Fando y Lis

Fando y Lis is a 1968 Mexican film directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky in his feature length directorial debut. It is an adaptation of a play of the same name by Fernando Arrabal, who was working with Jodorowsky on performance art at the time. The film was shot in high-contrast black-and-white on the weekends with a small budget and was first shown at the Acapulco Film Festival in 1968.

Fando & Lis
DVD cover
Directed byAlejandro Jodorowsky
Written byFernando Arrabal (play)
StarringDiana Mariscal
Sergio Kleiner
Music byPepe Ávila
CinematographyRafael Corkidi
Production
company
Producciones Pánicas
Distributed byAbkco Records
Cannon Films
Release date
1968
Running time
96 minutes
CountryMexico
LanguageSpanish

Plot

The film follows Fando (Sergio Klainer) and his paraplegic girlfriend Lis (Diana Mariscal) through a barren, postapocalyptic wasteland in search of the mythical city of Tar, a place where one will know the true nature of eternity, and reach enlightenment. On their journey they see many odd and profoundly disturbing characters and events.

The narrative of the film leaves a lot to the audience's interpretation, as the avant-garde and surreal nature in which the events of the film are presented mimic the workings of the subconscious.

Reception

When the film premièred at the 1968 Acapulco film festival, a full-scale riot broke out.[1] The film was later banned in Mexico.[2] Roman Polanski (who was there with his wife Sharon Tate to promote his film Rosemary's Baby) defended the film, stating that he defends any auteur's right of expressing himself with complete liberty and that censorship in art and culture was just not acceptable (as had happened to him in his motherland).

The film (cut by thirteen minutes) was released in New York to generally negative reviews, with many critics comparing it unfavorably to Fellini Satyricon, which had recently opened.[2]

Digital Restoration and Re-Release

The film has received a 4K digital restoration and is set to be re-released in UK cinemas by Abkco Films for a limited time commencing on February 7, 2020.

References
  1. Rosenbaum, 1992. p.92
  2. Rosenbaum, 1992. p.93
Bibliography
  • Rosenbaum, Jonathan (1991). Midnight movies. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80433-6.


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