Santa Sangre ** (1989, Axel Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra, Guy Stockwell, Adan Jodorowsky, Thelma Tixou) – Classic Movie Review 9844

Director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s 1989 Mexican horror thriller/ drama Santa Sangre is a highly offensive shocker masquerading as an art film, though nevertheless it is admired for its dementedly weird ideas and crazily surreal visuals.

Axel Jodorowsky (the son of the director) stars as Fenix, the man severely unbalanced by the sight of his father slicing the arms of his mother when she catches him in bed with the circus snake lady and throws acid at his groin. On his release from an asylum, he returns to his mother to act as her arms as she plots her violent revenge.

Santa Sangre is packed with bizarre and worrying images – the slaughter of an elephant, the death of the tattooed lady – that serve only to disgust and shock rather than excite, arouse or intrigue.

Santa Sangre is both morally and artistically confused, with an especially worrying attitude to women and to the director’s younger son Adan Jodorowsky, who plays Young Fenix, the child who is driven mad by the film’s early violence.

There is a train-wreck fascination in its unique flavour, however, and Santa Sangre is certainly a memorable one-off, with long-established cult status. It is included on Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list.

Axel Jodorowsky is the son of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Valerie Jodorowsky.

Adan Jodorowsky was born in Mexico City in 1979 to Alejandro Jodorowsky and Valerie Jodorowsky.

The R-rated version, which runs 120 minutes, and the uncut NC-17 version runs 123 minutes, with several scenes of extremely explicit violence. It was released uncut in Britain and in Europe.

Also in the cast are Blanca Guerra, Guy Stockwell, Thelma Tixou, Sabrina Dennison, Faviola Elenka, Teo Jodorowsky, Faviola Elenka Tapia, Jesús Juárez, Sergio Bustamante, and S Rodriguez.

Santa Sangre is directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, runs 123 minutes, is made by Produzioni Intersound and Productora Fílmica Real, is released by Mainline Pictures (1989) (UK), Republic Pictures (1989) (US) and Palace Video (1990) (UK), is written by Robert Leoni (story and screenplay), Alejandro Jodorowsky (story and screenplay) and Claudio Argento (screenplay), is shot by Daniele Nannuzzi, is produced by Claudio Argento, is scored by Simon Boswell and designed by Alejando Luna.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9844

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