Zardoz (1974)

Note Générale:

5,6/10   

Réalisateur:

John Boorman

Scénariste:

John Boorman (written by)

Date de sortie:

6 février 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Science-Fiction

Accroche:

Beyond 1984, Beyond 2001, Beyond Love, Beyond Death

Intrigue:

In the far future, a savage trained only to kill finds a way into the community of bored immortals that alone preserves humanity's achievements.

Plot Keywords:

Future | Immortal | God | Stone | Head

Récompenses:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination

Avis des utilisateurs:

Nothing like it ever made!

Ensemble

Sean Connery	...	Zed
Charlotte Rampling	...	Consuella
Sara Kestelman	...	May
John Alderton	...	Friend
Sally Anne Newton	...	Avalow
Niall Buggy	...	Arthur Frayn / Zardoz
Bosco Hogan	...	George Saden
Jessica Swift	...	Apathetic
Bairbre Dowling	...	Star
Christopher Casson	...	Old Scientist
Reginald Jarman	...	Death (voice)

Durée:

105 min

Pays:

UK

Langue:

Anglais | Italien

Couleur:

Couleur

Rapport de forme:

2,35 : 1

Son:

4-Track Stereo

Classification:

Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | Canada:18 (video rating) | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Lieux de tournage:

Ardmore Studios - Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Société:

John Boorman Productions

Anecdotes:

Zed's revolver is a Webley in 455 caliber.

Goofs:

Révélant des erreurs: In a scene at the end, when Zed is shooting the mirrors, he has to repeatedly re-cock his Webley-Fosbury revolver by racking the upper frame like a semi-auto slide off camera. This is because this particular revolver was of a unique self-cocking design which used the force of the recoil to cock the hammer and rotate the cylinder for the next shot. Presumably, the blanks used did not have enough force to operate the mechanism, which required a stout powder charge and a firm, elbow-locked grip to function reliably.

Guillemet:

[first lines]
Arthur Frayn: I am Arthur Frayn, and I am Zardoz. I have lived three hundred years, and I long to die. But death is no longer possible. I am immortal. I present now my story, full of mystery and intrigue - rich in irony, and most satirical. It is set deep in a possible future...

Connexions:

Référencé sur Empire of Dreams: The Story of the 'Star Wars' Trilogy (2004) (TV)

Bande son:

Symphony No. 7 in A, op. 92, 2nd movement

Nothing like it ever made!

I've seen some weird movies in my time! 'The Holy Mountain', 'Human Highway', 'Men behind The Sun', 'Nude For Satan', 'Pink Flamingos', 'Dune', but NOTHING as weird as 'Zardoz'! Nothing!

'Zardoz' has the feel of a Alan Smithee movie. It's like you're watching a movie made by committee or recut behind the director's back. But you see that it is written, produced and directed by John Boorman, the man who made the still dazzling revenge thriller 'Point Blank', and the first rate hillbilly suspense classic 'Deliverance', and you realize that this movie is EXACTLY what Boorman intended it to be. And your mind boggles!

'Zardoz' is neither a mindless sci fi action movie not a serious SF-as-ideas film ala Tarkovsky or Kubrick. It's... well, I don't know WHAT it is! A trippy Dystopian fantasy that cribs a few ideas from other sources (Huxley's Savage, Wells' Eloi and Morlocks, Moorcock's Jherek Carnelian), adds plenty of philosophical gobbledygook, some semi-naked babes, an embarrassed looking pony-tailed Sean Connery, and by the look of it, mixes in a bucket full of psychotropics, and hey presto! you end up with a movie like no other before or since!

'Zardoz' MUST be seen! By you. Right now. Unforgettable.