Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

Director:

Ruggero Deodato

Writer:

Gianfranco Clerici (story)

Release Date:

19 June 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Horror

Tagline:

Ripout! Barbeque! Devour! How long can you take it?

Plot:

A New York University professor returns from a rescue mission to the Amazon rainforest with the footage shot by a lost team of documentarians who were making a film about the area's local cannibal tribes.

Plot Keywords:

Crew | Tribe | Professor | Cannibal | New York

Cast

Robert Kerman	...	Harold Monroe
Francesca Ciardi	...	Faye Daniels
Perry Pirkanen	...	Jack Anders
Luca Barbareschi	...	Mark Tomaso (as Luca Giorgio Barbareschi)
Salvatore Basile	...	Chaco Losojos
Ricardo Fuentes	...	Felipe Ocanya
Carl Gabriel Yorke	...	Alan Yates (as Gabriel Yorke)
Paolo Paoloni	...	Chief NY Executive
Lionello Pio Di Savoia	...	Executive (as Pio Di Savoia)
Luigina Rocchi	...	Native
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lucia Costantini	...	Adulteress (uncredited)
Ruggero Deodato	...	Man Outside University (uncredited)
Edward Mannix	...	Harold Monroe (voice) (uncredited)
Enrico Papa	...	TV Show Host (uncredited)
Gregory Snegoff	...	TV Show Host (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Ruggero Deodato

Writing credits
Gianfranco Clerici		(story and screenplay)

Produced by
Franco Di Nunzio	....	producer
Franco Palaggi	....	producer

Original Music by
Riz Ortolani

Cinematography by
Sergio D'Offizi

Film Editing by
Vincenzo Tomassi

Production Design by
Massimo Antonello Geleng

Makeup Department
Nicola Catalani	....	assistant makeup artist
Massimo Giustini	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Giovanni Masini	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Salvatore Basile	....	assistant director
Lamberto Bava	....	assistant director (unconfirmed)

Art Department
Rodolfo Ruzza	....	property master

Sound Department
Gianni D'Amico	....	sound mixer
Bruno Longobardo	....	sound mixer
Raul Montesanti	....	sound engineer
Umberto Montesanti	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Aldo Gasparri	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Ennio Brizzolari	....	key grip
Paolo Cavicchioli	....	still photographer (as Paolo Maria Cavicchioli)
Roberto Forges Davanzati	....	camera operator
Enrico Maggi	....	assistant camera
Luigi Pasqualini	....	chief electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lucia Costantini	....	wardrober

Editorial Department
Rita Antonelli	....	assistant editor
Luciano Vittori	....	color consultant

Other crew
Vito Di Bari	....	production secretary
Armando Pace	....	cutting room assistant
Rossana Rocchi	....	continuity

Production Companies

• F.D. Cinematografica

Distributors

• United Artists (1980) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Grindhouse Releasing (2006) (USA) (all media) (restored) (uncut) (copyright holder)
• Transcontinental (1985) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Jugendfilm-Verleih (1981) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Les Films du Dragon (unknown) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Alan Young Pictures (2002) (Italy) (DVD)
• Alfa-Panorama Film & Video (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• Another World Entertainment (2006) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Another World Entertainment (2006) (Norway) (DVD)
• Astro Distribution (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
• Astro Video (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Blackest Heart Media
• Cult Epics (1993-2000) (worldwide) (VHS)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (video)
• Dansk Video Distribution (DVD) (????) (Denmark) (VHS)
• Drive in 2000 (19??) (Hungary) (VHS)
• EC Entertainment (2000) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Firebox (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Go Video (1982) (UK) (VHS)
• Go Video (1982) (UK) (video) (Betamax)
• International Video Corporation (IVC) (198?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• JPV Austria (????) (Austria) (VHS)
• Laser Paradise (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Manga Films (2002) (Spain) (DVD)
• Mangpong (2000) (Thailand) (video)
• Media Suits (2002-2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• Opening Distribution (2004) (France) (DVD)
• Parc Video (1998) (Ireland) (video) (as "Cosa Nostra") (uncut version)
• Rex Films Home Video
• Roma Lusa (????) (Portugal) (VHS)
• SBP (Argentina) (video)
• Shameless Screen Entertainment (2011) (UK) (DVD)
• Shochiku CBS/Fox Video (SCF) (????) (Japan) (VHS)
• Siren Visual Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Spike Adventure (2001) (Japan) (DVD)
• Substance Video (2000) (Canada) (DVD)
• Ultra Film (2006) (Hungary) (DVD)
• VL Video (????) (Germany) (VHS)
• Video Instant Picture Company (VIPCO) (2001) (UK) (video)
• Video Invest AB (????) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Viking Video (2004) (Russia) (DVD)
• marketing-film (????) (Germany) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust" - USA (complete title)

