Italian Cannibal Cinema- Cannibal Holocaust

 I have previously discussed a couple of Italian cannibal films on here and I figured it was time to do another, so decided I may as well knock out the most notorious of the bunch: Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust.  Most people are probably not aware of the Italian cannibal film boom from the '70s and '80s, but many people are still aware of this particular film.

DVD release from EC Entertainment

 

Booklet from EC Entertainment DVD release

With a reputation such as the one Cannibal Holocaust has developed over the years, one may wonder whether or not the movie itself can hold up to it.  After all, this is a film that shocked people during its original release in 1980, but the world has changed so much in the four decades that have passed since then, so would it have the same impact today?  Is this a movie that would instead lose any shock value it once had as audiences became desensitized?  Well, first let's talk about the movie itself and then we can address these questions. 

 

Laserdisc release by Cult Epics

 This was the second time director Ruggero Deodato tackled the cannibal subgenre, with his first being 1977's Ultimo mondo cannibale.  Cannibal Holocaust is also what Deodato will always be remembered for, whether he likes it or not.  Certainly, he has made quite a number of other enjoyable films: House on the Edge of the Park, The Washing Machine, Cut and Run, etc.  However, most people will not be familiar with those movies (or Deodato's name, for that matter), but they may still know Cannibal Holocaust, at least by reputation.

What is it about Cannibal Holocaust that makes it stand out from Deodato's previous cannibal film as well as the rest of the cannibal movies coming from Italy during that time?  It is difficult to say for certain, but it does seem that Cannibal Holocaust has a level of realism that was quite unusual for the time and even now.  Much of this can likely be a result of the structure and style of the film, utilizing what would now be called the "found footage" style for part of the film, while adopting a more traditional style for the rest.  Some even go so far as to credit this film with the creation of the "found footage" style.  Whether that is accurate or not, I am not really sure.  Certainly, other films utilized some techniques used in this film, but regardless, this was definitely a distinctly unusual approach at the time and Cannibal Holocaust did a lot to pioneer the style.  Deodato used this style to really create the idea that what you are watching on the screen is real and that these characters you see dying onscreen are truly dead.  The effect worked well enough that he had to go to court in Italy and prove that he had not in fact killed off his actors.  Of course, the animal deaths shown on screen were real and this element does figure heavily into the film's notoriety, but again, it must be remembered that this was not an element unique to Cannibal Holocaust or even Italian cannibal films specifically.  It is a product of different times.  Film-makers could do things in decades past that would get them arrested today.  Laws change for a reason. 

The story in this one revolves around a film crew that traveled to the Amazon region to make a documentary, but never returned.  An expedition headed by Professor Monroe (Robert Kerman) heads down there to try finding the missing crew, only to find that the entire crew has been murdered, but some of the film the crew shot has survived.  Professor Monroe returns with the films canisters and a TV station plans to air a documentary about the dead film crew and Monroe's search, as well as highlights from the footage the crew shot.  The footage turns out to show what assholes the people from that film crew were and just what they were capable of just to get a shot and for the chance at fame.

The film crew consisted of director Alan Yates (Gabriel Yorke), script supervisor/Alan's girlfriend Faye Daniels (Francesca Ciardi), cameraman Jack Anders (Perry Pirkanen), and cameraman Mark Tomaso (Luca Barbareschi).  Aside from the footage that makes up the portions that were shot by this crew, the movie has Professor Monroe talking to surviving relatives of the crew as well as TV executives who remain elated at the thoughts of the ratings they will get, even as Monroe becomes increasingly more antagonistic toward the project.  During the final section of the film, Monroe convinces the executives to sit down with him and watch the rest of the footage, which he had already seen at that point, hoping to steer them away from going through with their plans to air a documentary about the film crew and Monroe's search for the crew.

T-shirt design by Grindhouse Releasing

I can't really discuss this film and not talk about the music by the late Riz Ortolani.  It is simply amazing work.  Combining orchestral and electronic elements, the music can be beautiful, somber, ominous, and even sad.  Ortolani had previously done music for the also-notorious Mondo Cane, making him a natural choice for the atmosphere for Cannibal Holocaust.  The themes he wrote for this film are memorable and effective, while not overshadowing the rest of the film.  It took quite some time before the score was available to purchase.  The first release, to my knowledge, was a German CD in the '90s.  This was followed by an American CD release about a decade later.  It has also more recently been released on record and a CD version is included with Grindhouse Releasing's Blu-Ray release of the film.  Of course, it would be a discredit to Ortolani for me to act like this was all he did in his career as a composer because he scored numerous movies in different genres.  He was talented composer with the ability to create music that will truly grab the listener.

Blu-Ray release by Grindhouse Releasing with slipcase (top) and soundtrack CD(bottom right)

If you want to watch an Italian cannibal flick, but only one and you want the experience to be intense and likely fairly upsetting, then I suppose this is the one to watch.  If you are planning on watching them all, maybe it would be better to work up to it.  And that brings me back to the impact this film has on audiences today versus when it first came out.  Unlike many movies as they age, Cannibal Holocaust seems to have retained its ability to shock, disgust, and generally upset viewers.  The specific elements of the film that disturb viewers may not all be the same now as they were when the film was new (as the general sensibilities of society have changed so much), but it still hits the audience like a kick in the stomach with a heavy-ass platform shoe with metal cleats on it.  This does not seem to be a movie people enjoy, so much as appreciate or sometimes despise.  It isn't a fun little romp or anything like that.  It is a movie that audiences tend to endure, more akin to a well-made and interesting documentary about some horrific historical event.  Put simply, this is a great film that is certainly deserving of the controversy it has generated over the years, yet I think manages to live up to its reputation.  Check it out.  Although you may feel like you need a shower afterward.