Tuesday 28 April 2009

Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

At a glance:
Shock torture porn, semi-docu style, but not without some critical importance. Pic seems to work because there is a real and substantial mockery of civilised society here, interlaced with plenty of explicit imagery of bizarre sexual acts, tribal rituals and graphic animal slaughter, which are all pretty darn interestin if you ask a sick fuck like me. Much talked about by those who're into extreme cinema.
Bad news on the doorstep:
Banned in its native Italy and a few others upon release, the movie is still controversial today. Some countries have since lifted the ban, some won't. No surprise there when you read that they dropped murder charges against director Ruggero Deodato only after he explained the SFX behind how the girl was impaled in one scene (pic). This was because the actors signed contracts agreein they'd disappear and keep low profiles so that people might really believe they died while makin a documentary in the jungle, which is part of the story. You might find many versions to download. Watched mine on an original R3 Thai disc.
Reminds me of:
Anthony Wong in Ebola Syndrome. Haha. On another note, director was reportedly pissed off at similar movies like Blair Witch Project and The Last Broadcast, which didn't cite enough referential credit to his movie.
Watch out for:
The celebrated scene that teaches you how to process a turtle for dinner. Sure makes you think twice about terrapin soup from now on, doesn't it?
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Four stars. I was quite entertained, especially with Riz Ortolani's amazin score. Even that culture goldfish numbnuts Johan remembers the music. Man also scored Mondo Cane.
Trailer for the curious: