In this blog post, we’ll examine the characteristics of the Western genre as depicted in Alejandro Jodorowsky’s ‘El Topo’, the instinctual nature of the film’s characters, the significance of the title “El Topo” (The Mole), and the film’s message about human life.
The Western Genre and ‘El Topo’
Historically, the Western genre overlaps with the history of American cinema; it is the first genre to emerge from Hollywood, a phenomenon unique to the United States. Even ‘The Great Train Robbery’ (1903) by Edwin S. Porter—often cited as the first American film—exhibits the structural framework of a Western when examined narratively. The Western became the most quintessentially American genre because it is deeply intertwined with the American national spirit. Set against the backdrop of the limited time span from the 1850s to the 1890s, the Western views the modernization period of American history—the transition from an agricultural to an industrial society—through the lenses of capitalism and multiracialism.
Furthermore, the spectacular visuals unique to Westerns have the advantage of best showcasing the appeal of early cinema as “moving pictures.” The primary narrative structure of classic Hollywood Westerns consists of the “hero plot” and a black-and-white logic of good versus evil. Based on the dichotomy that the protagonist is always good and the antagonist is always evil, this structure allows audiences to easily identify with the protagonist. Audiences are captivated by the protagonist’s heroic qualities as they watch him overcome the predicaments set by the villains with superhuman strength. This narrative structure is the most effective way to immerse even casual viewers in the film; because it is easy to understand and allows for simple plot setups, nearly all subsequent action films have adopted this plot structure.
Notable examples include John Ford’s ‘Stagecoach’ (1939), ‘My Darling Clementine’ (1946), ‘Fort Apache’ (1948), ‘Rio Grande’ (1950), ‘The Covered Wagon’ (1950), ‘High Noon’ (1952), and ‘Shane’ (1953). In the 1960s, a new genre of revisionist Westerns known as “Spaghetti Westerns” emerged. The romance of the West was now a thing of the past. Films such as ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (1960) and ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ (1964) replaced the spirit of the Western with a thrill derived from murder. Subsequent Westerns followed a path of transformation and decline. It seemed as though the era of the Western had already passed. It was in the midst of this crisis that ‘The Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, 1992) emerged. Clint Eastwood’s wrinkled face, portrayed with almost excessive shabbiness, carries his voice on the state of contemporary American society. While the film—which ends with William Munny, a former outlaw, defeating the sheriff—still maintains a heroic perspective, it takes a unique approach. Western films of the 1990s seem to have established themselves as a “genre of reflection.” The Western is no longer just a genre; it is American history. Dennis Hopper’s ‘Easy Rider’ retraces that history while depicting its tragedies, and many Hollywood road movies follow a path that differs in meaning from the pioneering trails of the Western.
The Plot and the Protagonist’s Journey in ‘El Topo’
There is a man. Right at the start of the film, he appears riding a horse with a naked child on its back. He instructs the child—his son—to bury a photograph of his mother and a doll in the desert. Continuing on horseback, he arrives at a village that has been massacred by someone. The man sets out to avenge the villagers and castrates the mastermind behind the massacre, “The Colonel” (La Colonel). When Mara, a woman who had been held captive by the Colonel, sets out to follow the man, he leaves his son behind in the village and sets off with her. Mara wants the man to defeat four desert gunmen and become the best. The man uses every means at his disposal to defeat them, but the woman leaves, and he is abandoned in the desert, wounded.
He is rescued by a group of people living in seclusion in a remote cave. Upon waking from a coma, he digs deeper into the cave for the sake of those who saved him, descends to the village, and makes a living there. During this time, he encounters his son, who has become a monk, and sacrifices himself. His son then sets out on the road once more, dressed in his father’s clothes.
The Western Genre and Its Evolution
‘El Topo’ is a cult Western. In fact, the film was shot on the abandoned set of the Western ‘The Day of the Evil Gun’ (1968). The film’s setting remains consistently a desolate desert. Even the villages that occasionally appear are in ruins due to massacres or bands of bandits. Above all, what makes ‘El Topo’ a Western lies in its characterization. The distinction between good and evil is clear-cut, and the protagonist always wins. Women exist solely as sexual objects, and the townspeople are endlessly weak. The overall narrative structure also depicts the process of defeating desert enemies through duels to become the ultimate champion.
