--- title: "El Topo" year: 1970 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/el-topo" fi1m_id: "el-topo" imdb_id: "tt0067866" tmdb_id: 13041 wikidata_id: "Q477782" fi1m_score: 67 critics_score: 68 critics_reviews: 9 published: "2026-09-26T17:06:11.497838+00:00" updated: "2026-09-26T17:06:12.303028+00:00" region: "FR" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # El Topo (1970) Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky · 2h 05m · CNC 12 · Adventure, Drama, Western ## Identity El Topo - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/el-topo - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** el-topo - **IMDb ID:** tt0067866 - **TMDB ID:** 13041 - **Wikidata ID:** Q477782 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067866/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/13041, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q477782 **Fi1m score: 67** · Critics 68 from 9 reviews *In a sentence:* A western that makes getting lost in the desert seem the straightforward option > Alejandro Jodorowsky’s desert western has images that unsettle us and symbolism that wears us down. We recommend it for its strange conviction, with the warning that its 125 minutes can feel longer. ## Synopsis El Topo (Alejandro Jodorowsky) is the central figure in a desert western that combines adventure, drama and allegory. His son is played by Brontis Jodorowsky; Marah / The Woman (Mara Lorenzio) and The Colonel (David Silva) also feature. The desert imagery sits alongside scenes of cult horror, with symbols that draw the film away from straightforward western storytelling. Its characters inhabit a story shaped by a private mythology, where trying to understand the images is part of following what happens on screen. ## Review *El Topo* is worth seeing for its desert imagery and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s hypnotic presence, provided a western need not make much sense to keep us interested. Its bewilderment is often productive: we look harder because we cannot quite explain what we are looking at. But it also asks for patience it does not always repay. Across 125 minutes, the accumulation of symbols becomes tiring. Rafael Corkidi’s cinematography gives us the strongest reason to persist. The desert images have a scale that makes the people seem vulnerable, and their force survives the effort to work out what they mean. We were unsettled by those landscapes, more than by the insistence of the cult-horror imagery. There is something persuasive about the desert itself, and the film is at its most absorbing when that is enough to hold our attention. Alejandro Jodorowsky writes, directs and plays El Topo, bringing an assurance to the central performance that helps hold the film together. He can make its absurdity seem quite reasonable while we are watching him. That matters in a film whose private mythology gives us so little firm ground. His conviction keeps us watching, although we sometimes wanted another sensibility to question the importance he attaches to all this. He also handles production design and costume design, so his control extends to what surrounds and clothes the performers. The resulting profusion of symbols is often intriguing, and there is pleasure in looking without immediately understanding. Too often, though, the images compete for attention. It becomes difficult to give any one of them much thought before we are asked to consider the significance of another. The editing by Federico Landeros has to contend with that crowded material, and the film’s unevenness is partly the cost of preserving so much of it. Some of the bewilderment is invigorating, especially when an image catches us unprepared. Repeated exposure becomes wearing, however, and the length gives us time to notice the habit. We do not need every symbol explained, but we do need a reason to keep giving each new one our attention. Alejandro Jodorowsky’s music helps sustain the film’s hypnotic quality, but it gives us little relief from the pressure of the images. The writing compounds the problem by making so much of its symbolism difficult to follow. Much of the critical enthusiasm rests on the force of those images, and we share it up to a point. We are less persuaded that difficulty alone makes the film worth sustained interpretation. As a western, this asks us to accept unfamiliar priorities, and there is no reason the genre should be confined to orderly adventures. We can welcome the invention while remaining impatient with the self-indulgence. The film’s conviction and visual force make it worth the effort for anyone drawn to symbolic storytelling. Choose it for an evening when being baffled is an acceptable part of the entertainment. *Fi1m score 67, published 26 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics lean positive on El Topo, with praise centring on its startling imagery and dense, conflicting symbols. The favourable reviews find its difficulty part of the appeal: the private mythology can be bewildering, but it also gives the film an immersive force. Jodorowsky’s direction and performance draw praise for their invention and hypnotic energy, while the desert imagery offers something concrete to admire amid the allegory. The divide concerns how much that fascination compensates for obscurity and self-indulgence. Eye for Film acknowledges dated aspects but finds intelligence in the handling of clashing symbols; The Guardian is less persuaded by the film’s reputation, though its symbolism and disturbing cult-horror scenes still exert a pull. The spread runs from enthusiasm to qualified disappointment, with no wholly negative assessments in the supplied tally. Even the warmer accounts leave room for bewilderment. ## Straight answers **Is El Topo worth watching?