The Rainbow Thief - A Film Review

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The mist clears to a bird of prey circling overhead. The camera tracks the flight of the bird. A dead fish floats on the murky water below and is soon approached by a shadow moving across the water. For a second we associate the shadow with the prowling bird above. But it is a human hand that enters to pluck the dead fish from the water. The fish follows the hand back to a person, down-and-out, but happy with his luck. He now leans back to sit against the dock moorings. This is Dima, who has barely had a minute alone with the fish before he is aproached by a rat who wants a part of the dinner. The two friends share their catch before Dima rises to stretch himself and admire his surroundings. When no one is looking he sneaks around a corner and opens the door to his home - a manhole in the street leading into the underground sewers.

Welcome to the filmmaking of Alejandro Jodorowsky a Chilean filmmaker, playwright and composer.

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As Dima tries to squeeze himself through the manhole, popping champagne brings us into another world. The world of aristocratic glitter where the champagne is a drink enjoyed by dogs. The humans are fed on bare bones and the caviar is reserved for a pack of well groomed dalmatians. Here in this world of decadence, the alter ego of Dima, haunts the palaces in the form of the reclusive Prince Meleagre, heir to the riches of the eccentric millionaire, Uncle Rudolf. As Uncle Rudolf falls into a coma after an evening of excessive entertainment by the rainbow girls, Dima from his low life in the sewers, sees gold at the end of the rainbow and appeals to his majesty Prince Meleagre to return to the surface and to reclaim his birthright.


"Rainbow Thief" filmed in 1990 on location in Poland and in what appears to be an incredible London studio, brings together two great stars, Peter O'Toole (Prince Meleagre) and Omar Sharif (Dima) who, supported by Christopher Lee who plays Uncle Rudolf, deliver great performances to the film.


The film has been criticised by members of his big cult following as the tamest of all the films that Alejandro Jodorowsky has ever made. Jodorowsky in his campaign against human violence, greed and hypocrisy does make avant-garde films containing violently surreal imagery, mysticism and religious provocation.  


Jodorowsky lives primarily in Mexico. Although he himself is also a playwright and screenplay writer, he did not write the screenplay for "Rainbow Thief". It was written by Berta Dominguez D. 


Berta's husband Alexander Salkind, was the executive producer of the film. Jodorowsky is reported to have been very much curtailed by the production who threatened him with an immediate sacking if he had tried to change the original story in any way. 


But still, he has managed to produce what is probably his most sublime creation ever.


Taking his chance to work with actual "movie stars" Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif, Jodorowsky takes the clay and the "severe" restrictions imposed upon him, to bring about another level of his genius. Concentrating on capturing great performances from his cast, playing with his usual elements of mysticism, and putting to great effect, the mastery he admires from the cinema of Federico Fellini, he created a world from the delusions and existential questions of Dima, played by Omar Sharif.


Some may say that the film has wonderful cinematography but no story. One part of that observation is apparent from watching the picture. The Cinematographer is none other than Ronnie Taylor (BSC) the cinematographer that photographed for the epic film "Ghandi".


The second part of that observation is a pity to hear mentioned and written.


Jodorowsky as a director has a lot of respect for his audiences and he allows his audiences to form their own interpretation of his films. He also likes to let an audience have first hand experience of the world in the scenarios that he builds for the cinema. For "Rainbow Thief" one interpretation, of the final story could go as follows.


Dima, lives alone in the sewers with his dog, surrounded by rats and other vermin in an environment where his clothes are never dry. He spends his days confronting himself in conversation about the vices and devices of human survival with his only companion, the dog Kronos.


Kronos the dog is just a puppet and his power of speech is granted through the machinations of his majesty, Prince Meleagre a ventriloquist who speaks through the dog.


Dima had invited Prince Meleagre with his dog and puppet Kronos into his underground home, where they live in luxury in the only dry spot in the sewers. Dima himself becomes the servant of Prince Meleagre and it is to him that he dedicates his life of petty crime. But Prince Meleagre is never satisfied with anything he steals from the world above, often reprimanding him for going out for too long and choosing instead to school Dima on the virtues of the transformation of the human soul. On practical terms, Prince Meleagre constantly reminds Dima of his daily responsibility of checking the water levels in the sewers and to secure their only canoe which might get washed away in a flood.


