Alferd Packer: The Musical (1996)

Director:

Trey Parker

Writer:

Trey Parker (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 August 2008 (South Korea)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Horror | Musical | Western

Tagline:

All Singing! All Dancing! All Flesh Eating!

Plot:

The sole survivor of an ill-fated mining expedition tells how his taste for gold was replaced by that of human flesh.

Plot Keywords:

Mountain | Lost | Reporter | Rocky Mountains | Flashback

Cast

Dian Bachar	...	George Noon
Stephen Blackpool	...	Black Cat
Stan Brakhage	...	Noon's Father
Dan Brother	...	Guard #2
Duster	...	Liane
Brad Gordon	...	Mills
Ian Hardin	...	Shannon Bell
Dave Hardin	...	Drummer
Edward Henwood	...	O.D. Loutzenheiser / The Cyclops
Jon Hegel	...	Isreal Swan
Andrew Kemler	...	Preston Nutter
Steve Jackson	...	Sheriff of Lake City
Jessica James Kelly	...	Tiny Tim / Baby Packer
M.K.	...	'The Dropout' (credit only)
Marty Leeper	...	Sheriff of Saguache

Also Known As:

Cannibal! The Musical (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for comic gore/violence and some language.

Runtime:

95 min | UK:97 min (video)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Canada:14A (re-rating) | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Black Canyon, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Gunnison, Colorado, USA

Company:

Avenging Conscience

Trivia:

The movie was originally titled "Alferd Packer: The Musical." Lloyd Kaufman, owner of Troma, convinced Trey Parker to change the title to "Cannibal: The Musical" because, though Packer is well-known in Colorado, very few outside of the state know who he is.

Goofs:

Continuity: Packer shoots Bell with a single-action black powder pistol, yet he does not cock the gun, and the hammer does not move when firing. At the same time, there is an audible cocking noise.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Title Card: The film you are about to see was originally released in 1954. Upstaged by the overwhelming popularity of "Oklahoma!", it's short lived theater run was canceled, and "Alfred Packer: The Musical" soon fell into obscurity. The original negative, re-discovered just last year, has been painstakingly restored using state-of-the-art color enhancing and computer reconstruction technology. The film's violent scenes have been edited out for your viewing pleasure.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Take (2008/I)

Soundtrack:

That's All I'm Asking For

Brilliant and hilarious `musical'

Cannibal! The Musical is now a small cult classic thanks to DVD. It deserves more because this is simply a great movie, with songs that will leave you laughing for days and some great pop-culture references. Oh yeah, and Japanese Indians. And Confederate solider Cyclopses.

I actually read about the real Alfred Packer on the internet and believe it or not, the movie stays true to what happened. Scary, huh?

Historical background aside, the one-liners and musical numbers (`Let's Build a Snowman' is unbelievably funny) are a good reason to get this movie. If you have a DVD player, get the DVD and listen to the cast/crew's drunk commentary. It's not very informative but it sure is fun. Grade: A.

Rated R for graphic comic violence/gore and strong language. Suggested for ages 14 and up.