Paradoxically, however, these genre conventions do not define the film’s unique character. The protagonist is not the invincible, absolutely good, and righteous hero typical of Westerns. He uses cunning and trickery to defeat opponents stronger than himself, and he abandons his son to win a woman’s heart. The film is filled with religious and philosophical messages, and the protagonist is in constant conflict. In other words, the Western genre serves as a device for the protagonist’s awakening in the film. The protagonist wanders aimlessly through the wilderness, constantly encountering enemies and engaging in duels. This series of events provides him with opportunities for self-reflection and ultimately awakens him.
The Meaning Behind the Mole and Human Nature
Director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s ‘El Topo’ maintains a consistently bizarre atmosphere throughout. The protagonist does not give even a moment’s thought to any of his actions. Not only does he never hesitate to pull the trigger, but he also abandons his own son in a remote village to take a woman in his place, and he unhesitatingly resorts to scheming and manipulation when facing opponents more skilled than himself. In this respect, he is far removed from the image of a champion of justice or a “human” protagonist. Paradoxically, however, this is precisely what makes the protagonist, El Topo, seem human. He does whatever is necessary to survive and lives true to his instincts and desires.
The same goes for the other characters. The “Colonel’s” subordinates mimic dogs to appease his anger. But when El Topo corners the Colonel, they immediately turn on him and humiliate him. The monks are humiliated by the Colonel’s men and take pleasure in witnessing El Topo’s revenge. Mara constantly demands things from El Topo, but when another intriguing character appears, she abandons the wounded El Topo and leaves. In this way, the characters in this film lay bare the darker side of human nature. This first shocks the audience with humanity’s hidden and instinctive aspects, but soon leads them to reflect on the essence of what it means to be human.
The title ‘El Topo’ (meaning “the mole”) and the story about a mole inserted midway through the film offer many insights throughout the screening. The mole, which digs its way out of the ground with great effort toward the sunlight, is ultimately blinded the moment it encounters the light. The protagonist calls himself a god. He draws water from rocks and finds food in the middle of the desert. However, in his quest to become the greatest, he fights four sages and resorts to all manner of underhanded tactics to win. Ultimately, he rises to the position of the strongest, but he becomes disillusioned by his own cowardice and realizes he is merely a human being, not a god. He then helps the dwarves who saved him and sacrifices himself for them, but, disillusioned by the corrupted world, he ultimately meets his death. No matter what, a human is merely a human and cannot become a god.
In this regard, the protagonist and the mole share many similarities. This is true of all humans. Director Jodorowsky stated in an interview, “‘El Topo’ captures the very journey of a man on his path of self-discovery.” The final scene, in which El Topo’s son departs with the dwarf woman and his infant brother, embodies the archetypal theme of life: that death is a process leading to new birth, and birth is a process leading to death. A circle has neither end nor beginning; it simply turns and turns. Life itself possesses the same completeness as a circle.
Another notable aspect of this film concerns the roles of men and women. Women play the role of seducing men and leading them down the path of corruption. Another distinctive feature is the film’s attempt to distinguish between male and female roles by giving the voices of powerless or servile men a feminine quality, while rendering the voices of powerful and attractive women in a masculine tone.
Humanity Discovered Through ‘El Topo’
Above all, watching ‘El Topo’ felt like a new discovery of humanity. Those extremely exaggerated portrayals of human nature actually seemed all the more human. I also sensed the continuity inherent in human life through the protagonist’s struggle to change his fate—a struggle that ultimately ends in frustration—and his resilience, which allows him to rise again even when he seems to be falling. It was also surprising how themes such as sex, homosexuality, violence, annihilation, and Christianity were blended together against an unrealistic, dreamlike backdrop to convey a clear message about the political situation at the time the film was made.
In fact, while watching the film, I mostly found myself either baffled or laughing heartily. The protagonist’s ruthless or decisive actions—such as drawing water from a desert rock, suddenly slapping the woman traveling with him and stripping her naked, or the woman subsequently drawing water from the rock herself—seemed like scenes straight out of a satirical comedy. Rather than the lengthy reflections I’ve written above, it was the protagonist’s comedic antics that truly resonated with me. Above all, I believe the reason ‘El Topo’ moved me so deeply lies in the fragments of insight that came to mind as the end credits rolled. These thoughts, emerging one by one in the silence, offer enlightenment and make the audience feel that they have grown as people.
I remember a response from director Alejandro Jodorowsky during his interview in Korea: “Living as myself can be difficult, but that’s because my imagination overflows endlessly, and I am capable of conjuring a powerful conclusion in an instant.” I couldn’t help but envy the fact that he could endlessly imagine himself as a human being and convey the results to others through the medium of film.