In his life, as Dima moves between the sewers and the world above, he undergoes the constant transformation between his wet environment and the warm and dry land of the people above. He quickly shrugs off his conscience and the complaints of Prince Meleagre to become himself a prince of thieves in a world in which he has to steal to survive. He becomes a smooth and elegant artist, rubbing shoulders with fellow thieves and the well to do in a world of luxury. Where his powers of seduction cast a constant spell on the lady of his dreams, the newspaper stand lady Ambrosia, from whom he also sometimes steals money and the occasional newspaper.


It is through the newspapers that he steals from Ambrosia that Dima keeps himself inspired, especially with the fortunes and the inheritance of his alter ego, His Majesty, Prince Meleagre.


But when an imminent flood threatens his underground world, Dima and Meleagre have a severe falling out. Uncle Rudolf dies and Meleagre has failed to return to the surface to claim his inheritance. They get into a fight and Dima decides to save himself from the flood and to leave Prince Meleagre behind.


Here's an extract of memorable dialogue between Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif during their first argument:


Meleagre: "My friend, it is here in the depths of the sewers, revelation came to me. Let us forget our quarrels of the past. Let us rejoice. The Meleagre is here to steer you on, so that you in turn may steer the world out of the greatest deluge ever on earth!"


Dima: "I do not want to steer you anywhere". And you... you're going to steer me? Ha... you're scared out of your pants when you piss!" (He starts walking out and turns). "You have no gratitude, see? No gratitude! Who brought you down here, you and your real dog? Who found you shelter? I did. Who brings food everyday? Dima does. Dima! Dima!"


Meleagre: "You understand nothing. Into the abysmal pit must you fall before you see the abysmal blue. For so, my friend has been given, even unto you!" 


A desperate Dima, scrambles between the world above and the sewers trying to keep his make believe world alive. With the dream of gold at the end of the rainbow his one chance to the life of his dreams. He struggles and negotiates but to no avail. At the end he has to flee the sewers. The YouTube video below shows the part where in his dilemma he at first abandons his alter ego. Then in a desperate change of heart, and exposed to great peril, he abandons his escape and tries one more time to save Meleagre.

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In a struggle between his real life survival instincts and his spiritual alter-ego, Dima tries to save Meleagre, who instead stupidly tries to save Kronos the puppet dog. Finally, Dima has to knock Meleagre out so that he can carry him to safety. But it is to no avail. Dima loses Meleagre who perishes in the flood. Grieving the loss of his friend and the loss of his home, Dima clambers out of the sewers through a new manhole he finds. Safe at last from the flooding below he sits for hours at the entrance of the manhole defeated. Crowds of cleaners and people pass by the lone figure, a worm out of his hole, until policemen come to arrest him and to throw him out of the city gates. Alone on the waterfront, Dima looks out into the harbour and there he finds his companion Kronos, who has also survived the flood. He calls out and shows Kronos the way out. He embraces his dog and they leave the docks together. 


It is only here at the end of the film, when the dog turns out to be a real dog and not just a puppet, that an audience may realise that perhaps, Prince Meleagre was only a figment of the imagination of a desperate soul. That Dima in his loneliness, had created Prince Meleagre so that he could believe that his miserable dwelling in the sewers was worthy enough to be tenanted by a prince. That without his dog, he would be nothing to the world.


In an incredible duet of a performance by these two actors who first acted together in "Lawrence of Arabia", where Omar Sharif was discovered, Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif play out a poor man's struggle to maintain a sense of perspective and his method of holding on to human faith during dire circumstances.
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"The Rainbow Thief" Production Details


Burrill Productions

Directed by	Alejandro Jodorowsky
Written by	Berta Domínguez D.
Starring	Peter O'Toole Omar Sharif Christopher Lee
Music by	Jean Musy
Cinematography	Ronnie Taylor
Editing by	Mauro Bonanni
Distributed by	Rink Anstalt
Release date(s)	France: January 19, 1994
Running time	87 minutes
Country	England
Language	English

Production details sourced from Wikipedia.


Disclaimer: The images used in the Review are actual screen shots from the film. A watermark from Artistic Melanesia is added simply to trace any abuse of copyright on the internet that may result from this article back to the writer of the article.