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Zardoz
Additional Blu-ray options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
Blu-ray
April 14, 2015 "Please retry" | — | — |
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| $189.99 | — |
Blu-ray
September 14, 2015 "Please retry" | — | 1 |
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| — | $136.99 |
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Zardoz | — | — |
Purchase options and add-ons
Genre | Drama |
Format | Blu-ray |
Contributor | Charlotte Rampling, John Boorman, Sean Connery |
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Product Description
Writer-director John Boorman's fabulously bizarre Zardoz (1974) is a visually stunning science fiction/fantasy fable starring Sean Connery as the spanner in the works of a dreamily languid future society. A primitive Adam, Connery's Zed charges like a bull through the china shop of a civilization from which all signs of lusty humanity have been drained. Co-starring the fascinating Charlotte Rampling, and featuring spectacular production design by Anthony Pratt and stunning cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth.
Product details
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Package Dimensions : 6.7 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches; 1.6 ounces
- Director : John Boorman
- Media Format : Blu-ray
- Release date : April 14, 2015
- Actors : Charlotte Rampling, Sean Connery
- Studio : Twilight Time
- ASIN : B00WLCKCO4
- Best Sellers Rank: #117,993 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #7,730 in Drama Blu-ray Discs
- Customer Reviews:
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Sean Connery is Zed, an exterminator charged by Zardoz (a faux-god residing in a giant, floating, gun-vomiting head) to eliminate the savage "brutals" in this nightmarish future world. The movie is steeped in pretentiousness from the annoying floating head introductory narration to the incredibly stilted dialogue, of which follow several random examples: "I am innocent of psychic violence!", "No! I will not go to the second level!", "Shall I seek vortex consent?", "We will touch-teach you and you will give us your seed.", and of course, "The gun shoots death and beautifies the earth...Zardoz has spoken!" The entire movie prattles along like that, and contains other unintentionally comic elements such as Zed being frightened by a Jack-in-the-Box (really), Zed discovering an inter-vortex exchange holograph (don't ask), Zed getting the stuffing beat out of him by a bunch of demented geezers at the senility home, Zed teaching the "eternal" women how to kiss, thereby reintroducing desire and emotion to the world, and of course, Zed battling refracted light in the funhouse challenge inside a giant computer-crystal (again, don't ask).
I am not totally down on the film, I just think it fails as serious science fiction, and becomes a parody of the genre, despite Boorman's commentary track extolling its virtues. The special effects are very basic: the floating head is, for instance, simply suspended from a crane, while in one key scene Zed obtains a secret power enabling him to make the film run backwards.
The film is enjoyable as a camp classic, but is lacking as a serious movie (it was also a commercial flop), despite pretensions to be enlightening. Especially onerous is the predictable ending which is even more lamely executed than expected. The film was made in Ireland (Boorman's home) and as such does have some lovely landscape and scenery to recommend it; further the cinematography is generally quite good. The film is let down by trying to do too many things at once, and consequently doing none of them well. The pacing is frequently plodding, the acting is middling at best, the costumes are more hilarious than anything in recent memory (again, Connery's costume is justification enough to buy the movie), the morality of the film is preachy and heavy-handed, while the script is way over the top and utterly laughable. The most pretentious scene in the film (and one of the most pretentious I have ever seen) is the discovery of the true identity of Zardoz by Zed when he is learning to read. (Hint: I don't think that Frank Baum would be especially pleased.)
I recommend the film to science fiction completists and fans of camp everywhere: you will seldom if ever find a better example of unintentional humor in a desolate future world than in Zardoz.
If you're a straight guy tuning in for either the sci-fi aspects or the boobshow, you might get a little tired of seeing Sean's half naked body, clad for the entire movie in something resembling a giant orange diaper. Girls and gays however, may really learn to love that diaper, along with the novelty of seeing "James Bond" in a semi-raunchfest.
I imagine that, in its time, it must have been considered very dirty and radical. By today's standards, of course, it would just barely earn its "R" rating, despite the aforementioned bare breasted ladies and sexual situations. And for those considering buying it to see Mr Connery in the altogether, there are no butt shots to be found--despite poster art to the contrary depicting him on a massage type table with his posterior exposed. Alas, despite the brevity of costume and abundance of sexual scenarios, the sex in "Zardoz" is mostly implied, not shown.
As with "Barbarella", "Zardoz" is elevated, if not outright saved, by the presence of its star. Just as Fonda lent "Barbarella" a dignity it didn't quite deserve (by giving ridiculous dialog her all, and playing what was essentially a cartoon character with a commitment that actually gave it pathos and intelligence), Connery is so obviously overqualified for this job that one wonders exactly why he's even IN this movie to start with,. This, of course, lends"Zardoz" its camp incongruousnes which is essential to any cult classic.
