} Crítica Retrô: Zardoz (1974)

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Friday, February 23, 2024

Zardoz (1974)

 

Eu ouvi falar pela primeira vez sobre o filme “Zardoz” (2974), estrelando Sean Connery, quando foi exibido numa sessão da meia-noite no Festival de Cinema do TCM em 2017. Estas sessões da meia-noite são eventos divertidos que exibem aqueles filmes que de tão ruins, chegam a ser bons. Na ocasião, uma das cinéfilas presentes até trouxe biscoitos de Zardoz para a plateia. Eu não tinha biscoitos para comer quando assisti a Zardoz, mas certamente tive uma experiência interessante.

 

I first heard about the movie “Zardoz” (1974), starring Sean Connery, when it was shown in a midnight screening at the TCM Film Festival in 2017. These midnight screening are fun-filled events showcasing so-bad-it’s-good movies. At the occasion, a film fan even brought Zardoz cookies for the audience. I had no cookies when watching “Zardoz”, but I certainly had an interesting experience.

Um ser imortal. Um Deus falso por ocupação e um ilusionista por inclinação. Este é Arthur Frayn (Niall Buggy), que vive em uma imensa cabeça flutuante – Zardoz – que dá ordens a soldados parcialmente vestidos e depois vomita armas. Arthur é assassinado pelo exterminador Zed (Sean Connery), que então vai para o Vortex, um local mítico onde todos podem controlá-lo com um único olhar.   

 

An immortal being. A fake God by occupation and a magician by inclination. This is Arthur Frayn (Niall Buggy), living in a huge floating head – Zardoz – that gives orders to barely-dressed soldiers and then vomits guns. Arthur is killed by the exterminator Zed (Sean Connery), who then goes to the Vortex, a mythical place where everybody can control him with only one look.

No Vortex, onde as pessoas comem pão verde, Zed permanece para ser estudado por May (Sara Kestelman), que está pesquisando sobre sexualidade humana. Ele fica lá apesar dos protestos de Consuella (Charlotte Rampling), que sabe que “o monstro”, que é como se referem a Zed, causará muitos desentendimentos. A May são dados sete dias para concluir sua pesquisa, e depois disso Zeb será sacrificado. Mas ele tem uma missão muito maior a cumprir.

 

At the Vortex, where they eat green bread, Zed stays to be studied by May (Sara Kestelman), who is researching about human sexuality. He stays despite Consuella’s (Charlotte Rampling) protests, as she knows that “the monster”, as they call Zed, will cause a lot of disagreements. May is given seven days to conclude her research, and after that Zed will be sacrificed. But he has a much bigger mission to accomplish.

Há infelicidade no Vortex porque não existe a morte. Envelhecer é uma punição e as pessoas ou ficam apáticas ou vivem como boêmios sofredores. Zed pode ser o salvador deles, fazendo uma conexão bem óbvia entre Zardoz e O Mágico de Oz.

 

There is unhappiness in the Vortex because there is no death. Aging is a punishment and the people either become apathetic or live as suffering bohemians. Zed may be their savior, as he makes a quite obvious connection between Zardoz and The Wizard of Oz.

“Zardoz” se passa no ano 2293. A ficção científica tem sido desde os anos 1950 uma área perfeita para a imaginação fluir livremente, mesmo em filmes de baixo orçamento. Na época, mais e mais pessoas se convenceram de que podiam fazer filmes, sendo diretores, atores ou acumulando funções. A paixão pelo cinema fez com que pessoas deixassem de ser meros espectadores e se tornassem cineastas – veja, por exemplo, o inesquecível Ed Wood. “Zardoz” é um descendente direto do cinema de Wood.  

 

“Zardoz” is set in the year 2293. Science fiction had been since the 1950s a perfect area for the imagination to flow freely, even in B-movies. At that time, more and more people believed they could make films, as directors, actors or multi-hyphenates. The passion for film made people stop being only spectators and converted them into filmmakers – see, for instance, the unforgettable Ed Wood. “Zardoz” is a direct descendant of Wood’s cinema.

Mas há uma coisa bacana que podemos encontrar mesmo nos piores filmes de ficção científica: geringonças legais. Em “Zardoz” todo mundo do Vortex tem um anel que fala, responde a perguntas e projeta hologramas. Descobrimos com uma simples busca no Google que companhias da área de tecnologia já estão fazendo “smart rings”, ou anéis digitais. Tais objetos servem para medir estatísticas de saúde, como padrões de sono, ritmo cardíaco, nível de estresse e temperatura corporal.

 

But one nice thing we can find even in the worst sci-fi movies are the cool gadgets. In “Zardoz” everybody in the Vortex has a ring that talks, answers questions and projects holograms. We learn from one simple Google search that tech companies are already making “smart rings”. Such gadgets serve to measure health statistics, such as sleep pattern, cardiac rhythm, stress level and body temperature.