** *El Topo* is worth watching for its unsettling desert imagery and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s hypnotic presence, provided we can accept bewilderment as part of the entertainment; we score it 67/100. It suits viewers drawn to symbolic storytelling, but the crowded imagery and difficult-to-follow mythology become tiring across 125 minutes. **How long is El Topo, and what is it rated?** *El Topo* runs 2h 05m and is rated 12 by the CNC in France. It is an adventure and drama film. **Where can I watch El Topo in France?** *El Topo* is not on any streaming or rental service in France at the moment. It is available in 23 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How does El Topo compare to Dead Man Walking?** *El Topo* offers a bewildering, symbolic western, while [*Dead Man Walking*](https://film.one/film/dead-man-walking) is a capital-punishment drama we recommend more warmly for its performances and earned emotion. The latter’s debate sometimes feels too carefully arranged, but Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn’s difficult encounters provide a clearer reason to stay involved. Choose *El Topo* if strange imagery matters more than straightforward storytelling. ### Reviews we read (9) - **Empire**, David Parkinson (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a vital, visionary cult classic, despite its difficulty. He singles out its dense allegory and imagery for continuing to challenge and intrigue. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/el-topo-review/) - **Slant Magazine**, Fernando F. Croce (3/4): Croce sees the film as a delirious, inscrutable work whose impact depends on whether its private mythology connects with the viewer. He praises its immersive force and its memorable, often startling imagery. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/el-topo/) - **RogerEbert.com** (70/100, inferred): The page is identified as a Great Movies review, but its verdict cannot be determined from the blocked content. No praised or criticized element is available to report. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-el-topo-1970) - **Sight and Sound**, Philip Strick (70/100, inferred): Strick finds the film absurd and bewildering, but ultimately energetic and inventive. He singles out Jodorowsky’s inventive direction and hypnotic performance for praise. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/el-topo-archive-review-stormy-surrealism-desert-heat) - **The New Yorker**, Pauline Kael (66/100, inferred): The archive identifies this as Pauline Kael’s review of “El Topo,” but the review itself is unavailable here. The accessible listing does not reveal her verdict or what she singles out for praise or complaint. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1971/11/20) - **Time Out**, Ben Walters (65/100, inferred): The available description notes the film’s formidable reputation as a seminal midnight movie, but does not reveal the critic’s verdict. No specific element is singled out for praise or complaint in the accessible text. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/el-topo-1) - **The New York Times** (63/100, inferred): The headline frames the article as questioning whether El Topo is a con. The blocked page provides no further information about the critic’s verdict or what they praise or criticize. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/05/23/archives/is-el-topo-a-con-is-el-topo-a-con.html) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (45/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the film less impressive than its legendary reputation, though its opaque symbolism still fascinates. He especially singles out the desert imagery and the disturbing cult-horror scenes. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jan/09/el-topo-review-alejandro-jodorowsky) - **Eye for Film**, Anton Bitel (80/100, inferred): Bitel calls the film one of Jodorowsky’s finest, despite its dated aspects and self-indulgence. He praises its haunting imagery and the intelligence with which it juggles clashing symbols. [Read](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/el-topo-film-review-by-anton-bitel) ## Details - **Director:** Alejandro Jodorowsky - **Director:** Alejandro Jodorowsky - **Writer:** Alejandro Jodorowsky - **Cinematography:** Rafael Corkidi - **Editor:** Federico Landeros - **Music:** Alejandro Jodorowsky - **Production design:** Alejandro Jodorowsky - **Costume design:** Alejandro Jodorowsky - **Producer:** Mick Gochanour - **Cast:** Alejandro Jodorowsky as El Topo; Brontis Jodorowsky as Son of El Topo; Mara Lorenzio as Marah / The Woman; David Silva as The Colonel; Paula Romo as Desconocida; Jacqueline Luis as Mujercita; Robert John as Adult Son of El Topo; Héctor Martínez as Maestro 1 - **Runtime:** 2h 05m - **Certificate (CNC):** 12 - **Release (France):** 16 December 1975 - **Genres:** Adventure, Drama, Western - **Budget:** $400,000 ## Where to watch in France Not streaming, renting or buying in France at the last check. Also available in: AR, AU, BG, CA, CL, CO, CZ, EE, ES, GB, GR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IT, LT, MX, MY, PA, PH, PL, PT. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - International Submission to the Academy Awards 1972: International Submission to the Academy Awards (nominated) ## If you liked this - *The Shooting* (1966): A western whose desert journey becomes harder to understand and harder to escape. - *A Field in England* (2013): For more hostile landscapes, occult ceremony and men losing their bearings. - *Onibaba* (1964): Its rural horror gives bodily fear priority over explaining the supernatural. - *Dead Man* (1995), Fi1m 84: Another western willing to wander, with more humour and less insistence. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/dead-man-walking.md) - *The Colour of Pomegranates* (1969): Ceremonial images reward close attention without requiring a conventional story. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/el-topo