Zardoz (1974)

Director:

John Boorman

Writer:

John Boorman (written by)

Release Date:

6 February 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Beyond 1984, Beyond 2001, Beyond Love, Beyond Death

Plot:

In the far future, a savage trained only to kill finds a way into the community of bored immortals that alone preserves humanity's achievements.

Plot Keywords:

Future | Immortal | Stone | Library | Head

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Sean Connery	...	Zed
Charlotte Rampling	...	Consuella
Sara Kestelman	...	May
John Alderton	...	Friend
Sally Anne Newton	...	Avalow
Niall Buggy	...	Arthur Frayn / Zardoz
Bosco Hogan	...	George Saden
Jessica Swift	...	Apathetic
Bairbre Dowling	...	Star
Christopher Casson	...	Old Scientist
Reginald Jarman	...	Death (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Daisy Boorman	...	Young Eternal (flashback scene) (uncredited)
John Boorman	...	Farming Brutal Shot by Zed / Zardoz Mask & Head Model (uncredited)
Katrine Boorman	...	Young Eternal (flashback scene) (uncredited)
Telsche Boorman	...	Young Eternal (flashback scene) (uncredited)

Directed by
John Boorman

Writing credits
John Boorman		(written by)

Produced by
John Boorman	....	producer
Charles Orme	....	associate producer

Original Music by
David Munrow

Cinematography by
Geoffrey Unsworth		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
John Merritt

Casting by
Miriam Brickman

Production Design by
Anthony Pratt

Set Decoration by
John Hoesli

Costume Design by
Christel Kruse Boorman

Makeup Department
Colin Jamison	....	hair stylist
Basil Newall	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Seamus Byrne	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Redmond Morris	....	second assistant director
Simon Relph	....	assistant director

Art Department
Martin Atkinson	....	assistant art director
Reg Bream	....	assistant designer (as Reginald Bream)
Peter McGoldrick	....	construction manager

Sound Department
Jim Atkinson	....	sound editor
Liam Saurin	....	sound mixer
Doug E. Turner	....	dubbing mixer (as Doug Turner)
Peter Maxwell	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Gerry Johnston	....	special effects (as Gerry Johnson)

Visual Effects by
Charles Staffell	....	process projection effects

Camera and Electrical Department
John Campbell	....	assistant camera
Jack Conroy	....	electrical supervisor
Paddy Keogh	....	grip
Peter MacDonald	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jack Gallagher	....	wardrobe master

Editorial Department
Alan Jones	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Austin Gaskin	....	horse master
Robin Hughes	....	special projection material
Jean Skinner	....	continuity
Bill Stair	....	design and story associate

Production Companies

• John Boorman Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1974) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox-MGM Film (1974) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Fox-Rank (1974) (UK) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (1990) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment España S.A. (2002) (Spain) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Fox-Lira (1974) (France) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox (????) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Key Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)

Other Companies

• De Lane Lea  sound re-recording (as De Lane Lea London)
• Panavision UK  filmed in (as Panavision)
• La Tabard Boutique  costumes made by (as La Tabard Boutique, Dublin)
• Rank Film Laboratories  processed by
• Air Structures Design  inflatables (as Air Structures Design London)
• Deluxe  color prints
• Ardmore Studios  filmed at (as Ardmore Studios Ireland)

Also Known As:

"Zardoz" - Mexico (imdb display title), Spain
"Tas tanri Zardoz" - Turkey (Turkish title)
"Zardoz" - Finland
"Zardoz" - Portugal (imdb display title)
"Zardoz" - France
"Zardoz" - Greece

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Italian | Swedish | Latin | German | French | Irish Gaelic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | Canada:18 (video rating) | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Company:

John Boorman Productions

Trivia:

To make the shots of the stone head move into the mouth accurately, the camera was placed at the mouth and tracked backwards, and the film reversed in the lab.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In a scene at the end, when Zed is shooting the mirrors, he has to repeatedly re-cock his Webley-Fosbury revolver by racking the upper frame like a semi-auto slide off camera. This is because this particular revolver was of a unique self-cocking design which used the force of the recoil to cock the hammer and rotate the cylinder for the next shot. Presumably, the blanks used did not have enough force to operate the mechanism, which required a stout powder charge and a firm, elbow-locked grip to function reliably.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Arthur Frayn:I am Arthur Frayn, and I am Zardoz. I have lived three hundred years, and I long to die. But death is no longer possible. I am immortal. I present now my story, full of mystery and intrigue - rich in irony, and most satirical. It is set deep in a possible future...

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Edición Especial Coleccionista: Especial sonido (#3.7)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

Symphony No. 7 in A, op. 92, 2nd movement

Unquestionably the strangest movie ever made.

"Zardoz" is either a brilliant visionary masterpiece, or the biggest blunder Sean Connery ever appeared in. I still haven't decided which (must watch it again first!). It has beautiful visuals and a surprisingly multi-layered script (the revelation of the title's meaning is a stunning moment), yet it also has parts so embarrassing (the "scientific examination of the male erection" scene comes to mind) that make you wonder how the participants managed to keep a straight face through them (the filming of this movie must have been great fun!). Ultimately, it's a film that defies ratings, but I'll try my best......*** out of 4.