The Alchemist (Alejandro Jodorowsky) assembles together a group of
people from all walks of life to represent planets in the solar system.
The occult adept s intention is to put the recruits though strange
mystical rites and divest them of their worldly baggage before embarking
on a trip to Lotus Island where they ascend The Holy Mountain to
displace the immortal gods who secretly rule the universe. The big
budget follow-up to Alejandro Jodorowsky's El Topo, The Holy Mountain
premiered at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, causing riots to break out
in response to Jodorowsky s flood of sacrilegious imagery, existential
symbolism and spiritual quest for entitlement pitting illusion against
truth.