El Topo

Friday, August 26 - Thursday, September 22, 2022

DCP Projection

Jodorowsky’s legendary, notorious cult hit essentially created the genre of the midnight movie — a spectacle so stunning and bizarre that normal hours couldn’t contain it. Incorporating influences from tarot to the Bible to surrealism into a mind-blowing western, Jodorowsky cast himself as the leather-clad gunman, El Topo (‘the mole’), who wanders through a desert strewn with mystical symbols on an unnamed quest, leaving blood and carnage in his wake. Declared a masterpiece by no less than John Lennon himself, EL TOPO tops even the most outrageous aesthetic experiments of its radical era and remains unmatched in its provocations and strange beauty. Long unavailable, EL TOPO is presented in a gorgeous restoration personally overseen by Jodorowsky.

Screening as part of our August & September series “Waverly Midnights: Late-Night Favorites.”



  • Country Mexico
  • Language In Spanish with English subtitles.
  • Year 1970
  • Running Time 125 minutes
  • Format DCP
  • Distributor ABKCO
  • Director Alejandro Jodorowsky
  • Writer Alejandro Jodorowsky
  • Editor Federico Landeros
  • Cinematographer Rafael Corkidi
  • Cast Alejandro Jodorowsky, Brontis Jodorowsky, Jose Legarreta, Alfonso Arau

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.