ZARDOZ

UK, 1973, 105 minutes, Colour.
Sean Connery, Charlotte Rampling, John Alderton, Sara Kestelman.
Directed by John Boorman.

Zardoz is a big budget science-fiction, yet it is really a specialist film and is not of great appeal to general audiences. Director John Boorman's reputation increased greatly in the early seventies. His previous thriller, Point Blank, is excellent. His, Hell in the Pacific, is an unusual war film, involving only two characters, an American and a Japanese. With Deliverance this director reached the popular audience with a very strong and vigorous adventure-allegory.

Now with Zardoz (which he also wrote) he goes in for serious allegory, but not too serious. Combining visual beauty and clever gimmickry, he explores the world of the present and of the future, the role of science in man's progress and the abuse of science. He explores the nature of man, his finite existence and man's attempt to destroy death. Deeper questions about the meaning of- the universe and of God are raised, with typical twentieth century scepticism and irony, and a facetious request that these questions should not be asked too seriously. Zardoz is a very interesting film and continues to make John Boorman's film career quite individual and distinctive.

1. What was the overall impression of this film, did it have insight?

2. Was it successful science-fiction and what presuppositions did it ask of the audience?

3. What vision of the future did the film give - optimistic, pessimistic? How did the world of 2293 contrast with the 1970's? Was part of the film's message a parody and satire on the present day?

4. How important was the farcical nature of the prologue?

5. The film relied on the themes and plot of the Wizard of Oz very much. What are the implications? Why the title Zardoz?

6. Comment on the picture of the 2293 world, the use of Irish location, the lush green of the Vortex, the homes with modernistic appearance.

7. Was Zed's character well developed?

8. what was your reaction in learning that Zed had been manipulated by Arthur Frayn?

9. Comment on the visual presentation of the Vortex, the quality of society of the immortals. Were they attractive, repugnant?

10. How strong were the characters of the women in the Vortex? What kind of society was this? What was your reaction to all this?

11. The treatment of Zed by the immortals? Their fascination and his control of them? What happened to Zed as he realised his position?

12. The picture of the Apathetics who could not face immortality? Would this be the fate of most people?

13. How ugly was the picture of the Renegades? How did Zed become the liberator?

14. What power enabled the Vortex to be broken?

15. Comment on the visual presentation of Zed and Consuela escaping, their love, family, growing old. What significance did this have for the ending?

16. Examine the major themes and the insight the film gave - the present, the future, death, immortality, science and its possibilities., snobbery, humanism, religion and God, the nature of truth, falsity, nature, cruelty, pride.

17. The impact of Zardoz's face? His words? His recapitulation of earth's history? The humanistic and theological implications of what he said? Zardoz as God? What are the implications of the use of the 'Wizard of Oz'? The title Zardoz? The god and Arthur Frayn like the 'Wizard of Oz'? The hollow reality of God and superstition? Man's need for a god and yet there not being one? The wizard as a magician tricking men? Optical illusions? And the meaninglessness of the world etc.?

18. The picture of the Outlands and the darkness, the fear of the brutals, the fact that they were pursued to be exterminated, a remnant reproducing and dying, the harshness of life for the Outlands? What was your reaction to the Exterminators? Their cruelty and slaughter? Their worship of Zardoz and their exterminating for him? The fact that they were the reproducers? The effect on mankind with this type of controlled reproduction? The superstitious nature of the Exterminators? The reality of the head of Zardoz flying through the air and commanding the Exterminators? Zed as an Exterminator, as a worshipper, his memories of slaughter? The fact that he was chosen to break the spell of the Outlands and the Vortex?

19. Zed's personality by means of his television memories, his awareness of himself, his sense of quest? The sequences of his killing, of Zardoz? His arrival in the Vortex? His survival in the Vortex? And clash with the intellectuals? His changing from a seeker to a redeemer figure? How did his experience in the Vortex change him as a person? Did it humanise him? Zed's life as an exterminator was governed by Frayn? To the finding of the books? To the reading of the 'Wizard of Oz'? To the extermination of Arthur? What did this say about the Intellectuals and their ability to control others and yet not save themselves? Or that they needed redemption via another whom they could control?

20. The Vortex: its looking very much like old England or Ireland? With the added domes and crystals? The elegant social life? Overtones of the Roman Empire? The barriers of the Vortex with the Outlands on the outside? The nature of the Immortals? Their youth? Their snobbery? Why did they want to be immortal? Did the flashbacks illustrate this well? The quality of society of the Immortals? how attractive? How repugnant?

21. Consuela as a person? How strong was she? How puritanical? Dedicated? How suspicious of the Brutals? Her suspicions of May? Her control in the democratic rule? May as contrasting with her? May and her science and sensuality? Her attractions to the Brutal? Her desire for experimentation? For self-understanding? Why was Friend so sceptical? Why was he bored with life? So cynical? Your reaction to his punishment? What kind of society was this? The backwards scenes etc.? The relationships between the Immortals? Their preoccupation with sexuality? Their experiments on erections, and yet their impotence?

22. Zed's liberation: the help from May, from Consuela, from the prophetess' and her leaf? The importance of Zed's penetration of the Crystal? His intellectual powers superior to the immortals? The temptation for him to become God; the visual presentation of Zed in the crystal? . His breaking through this and not succumbing to the temptation of immortality? The background, of the statues and their mould, the books etc.? The breakthrough into a new world? The reality of the Exterminators killing the Immortals? Your response to this visual presentation of longed-for death? How ugly? How much salvation?