Runtime:

95 min | UK:89 min (heavily cut) | USA:90 min (animal cruelty-free version) | Canada:86 min (Québec)

Country:

Italy

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (2001 re-release) | Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:(Banned) | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | UK:(Banned) (1984-2001) | USA:X (original rating) (rating surrendered) | USA:Unrated | West Germany:(Banned) | Canada:R | Italy:(Banned) (1980-1984) | Germany:BPjM Restricted | Norway:18 (re-rating: 2005) (uncut) | Singapore:(Banned) | Australia:(Banned) (1984-2005) | Norway:(Banned) (1984-2005) | Italy:VM18 (re-rating: 1984) | Hong Kong:III | Japan:R-18 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Sweden:18 (video rating, cut) | UK:18 (re-rating: 2001) (heavily cut) (2011) (cut) | UK:X (self applied: 1981) | Philippines:(Banned) | New Zealand:(Banned) (2006) | Denmark:16 | Brazil:18 | Mexico:D | France:-16 (original rating) | Australia:R (re-rating: 2005) (uncut) | Ireland:(Banned) (1984-2006) | Germany:18 (heavily cut) | Ireland:18 (re-rating: 2006) | Finland:K-18 (2001) | South Africa:18 | France:-16 | France:-18 (DVD) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) (re-rating, uncut) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Sweden:15 (uncut DVD version) | Germany:Not Rated (uncut DVD version) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) (cut) | Chile:18 (X-Rated) | Portugal:M/18 | Czech Republic:18

Filming Locations:

Amazon Rainforest, Colombia

Company:

F.D. Cinematografica

Trivia:

In the ten days after its release, the movie grossed approximately $1.9 million in February 1980 (what would be about $5 million today) before it was seized by the Italian courts and Ruggero Deodato arrested. Because of its infamy and several subsequent re-releases, it is claimed that the film has grossed $200 million worldwide (inflation not adjusted), though this has never been verified.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: The dub for Professor Monroe is obviously out of sync when he speaks into his tape recorder at the Yanomamo village.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Reporter:Man is omnipotent; nothing is impossible for him. What seemed like unthinkable undertakings yesterday are history today. The conquest of the moon for example: who talks about it anymore? Today we are already on the threshold of conquering our galaxy, and in a not too distant tomorrow, we'll be considering the conquest of the universe, and yet man seems to ignore the fact that on this very planet there are still people living in the stone age and practicing cannibalism.

Movie Connections:

References Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs (1974)

Not the campfest I expected

"Cannibal Holocaust" is not the campy little horror flick I expected. It's a "serious" and well-made movie and it's an experience you'll hardly ever forget. According to IMDb's trivia section the movie can "only be seen completely uncut in the EC-UltraBit DVD", which means that I've seen a tamed down version and that, my friends, is insane! "Cannibal Holocaust" is easily one of the most graphic movies I've ever come across. The violence is incredibly realistic. It's no wonder that director Ruggero Deodato was taken to court to prove that he hasn't slain real people for his motion picture. (I still think the real animal slaughtering in the movie was unnecessary. Screw you for that, Deodato!) It's hard to tell if there really is a message or if the "moral" is just an excuse for all the gore. In a strange way the violent scenes somehow speak for themselves and do deliver some kind of message, but that's open for discussion.

If ever a movie deserved the label "disturbing", it's "Cannibal Holocaust". It's controversial, but totally worth watching, if you can take some seriously sick images.