Africa: Blood and Guts (1966)

The cruel acts of animal poaching and violence, executions, and tribal slaughtering, all taking place on the African continent.

Directors:

Gualtiero Jacopetti (as Jacopetti), Franco Prosperi (as Francesco Prosperi)

Writers:

Gualtiero Jacopetti (as Jacopetti), Franco Prosperi (as Francesco Prosperi)

Stars:

Sergio Rossi, Gualtiero Jacopetti, Julius Nyerere

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Sergio Rossi	...	Narrator (voice)

Storyline

From the producers of 'Mondo Cane' comes this violent document of a continent in transition; the change from white colonialism to independent black statehood. Often times, this resulted in the wholesale massacre of thousands of people and the indiscriminate extermination of wild life. Captured on film are mercenary killer squads wiping out entire villages, executions, Mau-Mau massacres and more!

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Plot Keywords:

re enactment | disturbing | controversial | execution | violence | 

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Taglines:

You May LOVE It! You May HATE It! But You'll Not FORGET It!

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

11 February 1966 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Africa Blood and Guts

Filming Locations:

Angola

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cineriz

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min 83 min (1970 release)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In one scene where director Gualteiro Jacopetti and his crew encounter a soldier at Dar es Salaam, Jacopetti (in the dark blue shirt) is seen for a few seconds after he and his crew were dragged out of the car. Notice that Jacopetti suffered a cut after the soldier smashes the car window.

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Alternate Versions

The American version, with the explicitly shocking title Africa: Blood and Guts, was edited down to 122 minutes and translated without the approval of Jacopetti. The differences are such that Jacopetti has called this film a betrayal of the original idea. When the movie was released in the US in 1970, it was further shortened to 83 minutes.

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Connections

Referenced in Das geheime Kino (2007)

User Reviews

Damning Documentary of Humanity

Sent to Africa to make the next Mondo Cane movie the film makers found themselves in the middle of several revolutions. What they would film would form the basis of a damning attack on everyone, both black and white, involved in the shift in power on the Dark Continent.

I've watched the three versions of this film and I'm a fan of all of them. Interestingly the one I like the least is the original cut of the film which has several snide comments and re-dubbed voices that make the film truly rude and cruel for no good reason. The original cut goes out of its way to have a holier than thou view that is missing from both of the English cuts. The original cut also has several more minutes of animal cruelty that is completely uncalled for.

This film ran into serious trouble upon its original release because charges were brought, though later found to be false, that the film makers had paid some of the soldiers to kill some one so that they could film it. (this charge would form the basis for The Wild Eye, a fictional film about the making of a mondo movie made by another Mondo Cane director) Considering all of the the death and destruction in this film I find it hard to believe that anyone would have had to have been paid to kill anyone.

Yes, its a tough film, but it leaves no one with clean hands, even the film makers.

See this film. It will make you think.