-fi fantasy cinema. I have lots of old issues of CINEFANTASTIQUE (and only wish I still had my old STARLOG and FAMOUS MONSTERS issues) to reflect on it. Fantastic Planet, A Boy And His Dog, Phase IV, Wizards, Silent Running, The Andromeda Strain (!), Soylent Green, A Clockwork Orange, Dark Star, Quatermass and the Pit, The Last Days of Man On Earth, Westworld (yes, I still love this film, if only for Yul Brynner and Richard Benjamin), Mad Max, Black Moon,... in its own way, the period following 2001: a space odyssey really was a renaissance in speculative fiction films. It was "okay" for them to be mind-expanding (or try to be).


Zardoz may not impress today, but it was surely a memorable entry. Glad to hear that this BD release is a pristine master, and with good commentary tracks. David Munrow's score (based on Beethoven's sly funeral march from his 7th Symphony) on an isolated track is going to be a delight.

ChromeJob said:

...I have lots of old issues of CINEFANTASTIQUE (and only wish I still had my old STARLOG and FAMOUS MONSTERS issues) to reflect on it.

Click to expand...

The entire run of Starlog has been archived and can be downloaded here:


https://archive.org/details/starlogmagazine?sort=titleSorter&and[]=subject%3A%22starlog%22&and[]=mediatype%3A%22texts%22

Zardoz looks a lot better than good. For me, it's a straight five-star transfer - anyone who saw the film back in the day knows it did not show that well in its release prints. This transfer just gets everything right, IMO.


I saw Zardoz at a preview in Westwood about three months prior to its release. The theater was full when it began and about sixty minute in I think there were about five of us left.


It's as wacky as ever, kind of really enjoyable on its own terms just for the sheer chutzpah of it.

Watched it Friday. Oh boy ... I'd forgotten how some of the dialog in the last half is just exposition ex machina. So, so much Arthurian stuff in there (May's entrance is like The Lady Of the Lake, etc; Frayn as a sort of Merlin, manipulating the "mortals," having an agenda of his own). The dichotomy of Zed, the bringer of Death, who has the amazing ability to procreate ... ...

Looking forward to watching with the commentaries.

I have to say this though. The floating stone head models haven't looked this good since the film was released. Still a really amazing opening scene (pre-titles).

These were heady days when the Hollywood Production Code was dead on the slab, the MPAA ratings system was relaxing a bit, and boobs and sex on screen were becoming common.

Anyone know who the actress is playing the Apathetic who shows up repeatedly ... the one ...? I only know her as Big Boobs Lady. Such a beauty.

"Is God in show business too?" Zardoz sure was.

haineshisway said:

Zardoz looks a lot better than good. For me, it's a straight five-star transfer - anyone who saw the film back in the day knows it did not show that well in its release prints. This transfer just gets everything right, IMO.

I saw Zardoz at a preview in Westwood about three months prior to its release. The theater was full when it began and about sixty minute in I think there were about five of us left.

It's as wacky as ever, kind of really enjoyable on its own terms just for the sheer chutzpah of it.

Click to expand...

Hear, hear. I remember screenings when people left the theater to pee, get more popcorn, or just chat in the lobby.

Watching it again reminded me that this is a film best suited for a "midnight movie" screening. At about 1:30 or 2 AM, it doesn't have to make sense. Interesting visuals, boobs, Charlotte Rampling falling out of her top, more boobs, high brow dialog that doesn't bear close scrutiny,... It probably plays a lot better after a joint or two. In fact, I believe some of the Northern California screenings I attended, that aroma was wafting around the theater.

Pair it with Bakshi's WIZARDS for a really great 70s fantasy night.

Heads up - Airs on TCM Sept. 3.

http://moviemorlocks.com/2016/08/31/were-off-to-see-the-zardoz/#more-94534

Watch for spoilers in the write-up.

Key quote: "Somehow the whole crazy thing works if you’re in the right frame of mind"