Sean Connery teve dificuldades para encontrar bons papéis depois de anos interpretando James Bond. Aqui, ele está ou usando o uniforme ridículo dos exterminadores ou disfarçado de noiva! Sua sorte só iria mudar em meados dos anos 80, com “O Nome da Rosa” – pelo qual ele ganhou um Bafta – e “Os Intocáveis” – que lhe rendeu um Oscar. A outra protagonista de “Zardoz”, Charlotte Rampling, não estava tentando se aventurar em papéis diferentes, mas fez o filme porque se tratava de “poesia. Ele claramente declara: ame seu corpo, ame a natureza, e ame sua origem”.

  

Sean Connery had difficulty finding good roles after his James Bond years. Here, he is either wearing the ridiculous exterminator uniform or is disguised as a bride! His luck would only change in the mid-80s, with “The Name of the Rose” – for which he won a Bafta – and “The Untouchables” – that gave him an Oscar. The other “Zardoz” lead, Charlotte Rampling, was not trying to venture into different roles, but did the film because it was “poetry. It clearly states: love your body, love nature, and love what you come from”.

O filme foi escrito, produzido e dirigido por John Boorman. Ele fez grande sucesso em 1972 com “Amargo Pesadelo” e depois tentou filmar uma adaptação da saga de O Senhor dos Anéis, e foi durante a preparação para este filme cancelado que ele começou a escrever “Zardoz”. Ultraconfiante, Boorman definiu sua criação como “mais perto da melhor literatura de ficção científica que é mais metafísica. A maioria da ficção científica que dá um mau nome ao gênero é de histórias de aventuras em trajes especiais”.

 

The movie was written, produced and directed by John Boorman. He had a big hit in 1972 with “Deliverance” and then had tried to film an adaptation of the Lord of the Rings saga, and it was during the preparation for his aborted movie that he started writing “Zardoz”. Über-confident, Boorman defined his creation as “closer to the better science fiction literature which is more metaphysical. Most of the science fiction that gives the genre a bad name is adventure stories in space clothes”.

Faz muito sentido quando descobrimos que John Boorman confessou ter usado drogas enquanto escrevia e dirigia várias cenas do filme. Também faz sentido que o figurino hediondo tenha sido desenhado pela esposa de Boorman, Christel Kruse, e não um estilista profissional. Um filme com status de cult, mas ao qual eu não quero assistir de novo: como eu o considerei longo demais e às vezes sem sentido, estou feliz por finalmente riscar “Zardoz” da minha lista – com ou sem biscoitos.

 

It makes a lot of sense when we learn that John Boorman confessed he used drugs while writing and directing several scenes in the movie. It also makes sense that the infamous costumes were made by Boorman’s wife, Christel Kruse, not a professional stylist. A film with a cult following, but one I don’t want to watch again: as I felt it to be too long and sometimes pointless, I’m happy to say I’ve experienced “Zardoz” – with or without cookies.

 

This is my contribution to the Sixth So Bad It’s Good Blogathon, hosted by Rebecca at Taking Up Room.

9 comments:

Quiggy said...

I keep looking in the stacks at my local used stores for this one. I have a friend who works at one of them keeping a weather eye out for it. Maybe some day...

Silver Screenings said...

Who knew Zardoz predicted the smart ring?!

I had to laugh when you said the costume designer didn't have any training or previous experience. That did not come as a shock.

LOVE the Zardoz cookies, though. What a great idea!

I don't think I'll spending time searching for this film, but I was glad to enjoy it via your fab review. :)

John L. Harmon said...

I respect and admire you for making it through Zardoz, especially without cookies! I tried watching it years ago but just couldn't do it, so thank you for this great review to tell me what I missed!

J-Dub said...

When did Sean Connery enter a Burt Reynolds look-alike contest?

Brian Schuck said...

Zardoz is another movie that I have only seen once, in the theater as it turns out (and I think maybe once is enough).

Still, references to it and images from it keep popping up over the years. I used to work at a college library that had a media center and at one point sponsored a film series. One day a group of us were cleaning out a storeroom and ran across a large poster of Sean Connery in his skimpy Barbarian outfit from Zardoz. My co-workers couldn't believe that 007 would wear what looked to be an adult diaper and hip boots. When I left that job the poster was still getting passed around as a joke.

Karen said...

I didn't know you were at the 2017 TCM fest, Le! I remember when Zardoz was screened, but in all the years I've been going, I've yet to make it to a midnight showing (and the older I get, the less likely it is). After hearing about the Zardoz experience, I'd always wished that I'd been there -- and I really wish it after reading your review, because I'm pretty sure I won't be seeking this one out on my own!! LOL Really enjoyed your write-up!

-- Karen

Rich said...

I try to imagine a major Hollywood studio like Fox making this today and it is impossible.

MichaelWDenney said...

I've got to admit, I kind of want a Zardoz cookie now. Funny review!

Rebecca Deniston said...

Sean Connery in that tiny costume is a pretty hard visual to shake. Yikes. Cookies, though--yum. Thanks again for joining the blogathon, Le! This was great. Cheers!

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