Mondo cannibale (1980)

Director:

Jesus Franco

Writer:

Jesus Franco (writer)

Release Date:

28 November 1980 (West Germany)

Genre:

Horror | Adventure

Tagline:

Kidnapped by cannibals! Raised to eat human flesh!

Plot:

A man who lost an arm and his family to a tribe of cannibals returns ten years later to bring back his teenager daughter, only to find that she grew up into a beautiful blonde woman who became the cannibals' queen.

Plot Keywords:

Cannibal | Tribe | Jungle | Daughter | Goddess

Cast

Al Cliver	...	Jeremy Taylor
Sabrina Siani	...	Lana
Jérôme Foulon	...	Safari member
Shirley Knight	...	Barbara Shelton
Antonio Mayans	...	Yakaké (as Robert Foster)
Olivier Mathot	...	Charles Fenton
Anouchka	...	Lana as a child
Lina Romay	...	Ana (as Candy Coster)
Pamela Stanford	...	Elisabeth Taylor
Jesus Franco	...	Mr. Martin
Raymond Hardy	...	John
Anne Marie Rosier	...	Safari Member

Also Known As:

Barbarian Goddess (USA)
Cannibals (UK) (DVD title)
El caníbal (Spain)
Inferno der Kannibalen (Germany) (DVD title)
L'emprise des cannibales (France)
Les cannibales (France)
Mondo Cannibale Teil 3: Die blonde Göttin (West Germany) (video box title)
Mondo Cannibale Teil 3: Die blonde Göttin der Kannibalen (West Germany)
Mondo cannibal (France)
Une fille pour les cannibales (France)
White Cannibal Queen (USA)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Spain | France | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Telecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | UK:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Norway:(Banned) (video rating) | West Germany:(Banned)

Company:

Eurociné

Trivia:

The version titled "Mondo Cannibale 3" was signed by Jesus Franco as Clifford Brown, supposedly an homage to the real Clifford Brown, a jazz trumpeter.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Terreur cannibale (1981)

Jess Franco chomps on the cannibal genre

Prof. Taylor (Al Cliver) and his family are attacked on their boat by a group of cannibals. Taylor is taken back to the village and barely survives, losing his young daughter and left arm (!) in the process. He spends the next decade or so manic and recovering in New York City with the help of his nurse Ana (Lina Romay). When he finally comes to his senses, Taylor - with aid from his rich benefactors - mounts another journey into the jungle to rescue his daughter. Problem is that she is now married to the head of the tribe and, most likely, hates her one- armed daddy.

Always down for a little exploitation, director Jess Franco got his cannibal groove on in the late 70s/early 80s and shot this one in the south of Spain. The cannibals are laughable (one is spotted wearing a wedding band) and look like they were grabbed in a Lowes parking lot (not far off actually as Franco says they hired gypsies). Plus, they wear goofy make up that makes them look like they are members of the baseball gang in THE WARRIORS. Sabrina Siani, memorably nude in Fulci's CONQUEST, shows where she got her start as the grown up daughter-turned- cannibal-queen. Franco calls her the "most stupid" person he has ever worked with in the Blue Underground disc's documentary. He then stops himself short and says that he has worked with many dumb leading ladies and that she is up there in the top. He also has kind words for Cliver, saying he was professional and sober which "for a Latin person is a miracle." While the film isn't even close to the genre's best offerings, it moves along fast enough, features some skin and delivers some gory goods (yeah, I'm easy to please tonight). One thing is for sure though, you will be singing the "Oh, oh, oooooooh" cannibal theme over and over by the time the film is done.