Brutal eternity... Zardoz (1974)

Looking at the reviews on the IMDB many people still haven’t got this film: it’s most certainly not in the “so bad it’s good” category nor any kind of guilty pleasure that is laughably flawed. Indeed some commentators now rate it one of John Boorman’s best – just this month it made number 5 in Rolling Stones top science fiction films of the seventies.

Good science fiction is never about the gadgets on show, the flimsy clothes or the society of the future – these are just ways of looking at contemporary culture. So it is that Zardoz is about the world of 1973-4, the way it was and the way it could have been heading by 2293. How far away were the intellectual classes from a detached existence happy to arm a select group of “Brutals” in order for them to control the rest outside of their safe enclave? How far will we go to deny the external suffering that wars, famine and disease keeps away from our delusional comfort?

So, ignore the psychedelic sense of humour, the giant flying heads and the strange orange nappies of the Exterminators and focus on the Boorman’s messages about freedom, responsibility and the need to act… now. As the film’s writer, director and producer he surely meant every aspect as they are presented and this film addresses some of the same truths as his previous work, Deliverance.

The film is introduced by the disembodied head of Arthur Frayn  (Niall Buggy) who outlines the story in the manner of a medieval mummer… we are all the constructs he tells us looking straight into the camera: all made by our own Gods.

Brutal by name and nature

320 years after it was made, the World has descended into anarchy with the majority living a life of subsistence, their numbers strictly limited by teams of “exterminators” who rampage across the country slaying all they see in the name of their God, Zardoz. The killers all wear the same outlandish orange garb which might be laughable were it not for the guns and their delight in slaughtering others (imagine that dear 21st century reader?).

Zed in the head...

Zardoz appears to them in the guise of a giant floating stone head, issuing instructions and vast amounts of guns in exchange for receipt of the goods extracted from the murdered farmers. But one of these “Brutals” Zed (Sean Connery) wants to find out more and stows away hidden in some grain, he discovers the interior filled with shrink-wrapped humans being harvested for their natural energies. He spots the strange figure of Frayn who recognises Zed and tries to explain something… But Zed shoots, sending him falling to his doom and sits tight as the floating head continues on its way.

Zed and Zardoz come to ground in the well-kept gardens of what appears to be a paradise, brightly garbed young people mass around, well fed and full of almost childish wonder at the new arrival in their community: the Vortex. Two women lead the investigation Consuella (Charlotte Rampling), who’s instinct is to have Zed exterminated and the more considered May (Sara Kestelman) who wants him examined. Even in paradise there is disagreement…

Sean Connery and Sara Kestelman

Zed is confused and tries to lash out but soon learns that the Eternals have psionic powers that can easily over-power him. He is gifted to an outspoken man called Friend (John Alderton) who begins to tell his new servant of the society he has fallen into.

The people are nearly immortal with some living so long that they simply become Apathetics with no will to do anything other than just wander around whilst others break the rules and get aged as a punishment and there is a colony of such creatures who, dressed in dinner suits, wait in the hope of annihilation.

Trouble in paradise

Friend is on the diffident side of apathetic himself and longs for a change of pace even at the risk of punitive aging. The community vote on the transgressions of one George Saden (Bosco Hogan) who is docked some time for the crime of negativity.

Zed helps Friend with the artefacts

Friend was a, er, friend of Arthur Frayn  who had been charged with managing the Outlands and whom had been conducting his own unknown experiments including, it is later revealed a selective breeding programme involving Zed’s genealogical line. Whilst outside reproduction is forbidden saving these select few, in the land of the Eternals reproduction is no longer needed and sexuality has dwindled, what dangers does the potent Zed bring to the sterile society?

May continues to test Zed’s memory and capabilities and full marks to all concerned for keeping a straight face when all manner of visual stimuli fail to arouse Zed until he focuses his gaze on Consuella…  But then Zed is increasingly looking to be as smart as his captors…

Charlotte Rampling

Zed becomes a political issue and is used by Friend in an attempt to overthrow the existing order. Friend is caught and aged whilst Zed tries to escape only to find that a force field keeps him trapped in the Eternals’ land.

Returning to the community he finds May willing to show him their shared history of how an attempt to protect the last of humanity ended up dooming them to lifeless sterility under the control of an artificial intelligence, the Tabernacle. It gradually becomes clear that Zed is no chance invader but part of a deeper plan by Arthur Frayn to make or break what is left of society…

Dusty verdict: Detailing the plot of Zardoz is pretty pointless (sorry) as the story is so complex and, open ended with multiple interpretations. The actors carry so much of the meaning with Sara Kestelman being especially impressive. I saw her recently at London’s Donmar Warehouse theatre and she has lost none of her ability to express powerfully-deep thought.

