Zardoz
ZARDOZ (15)
D: John Boorman
20th Century Fox (John Boorman)
US/Ireland 1974
105 mins
Science Fiction/Fantasy
W: John Boorman
DP: Geoffrey Unsworth
Ed: John Merritt
Mus: David Munrow
PD: Anthony Pratt
Sean Connery (Zed), Charlotte Rampling (Consuella), Sara
Kestelman (May), Sally Anne Newton (Avalow), John Alderton (Friend), Niall Buggy (Arthur Freyn / Zardoz)
John Boorman's sci-fi for the so-called intelligentsia is
nothing more than a pretentious hodge-podge of bizarre nonsense. The film amassed a cult following who appreciate it despite its badness, but for the masses it's just Sean Connery galavanting
around in a leather nappy.
Set in the distant future where a race of humans are
manipulated by a floating stone head which spews guns and orders its loyal subjects that killing is good and sex is bad. Connery, a hunter named Zed, sneaks aboard the giant head, killing the
magician who controls it and is whisked away to Vortex 7, a secret society on Earth where a sterilised high society of humans with psychic powers dwell.
The whole film is a pseudo-intellectual pun on The WiZARD
of OZ and there's one or two moments which make you sit up and pay attention, but they don't justify the rest of the snoozefest.
Overall, it's just a vanity project for
director/producer/writer John Boorman after his plans to film Lord Of The Rings didn't materialise. On this evidence, perhaps it's a good job that he didn't adapt Tolkien's
works.
3/10
