ZARDOZ Speaks To You! How a Classic Movie was Created, Died, and was Born Again by Roger Mitchell

(BearManor Media 1, 2024)

Reviewed by Dev Agarwal

Roger Mitchell's history of the making of the film, Zardoz Speaks To You! should appeal to many fans. It is packed with information and answers every question the fan may have, short of showing the film itself. Afficionados will learn much about Boorman, Connery and the rest of the cast, and the interrelationships and rivalries on set. Haters will also learn much and either temper their views or have them confirmed by the amount of drugs consumed by the production team, the mishaps in the storytelling, and the battle of egos between director, writers and stars.

Zardoz is a 1974 film by John Boorman, set in the year 2293 AD. Human civilisation has collapsed due to economic and ecological turmoil and the world is divided between a polluted wasteland called the outlands, and idyllic Vortexes that house psychic immortals. The immortals, the Eternals, retain all human history and culture. The film charts the conflict between these two peoples and explores immortality as a curse rather than a benefit to the human experience. Zardoz as a film will elicit a variety of responses. Few familiar with Zardoz are indifferent to it and are more commonly divided into lovers and haters.

Continue reading…

Review from BSFA Review 25 - Download your copy here.