Mondo cane (1962)

A "shockumentary" consisting of a collection of mostly real archive footage displaying mankind at its most depraved and perverse, displaying bizarre rites, cruel behavior and bestial violence.

Directors:

Paolo Cavara, Gualtiero Jacopetti

Writers:

Paolo Cavara, Gualtiero Jacopetti

Stars:

Stefano Sibaldi, Rossano Brazzi, Yves Klein

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stefano Sibaldi	...	Narrator (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rossano Brazzi	...	Himself
Yves Klein	...	Himself
Henning Skaarup	...	(Danish Narrator)

Storyline

Nominally a documentary, this film combines a number of unrelated sequences (both real and staged) -- including a South Pacific "cargo cult", the ritual slaughter of a bull, tribal dances and rituals, and a visit to an ornate pet cemetery -- all focused on the lurid, sensational, and eccentric.

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Plot Keywords:

amputee | disturbing | controversial | bull | slaughter | 

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Taglines:

"THE SEASON'S MOST ARGUED ABOUT FILM!" -- Life Magazine (original print ad - mostly caps)

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Genres:

Documentary | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

30 March 1962 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Mondo Cane No. 1

Filming Locations:

Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cineriz

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 91 min (cut) 97 min (re-release: 1970)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film opens with an advisory to the viewer, which differs slightly from what the narrator is saying. It reads: "All the scenes you will see in this film are true and are taken only from life. If often they are shocking, it is because there are many shocking things in this world. Besides, the duty of the chronicler is not to sweeten the truth but to report it objectively."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: All the scenes you are about to see are real and were shot as they were taking place. If sometimes they seem cruel, it is only because cruelty abounds on this planet. And anyway, the duty of a reporter is not to make the truth seem sweeter, but to show things as they really are.

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Connections

Edited into Video Macumba (1991)

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Soundtracks

Ti guarderò nel cuore (More)
Music by Riz Ortolani & Nino Oliviero
Lyrics by Norman Newell

User Reviews

take this "documentary" with a grain of salt

please, as you watch this documentary, realize that although the narration is spoken in a straight, scientific tone, in actuality the narration is full of hyperbole, invention, and jokes. sometimes, the narration is close to the truth; sometimes, the narration is campy and silly. the tone does not change, however, and you are left on your own to decide what is real and what is not. it must be said that anthropologists and scientists were not closely consulted for this film. the fish found on tree branches and out of water have done that for 1000s of years. the atom bomb test did not suddenly cause that behavior.

one must even question whether or not the crew manipulated some of the scenes. for example, if a sea turtle is dying in the sun, how could it end up dead on its back?

please, watch this alleged documentary with a careful eye.