Without Connery in fact, this would be--in spite of its sporadically imaginative sci-fi imagery, a largely forgettable film. His presence secures its cult status and renders it a guilty pleasure for the ages. It's actually easy to rewatch--owing mostly to the trippy imagery.
And the orange diaper.
Top reviews from other countries
Reviewed in Germany on November 21, 2022
Im Interview betont der Regisseur, daß er sich seinerzeit Gedanken um die menschliche Gesellschaft machte und wie sie sich in Zukunft entwickeln könnte.
Darauf folgte der Film Zardoz, welcher im Jahr 1974 uraufgeführt wurde.
Die Welt der Zukunft stellt sich als karges, verwüstetes Ödland dar, in dem die Überlebenden des Niedergangs ein erbärmliches Dasein fristen.
Sie werden gejagt und geknechtet von sogenannten Exterminatoren, Dienern des Gottes Zardoz.
Jener Gott stellt sich dar, als ein mit einem furchtbaren Äußeren ausgestattetes, flugfähiges Steinhaupt. Er taucht auf, gibt seinen Dienern Anweisungen und versorgt sie mit Waffen, im Gegenzug wird er mit Nahrungsmitteln beladen und verschwindet wieder.
Über Sinn und Zweck des Ganzen erfährt man im weiteren Verlauf des Filmes mehr.
Zardoz ist in vielerlei Hinsicht ein ungewöhnlicher Film und beinhaltet eine Vielzahl surreal anmutender Momente. Eindrückliche Bildkompositionen und eine tragende Musik runden den Eindruck ab. Sehr dominant hier 'Allegretto' aus Beethovens Symphonie Nr. 7.
Die Hauptfiguren in diesem Werk sind namentlich, Zed (Sean Connery), Consuella (Charlotte Rampling), May (Sara Kestelman), Freund (John Alderton) und Arthur Frayn (Niall Buggy).
--- Ein wenig zum Inhalt ---
Mißtrauisch geworden, beschließt der Exterminator Zed, hinter die Maske von Zardoz zu schauen. Zu diesem Zweck schmuggelt er sich mit Hilfe einiger Gefährten in den Steinkopf, um zu erfahren wohin dieser immer entschwindet.
Er gelangt in das sogenannte Vortex, einen idyllisch anmutenden Ort in dem kein Mangel herrscht. Dort trifft er auf die unsterblichen Bewohner, eine Gruppe von auserwählten Menschen, die sich von der Außenwelt abgeschottet haben.
Rasch entpuppt sich dieser Ort als alles Andere als ein Utopia.
--- Inhalt Ende ---
--- Zur Veröffentlichung auf Blu-Ray ---
Berücksichtigt man das Entstehungsjahr von Zardoz, so ist die Bildqualität fast durchgehend als gut zu bezeichnen und frei von Defekten. In den anfänglichen Einstellungen wirkt er etwas weich und es tritt ein leichtes Flimmern auf. Davon abgesehen ist die Detaildarstellung durchgehend gut. Filmkorn fällt gelegentlich auf.
Der Ton ist frei von Störungen und stetig gut verständlich. Er liegt vor in Deutsch Stereo (Surroundboxen werden angesteuert), Deutsch Mono und Englisch (Surroundboxen werden angesteuert). Es gibt einen Audiokommentar von John Boorman, O-Ton Englisch.
Untertitel gibt es in Deutsch und Englisch, nicht jedoch für den Audiokommentar.
Ton und Untertitel lassen sich standardmäßig über Haupt-, Pop-Up Menü und die Fernbedienung ansteuern.
Wird der Film gestoppt wird ein Marker gesetzt, er wird dann an dieser Stelle wieder fortgesetzt.
Extras:
Neun Interviews O-Ton Englisch ohne Untertitel (Regisseur John Boorman, Darstellerin Sara Kestelman, Kameramann Peter MacDonald, Produktionsdesigner Anthony Pratt, Schnittassistent Alan Jones, Hairstylist Colin Jamison, Special-Effect Künstler Gerry Johnston, Regieassistent Simon Ralph, Aufnahmeleiter Seamus Byrne
Drei Kinotrailer (zwei deutsch, einer englisch), Zwei Radiospots (englisch), Bildergalerie
Das Steelbook hat kein FSK Zeichen und auf der Rückseite keine Angaben zum Film.
FSK Zeichen und Filmangaben befinden sich auf einem angeklebten, leicht ablösbaren Pappumschlag.
Die Blu-Ray selbst sitzt sehr fest in der Halterung, vermutlich könnte das Steelbook aus dem zehnten Stock fallen und die Disc wäre immer noch an ihrem Platz. Hier ist etwas Vorsicht und Fummelei beim Herausnehmen angebracht. Dieser Umstand tritt gerade bei Steelbooks häufiger auf und die Vertreiber sollten sich hier womöglich für einen Druckknopfmechanismus entscheiden.