Sara and Charlotte

It’s a brave choice for Sean Connery too in only his second post-Bond film and not just for the obvious reasons given Zed’s costume… he has to play a savage who gradually thinks himself into the awareness that he’s a physical and intellectual time-bomb (so only half-Bond then…). He plays well as do John Alderton – also outside of his own light-comic comfort zone and the stunning Miss Rampling (also still at work this time on TV’s Broadchurch) who’s able to convey fear masked with anger and perhaps more, her emotional subtlety the perfect match for Connery’s heroic certainty.

Zed learns the truth...

It’s a film that bears up to repeated viewing with a clever script that explains itself with satisfying twists and turns until the very end when the simple meaning becomes completely and devastatingly clear.

Buy it on DVD from Amazon or MovieMail. I believe a Blu-ray is also in the works...

Lisztomania (1975)

Fiona Lewis and Roger Daltrey waiting for a train

Been a while since I braved the loft-archive, but last weekend I emerged with a very dusty off-tv recording of Ken Russell’s tribute to the soul and style of Franz Liszt.

Lisztomania was made in 1975 and came to my attention as a young teen still under the thrall of progressive rock (not that I was waiting to be saved by punk). The soundtrack was written by Rick Wakeman and I remember hearing him discussing the film on radio whilst some of the music was played.

I was especially impressed with his take on Liebestraum No. 3 and welcomed the introduction to this classical great… prog wasn’t entirely evil and genuinely helped open our minds to classical and other music outside the charts. The film sounded interesting but it was an 18 and my interest in cape-wearing synth players was on the wane so... I never got to see the film.

36 years on was it worth the wait or did I make the right call first time round?

Liszt naps with Little Nell (Nell Campbell)

Ken Russell was always a mixed bag of a director with a mix of cheese alongside genuinely original vision. Undoubtedly intellectual he often seemed to prick his own bubble with the outrageous and the unfathomable.

I was impressed with Women in Love, Mahler and even up to The Rainbow (a favourite DH Lawrence book anyway) but distressed by The Devils and unsettled in unfulfilling ways by Lair of the White Worm and other later works. I probably wasn’t understanding him clearly but the films seemed inconsistent in tone and almost slapdash collections of disparate imagery.

Lisztomania

Lisztomania was the film Russell made after Tommy and is, for me, a mixed bag. It has some great set pieces early on especially Liszt playing in front of hundreds of screaming teenagers who call out for Chopsticks. But by the end things have deteriorated  as demons rape nubiles, a gun-toating Wagner declares war half a century too early on Europe and Liszt returns from Heaven to exact musical revenge on the composer who inspired the Nazis.

Rock icons...

Maybe Russell deserves a lot of credit for interpreting Liszt’s life in such a way, there are many elements of truth in the story, Wagner was encouraged by the older composer and did end up marrying one of his daughters, Liszt did tour Europe under the patronage of a Russian countess and his love life was certainly complicated… just not this complicated!

Lisztomania did exist as a term at the time as the virtuoso defined the possibilities of the piano in stunning live performances across the continent.

Sara Kestelman

Russell uses a pop star to play the star and Roger Daltrey does a reasonable job. He is rather outclassed by Paul Nicholas as the demonic Wagner as Sara Kestelman as his Russian countess (I saw her at the Donmar Theatre earlier this year and she is still a fantastic actress).

Liszt, Wagner and Thor the God of Thunder

Rick Wakeman plays Thor the Thunder God (who pisses in the fire place) and Ringo Starr, in an obvious piece of typecasting, plays the Pope…

Pope Ringo

The story is heavy on sexual imagery, the Countess’ house has phallic pillars whilst Liszt has an hallucinated ten foot phallus chopped off as the metaphorical quid pro quo for being able to focus on his music thanks to her patronage as he took holy orders…

You keep on asking yourself is this necessary? Isn’t there another way?

Wagner-stein

So it goes until Wagner turns really bad and is annihilated by the virtuous tunes of Liszt and along with his lovers and daughter, the composer descends on war-torn Europe in a heavenly spaceship.

It definitely means something but it’s hedging its bets. Russell did brash and entertaining and my teenage self would have laughed like mad at this film. I’m glad I watched it but I just had the feeling he could have done it better… and that’s my over-riding reaction to many of Ken Russell’s films after this point.

Flying muses...

Crimes of Passion proved that he could still make good films and he is undoubtedly one of the leading British director's of the last half century.

Lisztomania is now available on DVD and is worth watching as entertainment. It might make more sense though if you know about Liszt, Wagner and the influence of classical music on nationalist thinking in the last century.