- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination.
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Cast verified as complete
Sean Connery | ... |
Zed
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Charlotte Rampling | ... |
Consuella
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Sara Kestelman | ... |
May
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John Alderton | ... |
Friend
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Sally Anne Newton | ... |
Avalow
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Niall Buggy | ... |
Arthur Frayn / Zardoz
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Bosco Hogan | ... |
George Saden
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Jessica Swift | ... |
Apathetic
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Bairbre Dowling | ... |
Star
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Christopher Casson | ... |
Old Scientist
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Reginald Jarman | ... |
Death (voice)
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Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
Daisy Boorman | ... |
Young Eternal (Flashback Scene) (uncredited)
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John Boorman | ... |
Farming Brutal Shot by Zed / Zardoz Mask and Head Model (uncredited)
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Katrine Boorman | ... |
Young Eternal (Flashback Scene) (uncredited)
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Telsche Boorman | ... |
Young Eternal (Flashback Scene) (uncredited)
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David de Keyser | ... |
Tabernacle (uncredited) (voice)
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Directed by
John Boorman |
Written by
John Boorman | ... | (written by) |
Produced by
John Boorman | ... | producer |
Charles Orme | ... | associate producer |
Music by
David Munrow |
Cinematography by
Geoffrey Unsworth | ... | (photographed by) |
Editing by
John Merritt |
Editorial Department
Alan Jones | ... | first assistant editor |
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 | ... | make-up |
Colin Arthur | ... | assistant make-up (uncredited) |
Jan Jamison | ... | assistant hair stylist (uncredited) |
Christopher Tucker | ... | make-up (uncredited) |
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 |
Jimmy Kavanagh | ... | drapes (uncredited) |
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) / special effects supervisor (uncredited) |
Visual Effects by
Charles Staffell | ... | process projection effects |
Camera and Electrical Department
John Campbell | ... | assistant cameraman |
Jack Conroy | ... | electrical supervisor |
Paddy Keogh | ... | grip |
Peter MacDonald | ... | camera operator |
Bob Bremner | ... | generator operator (uncredited) |
Luke Quigley | ... | camera grip (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jack Gallagher | ... | wardrobe master |
Music Department
James Bowman | ... | vocalist: Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A, op. 92, 2nd movement - vocal version (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
Jean Skinner | ... | continuity |
Additional Crew
Austin Gaskin | ... | horse master |
Robin Hughes | ... | special projection material |
William Stair | ... | design and story associate (as Bill Stair) |
Aneuryn Jones | ... | horse supplier (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- John Boorman Productions
- Twentieth Century Fox (Presents)
Distributors
- Fox-Rank (1974) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Fox-Lira (1974) (France) (theatrical)
- Fox-MGM Film (1974) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Twentieth Century Fox (1974) (United States) (theatrical)
- Twentieth Century Fox (1974) (Italy) (theatrical)
- MGM-Fox (1974) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Twentieth Century Fox (1974) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Twentieth Century-Fox (1974) (Mexico) (theatrical) (limited)
- Twentieth Century-Fox (1976) (Mexico) (theatrical)
- TF1 (1979) (France) (tv) (dubbed version)
- CBS/Fox Home Video (1983) (Australia) (VHS)
- Key Video (1984) (United States) (VHS) (pan/scan)
- CBS/Fox (1985) (West Germany) (VHS)
- CBS/Fox Video Far East (1988) (Japan) (VHS)
- Nippon AVC Co. (1988) (Japan) (VHS)
- CBS/Fox (1989) (United States) (video) (laserdisc)
- CBS/Fox (1990) (United States) (VHS)
- Les Grands Films Classiques (GFC) (1996) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (United States) (DVD)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Spain) (DVD)
- Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
- Solaris Distribution (2008) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Koch Media (2012) (Germany) (DVD)
- Arrow Video (2015) (United Kingdom) (Blu-ray)
- Koch Media (2015) (Germany) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
- Twilight Time (2015) (United States) (VHS)
- Divisa Home Video (2016) (Spain) (DVD)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
- CBS/Fox Video (1983) (United Kingdom) (VHS) (Betamax V2000 Laserdisc)
- The Criterion Collection (2023) (United States) (tv) (streaming)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Panavision (filmed in)
- Warner Bros. De Lane Lea (sound re-recording)
- La Tabard Boutique (costumes made by)
- Rank Film Laboratories (processed by)
- Air Structures Design (inflatables)
- Deluxe (color prints)
- Ardmore Studios (filmed at)
Storyline
Plot Summary |
In 2293, Zardoz--an unseen "God" who speaks through an idol, a large stone statue of a head--leads a barbaric race called the Brutals, who live a harsh existence in the Outlands. Zardoz tells the Brutals that once they die, they will be transported to the Vortex, where they will live happily as Immortals. He has armed a small group, the Exterminators, with guns, as Zardoz's philosophy is that killing is good, and procreation is the root of all that is bad. In reality, Zardoz is Arthur Frayn, from a competing, more advanced race called "the Eternals", who live in paradise in the Vortex. The Eternals truly are immortal as they do not age and their bodies undergo reconstruction if they "die". They truly do not believe in procreation as their society has reached perfect equilibrium. Past human acts such as sex and sleep are obsolete in their advanced state. All major decisions are achieved through pure democracy. The Eternals, however, are not immune to non-life-threatening disease or sin; the latter is punishable by aging, only making their life less pleasant, but not ever killing them. Arthur's mission as Zardoz is to control, monitor, and study the Brutals for the Eternals. Being in the Outlands, Arthur is isolated without communication back to the Vortex and the Eternals. In his work as an Exterminator, Zed is accidentally able to find his way to the Vortex as a still-alive being. The Eternals vote to keep Zed alive temporarily so that they can study him before they kill him. Among the Eternals who have direct interactions with Zed are: May, the lead scientist, who believes Zed is a blessing in that they have not had access to a Brutal in some time; Friend, a hedonist who wants to use Zed as the animal he considers him to be; and Consuela, the hard-lined one who believes in vigilante justice. In the Eternals' access to Zed, they might learn whether his making it to the Vortex was indeed an accident--and their so-called Utopian society might be exposed for what it truly is. Written by Huggo |
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Taglines | Beyond 1984, Beyond 2001, Beyond Love, Beyond Death See more » |
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Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
Budget | $1,570,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
Trivia | The opening sequence is an introduction added by Sir John Boorman, at the request of Twentieth Century Fox executives, to help the audience understand this movie. See more » |
Goofs | Early in the film, when the weapons are spewed out of the floating head's mouth, several crew-members' arms and a face, can be seen throwing them. See more » |
Movie Connections | Featured in To the Galaxy and Beyond with Mark Hamill (1997). See more » |
Soundtracks | Symphony No. 7 Op. 92 II. Allegretto See more » |
Quotes |
[the gigantic Stone Head hovers before the worshipful horde of Exterminators]
Zardoz: Zardoz speaks to you, His chosen ones. Exterminators: We are the chosen ones! Zardoz: You have been raised up from Brutality, to kill the Brutals who multiply, and are legion. To this end, Zardoz your God gave you the gift of the Gun. The Gun is good! Exterminators: The Gun is good! Zardoz: 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. See more » |