A Dog's Life (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	...	Self
Yves Klein	...	Self
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:

shockumentary | amputee | disturbing | controversial | exploitation film | 

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Taglines:

It enters a hundred incredible worlds where the camera has never gone before!

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Genres:

Documentary | Horror

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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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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Alternate Versions

A version released on VHS by GoodTimes Home Video circa 1990 is cut by roughly 15 minutes.

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Connections

Referenced in Showman (1963)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

The source of all those drive-in Mondo potboilers of the sixties is still quite a hoot today.

As retro films go, Mondo Cane is still a refreshing take on schlock, documentary filmmaking, hilariously camp in it's motives and of more than passing interest in this age of reality TV. The setups and prurient approach that made these films popular at the time of their release is only re-reflected in the equally blatant, reality trash that has successfully been permeating TV since the turn of the new century. It's stunning just how the tastes of pop-culture audiences have changed in the last 50 years or so. A retrospective of the Mondo film genre is represented beautifully in a nicely-packaged DVD box set, which includes a terrifically interesting documentary on the two filmmakers, Jacopetti and Prosperi, who started the trend with this Italian potboiler back in 1962. MONDO CANE is not as dated as some would lead you to believe, particularly if you examine the motives behind it, and the method of it's humor and social commentary. Perhaps the most significant contribution MONDO CANE offers as a film chronicle, and undeniably the most artistic, is the Riz Ortolani/Nino Oliviero music score which includes one of the great melodies of the 20th Century, MORE. MONDO CANE is a "reality" movie sure to please even the most jaded multiplexer. Beautifully photographed and scored.

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

30 March 1962 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Tales of the Bizarre: Rites, Rituals and Superstitions

Filming Locations:

Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea

Box Office

Gross USA:

$4,360,000

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