Zardoz

This may be the first instance in which the director’s commentary is absolutely crucial in understanding not just what the movie is about, but even what’s happening on the screen. At some point after ”Deliverance,” writer – director John Boorman decided to make a futuristic sci-fi allegory that would allow him to explore complex ideas about society and its relationship to violence, sexuality, and religion.

What resulted —Zardoz — is a silly, impenetrable movie starring Sean Connery (attired in the dumbest costume ever) as a ponytailed barbarian who obeys a giant stone head. It’s only through Boorman’s comments that we can follow the threads of his high concepts — as well as learn what it cost to hire a post Bond Connery ($200,000) and how difficult it was back then to get Irish girls to appear topless (very) — and that makes this a film made for DVD. After all, it’s the only possible way to enjoy it.