Confession time. I had never seen Zardoz before this review. I was aware of the floating head — and more importantly the imagery of Sean Connery in some weird red leather thong — but beyond this, I had little knowledge of what awaited me. Truth be told, I’m unsure any conversation could have really prepared me.
Set in a distant future, Zardoz tells of Zed (Connery), a member of an aggressive human descendant race known as the Brutals. Their “God,” Zardoz, appears to them as a floating head and commands them to exterminate lesser tribes with weapons he provides. However, Zed stows away on board the head and after killing the human form of Zardoz (Niall Buggy) finds himself transported to his home realm, populated by another race of humans known as Eternals. These descendants find Zed to be a thuggish but fascinating intruder and study him while they begin to fear his presence and emotional ways could lead to their downfall.
From the opening moments you know Zardoz is going to be something different. A floating head spouting lines that wouldn’t be out of place in a Shakespeare play sets the weird tone of what is to come — a slice of dystopic 70s fantasy/sci-fi that occasionally feels like it was inspired by a bizarre Monty Python clip.
We see a future representation of humanity. A society that has left behind emotion and death. Everybody is young, and aging is a punishment dealt out to those that disturb the harmony of the society. Embracing the suppression of emotions (and subsequently conflict) to their own detriment, the Eternals are no longer even able to muster an erection, so procreation/rebirth is down to scientific means. Once you’ve seen the fallout of this you’ll believe that Zardoz is perhaps the greatest ever advertisement for Viagra. Thus the interloper Zed is the antithesis to their “paradise,” allowing a contrast of themes such as emotion vs intellectualism, what is human nature, and the fallacy of ignoring our instincts and passion.
Writer/director John Boorman had just come off of a massive hit with Deliverance and was seemingly given carte blanche to realize his vision of this dystopic future. It shows. While it does explore some interesting facets of humanity and mesh them with memorable visuals, the free hand given to Boorman manifests in overly long or nonsensical scenes. The performances are also somewhat disconnected, which is apt for the themes the film explores, but it leaves the production with a meandering quality that fails to grab you. The intentions of Boorman, while lost a little, do come through in many ways, and at its core Zardoz is a pretty interesting, eccentric tale that harkens back to revered brethren of the 70s such as Planet of the Apes, Logan’s Run and Soylent Green. There is also a mythical feel to the film, making it something of a distant cousin to Boorman’s magnificent Excalibur. Certainly flawed and unfocused, but a very memorable slice of cinema.
THE PACKAGEZardoz is the latest in the line of films lovingly re-released by Twilight Time, this time with a limited production run of 5000 units. The transfer is a little soft, unsurprising with the age of the film, but it is very clean with no noticeable defects. Detail is good as are the colors and contrast.
The disc includes a commentary from writer/director John Boorman. He looks back at putting the film together, admits its flaws, reflects on the time spent working with Connery, and shares his views on the current state of cinema. Candid, insightful, and a great addition to the release. A second commentary involves film historians Jeff Band, Joe Fordham, and Nick Redman who do criticize the film but break down and analyze its narrative in interesting ways. The traditional TT liner notes by Julie Kirgo also offer some positive insights into the film. Also included are a isolated score track, radio spots, and a trailer. Overall a nice collection of extras to enhance the film. There are also a clutch of radio spots and the original theatrical trailer.
THE BOTTOM LINEZardoz is very much an odd venture, fusing sci-fi and fantasy to pass commentary on various aspects of human nature. It succeeds in making you think in spite of the overly indulgent nature of the film. I still haven’t quite decided if it’s brilliant or simply bizarre, but I do know you have to see it and this Twilight Time release offers the perfect way to do so.
Zardoz is available NOW from Twilight Time in a limited edition release of 5000 units.