(This review pertains to the UK Region 2 release)
BY TIM GREAVES
There are some films that you just know can only ever have been greenlit and bankrolled because the
directors were riding on the success of recent projects – which was precisely
the case with esoteric chunk of dystopian fiction, Zardoz. John Boorman may have been revelling in the plaudits
afforded him following the release of 1972’s Deliverance when he began touting around his script for Zardoz, but even so it wasn’t an easy
sell. The problem was that no-one could really get a handle on what it was about; years later cameraman Peter
MacDonald jokingly suggested that Boorman was the only person who actually understood it. That may not in fact have
been so far from the truth, but in any event it was finally picked up by 20th
Century Fox. All the same, Zardoz is certainly
one of the strangest films ever to snare a position in mainstream cinema. Upon
its original release it was critically mauled and left audiences around the
globe scratching their heads. More than 40 years on it may have reached an
unpredictable plateau of respect, but its power to baffle hasn't diminished one
iota.
The year is 2293 and what we bear witness to is “a possible futureâ€.
In the wake of an apocalyptic event, the world’s population has divided. There
are the Elite, blessed with immortality and psychic powers, who inhabit the tranquil
paradise of The Vortex. Then there are the Exterminators, a band of savage warriors
who patrol Earth’s wastelands; worshipping a huge flying stone head – an effigy
of the deity from which the film’s title is derived – their raison d'être
is to restrain the starving populous (known as Brutals), safe in the belief
that when their time is over they will cross over into The Vortex. When the
Exterminators aren’t busy ravaging and slaying Brutals, they enslave them for
the cultivation of food. Zed (Sean Connery) is a rarity: an intelligent
Exterminator. He cunningly manages to gain entry to The Vortex, determined to
learn of Zardoz’s secrets, but his arrival is greeted with mixed reaction.
Immortal May (Sara Kestelman) is keen to study him and, much to the annoyance
of Consuella (Charlotte Rampling) who sees the savage as a dangerous influence
on their society, the senior Friend (John Alderton) permits Zed to remain among
them, if for no other reason than to relieve the boredom born of immortality.
There also appears to be hope in the community that Zed may hold the secret to
the blessed release of death.
Or something like that.
First up let’s address the elephant in the room: Leading man
Connery’s frankly bizarre attire. Throughout the first half of the 1970s the
actor took on a number of roles that would distance him from his James Bond
persona, including an unhinged police detective with possible latent paedophile
tendencies (The Offence) and an
elderly Robin Hood (Robin and Marian).
But with his portrayal of Zed in Zardoz he
hit the motherlode. Ponytailed and clad for much of the film’s runtime in
little more than a scarlet diaper – the publicity stills providing car crash
visuals that are still mocked today – I’d posit that he actually pulls off ‘the
look’. (Just.) If nothing else, I’m sure the skimpy outfit appealed to the
actor’s female fanbase. Appearance aside though, in the role originally
earmarked for Burt Reynolds, Connery delivers a terrific performance and his rugged
screen presence keeps one engaged even when the narrative veers off into the
profoundly confusing – which it does on more than one occasion.
There’s strong support meanwhile from Charlotte Rampling, Sara
Kestelman, TV favourite John Alderton and Niall Buggy as rapscallion Arthur
Frayn.
Produced as well as written and directed by Boorman, Zardoz is a triumph in both style and substance (if you can at least
partially get your head around it). The plot may be something of a conundrum,
but there’s a great deal to admire here. It’s certainly beautifully
mounted; gorgeous location work (lensed in Ireland’s County Wicklow) set
to the music of Beethoven combines with Christel Kruse Boorman’s
economical but impressive costume designs to deliver a captivating
aesthetic that ably compensates for some of the cheaper looking ‘plastic bag’ –
quite literally – visuals. There’s also a very satisfying reveal as to the source
of the titular God’s name, a twist capitalised on in Star Trek: The Motion Picture a few years later.
I've seen Zardoz several
times over the years and still find it a challenge to endure. Yet the fact I
find myself drawn to return to it says a great deal. It’s indisputably a peculiar
one, but never less than intriguingly so.
Okay then, enough beating about the bush. Is Zardoz a load of old nonsense (as so many profess), or a sublime
masterpiece (as equal numbers make claim)?
The opportunity for doubters to reappraise Boorman’s film (or
indeed, for those who’ve always had their tent pitched in the pro camp, to
simply re-indulge) has arrived in the form of Arrow’s scintillating new Blu-ray
presentation. The transfer of the film itself is outstanding – I’ve certainly
not seen it looking quite so beautiful before – and it’s accompanied by an
appreciation piece from director Ben Wheatley, an original 1970s trailer (even
more bemusing than the film it was attempting to cultivate an audience for),
radio spots, plus short but valuable on-camera reminiscences from Boorman,
Kestelman, production designer Anthony Pratt, special effects technician Gerry
Johnston, camera operator Peter MacDonald, assistant director Simon Relph,
hairstylist Colin Jamison, production manager Seamus Byrne and assistant editor
Alan Jones. The icing on the cake is an informative commentary from the
eminently likeable Boorman. Of course, the cherry on the icing would have been
input from Connery, Alderton and Rampling, but they’re all conspicuous by their
absence (rather inevitably where Connery was concerned, one supposes).
A nicely illustrated 40-page booklet comprising interview material
and articles makes for a very handsome finishing touch.