Africa addio (1966)

Directors:

Gualtiero Jacopetti
Franco Prosperi

Writers:

Gualtiero Jacopetti (writer)
Franco Prosperi (writer)

Release Date:

11 February 1966 (Italy)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

You May LOVE It! You May HATE It! But You'll Not FORGET It!

Plot:

The second official sequel to the original shockumentary, displaying cruel acts of animal poaching and violence, executions, and tribal slaughtering, all taking place on the African continent.

Plot Keywords:

Execution | Mau Mau | Shockumentary | Mondo | Exploitation

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Sergio Rossi

...

Narrator (voice)

Also Known As:

Adios Africa (USA)
Africa Blood and Guts (USA) (cut version)
Africaddio (Italy) (DVD box title)
Farewell Africa (UK) (video title)

Runtime:

140 min | Sweden:116 min | USA:83 min (1970 release) | USA:122 min | Norway:124 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | West Germany:18 (heavily cut) (video premiere) | Finland:(Banned) (1967) | Finland:K-16 (re-rating: 1968) (cut) | USA:R | UK:X (heavily cut) | Italy:VM18 | Italy:VM14 (DVD) | Australia:R | Sweden:15

Company:

Cineriz

Trivia:

Despite having almost half of the original material removed, the English print under the title Africa Blood and Guts is noted as being more gruesome than the original, uncut print, as any scenes of pleasantness or history have been removed, leaving only the most violent and disturbing footage untouched.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Ultime grida dalla savana (1975)

Words cannot explain the dilemma I have with this film

Truly presents the world as a dark place without a happy ending, or an ending at all, a world full of intolerance part of the human condition. Even worse, there is great indifference towards this intolerance, even displayed by the filmmakers themselves as they arguably exploit the rape of Africa, equally marvelled by the human tragedy and the cinematic scope of Africa in crisis. Yet, the images are genuine, if not presented in a genuine way, and the use of editing, music, and all the techniques of cinema masterfully create a tour de force that commands debate, thought, and maybe - someday- action.

Is this perhaps an example of what "art" really is, for better and for worse?

The fact that it took me over a year to really put into words why this film affected me so much, and yet was still villainous in many ways (a paradox to be sure), makes me think that it is.