Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #15 June 2015 | Page 50

Cinema Obscura - The Overlooked
Gems of Cinema

Zardoz (1974) - “Is God In Show
Business?”
By Jeff Durkin
“The Penis is evil! The Penis shoots Seeds, and makes
new Life to poison the Earth with a plague of men, as
once it was. But the Gun shoots Death and purifies the
Earth of the filth of Brutals. Go forth, and kill! Zardoz
has spoken.” Arthur Frayn/Zardoz (Niall Buggy)
Zardoz is a thematically rich film. Writer/director John
Boorman created a cinematic experience that rewards
careful attention and reflection. It is also a film with

flaws. The characters are difficult to identify with.
Some of the dialogue is opaque or pretentious. The
film’s set designs makes it look like a cheaply made
production, although its $2 million budget was good
for the time. Some of the design decisions are odd,
most glaring the wardrobe designs. The well-known
image of Zed (Sean Connery) in what looks like a red
leather diaper is only one of many that fail to impress
and leave the film open to being unfairly dismissed.

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