No Filter: These Actors Were Really Getting Intimate On Film!

El Topo (1970)

Alejandro Jodorowsky not only directedEl Topo, he also wrote a book about the making of the film. In the book, he said the unadulterated scenes were not rehearsed to so they could be as “human feeling” as possible. The scenes were filmed only with the actors, a photographer, and a technician.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, El Topo was initially released as an independent film but John Lennon stepped in and convinced Allen Klein of ABKCO to purchase the movie’s rights. The movie was originally only shown late at night, at arthouse theaters. Its first DVD release was in 2007.