Cannibal Holocaust

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Cannibal Holocaust
Movie poster for Cannibal Holocaust IMDb 6.0/10 (4,472 votes)
Directed by	Ruggero Deodato
Produced by	Franco Di Nunzio Franco Palaggi
Written by	Gianfranco Clerici Giorgio Stegani
Starring	Robert Kerman Carl Gabriel Yorke Francesca Ciardi Perry Pirkanen Luca Barbareschi
Music by	Riz Ortolani
Cinematography	Sergio D'Offizi
Editing by	Vincenzo Tomassi
Distributed by	Grindhouse Releasing (USA)
Release date(s)	February 7, 1980 October 19, 1980 April 22, 1981 June 19, 1984
Running time	95 min.
Language	English Spanish
Budget	$100,000 (estimated)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

For the Brutal Juice song, see Cannibal Holocaust (single).

Cannibal Holocaust (1980) is a controversial exploitation film directed by Ruggero Deodato. It was conceived by Gianfranco Clerici and Giorgio Stegani, and was made with a budget of around US$100,000. It is probably the most well-known and most financially successful of the exploitation subgenre of Italian cannibal films.

Due to its depiction of graphic rape, torture, and the killings of real animals, the film was banned in Australia (though the ban has since been lifted), Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and several other countries.

Taglines:

• The one that goes all the way!
• You won't believe that what you're seeing could have happened!
• It's better to rest in the warm body of a friend, than in a cold hole in the ground.
• The film they did not want you to see!
• Ripout! Barbeque! Devour! How long can you take it?

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Controversy 4 Banned 5 Alternate Versions 6 Interpretations 6.1 Modern Society and Sensationalism 7 Soundtrack 7.1 Track Listing 8 Film connections 9 Trivia 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

[edit] Plot

A group of American explorers/documentarians plunge into the "Green Inferno", a treacherous area of the Amazon Rainforest. The group is composed of director Alan Yates, Faye Daniels, (Yates's girlfriend and script girl), and two cameramen, Jack Anders and Mark Tomaso. When Yates and company fail to return on time, a world-renowned anthropologist, Harold Monroe, is sent in search of them.

The film contains two timelines: One timeline depicts Monroe's trip into the jungle to determine the fate of the young American explorers; the other timeline involves Monroe's subsequent reviewing of films made by the missing explorers. Much of the film is the depiction of the "recovered" film's contents, which grow increasingly disturbing as they are revealed.

Monroe begins the rescue expedition with the help of two knowledgeable South American guidesmen, and is shocked and disgusted by the savagery and cruelty shown by the natives. The first tribe they encounter, the Yacumo, are extremely wary of the group, because the last whites to visit them (the film makers) seemed to have caused much unrest amongst the tribe. However, Monroe earns the natives' trust, and the Yacumo lead them to the edge of their territory, further into the jungle, where the documentarians were headed. There they encounter the two warring tribes, the Shamitari and the Yanomamos, the two vicious cannibal tribes both groups were searching for. Monroe and his group gain the acceptance of the Yanomamo after saving a group of them from the Shamitari. It is during their stay with the Yanomamos that Monroe learns that the documentary group had been slaughtered and eaten by the tribe. Frustrated by the tribe's violence, Monroe finally confronts them, and is able to obtain the Yates's group's film footage.

Back in New York, the Pan American broadcast station plans to show the recovered documentary. The "recovered films" depict the events of the explorers into the Amazon Jungle, in which they make contact with and film the three tribes, the Yacumo, the Yanomamo, and the Shamatari. Upon reviewing the reels, Monroe is shocked to find that the real savages in the Amazon was the group of filmmakers. The foursome inflicted systematic malicious terror on the forest, including the rounding up of natives into a hut and then setting it ablaze (which may be a commentary on the burning of villages in the Vietnam war). The television station still insists on airing the footage, infuriating Monroe that they would try to pass the footage as a documentary. Finally, he decides to show the executives the raw, unedited footage, in hopes of bringing them to their senses and not show the material.

The film reels proceed thus: after their guide is killed by a poisonous snake, the adventurers grow more cruel, and when they encounter the Yacumo, they immediately try to murder the entire tribe by forcing them to stay in a burning hut and then film it, not only to show the power of "the strong over the weak," but also to set up the scene for their documentary as the Yacumo being massacred by another tribe, the Yanomamos. They also film unstaged barbarity, including a pregnant woman being tied up and the fetus forcibly removed. They then move on to find the other tribes. When the men find a young Yanomamo girl, they proceed to viciously gang rape her, after which, they find her impaled on a wooden pole which they film for their "documentary" while claiming that the natives killed her because of a "bizarre sexual rite", or because of their "primitive" regard for virginity (it is debated whether it was the crew or the natives who impaled the girl).

The adventurers are then each killed in vengeance for the young girl's death. Two of their deaths are captured on film: Jack is impaled with a spear. Afterwards he is shot by Allen, who wants to see what the natives will do to him. Jack is then hacked apart with axes, and then cooked and eaten. Afterwards, while the remaining three attempt escape, Faye is then carried off and gang raped by native males, who are interrupted by native females who kill and behead her. The last images from the footage show the two remaining men, Mark and Alan, being discovered in their hiding place. The camera falls to the ground with Alan's bloodied head landing in front of the lens, his horrified face staring blankly.

The film ends with the executives ordering the footage to be burned and a successful Monroe leaving the station. However, the end credits inform us that the projectionist stole the footage and sold it: "Projectionist John K. Kirov was given a two-month suspended sentence and fined $10,000 for illegal appropriation of film material. We know that he received $250,000 for the same footage."

[edit] Cast

Actor	Role
Robert Kerman	Professor Harold Monroe
Francesca Ciardi	Faye Daniels
Perry Pirkanen	Jack Anders
Luca Barbareschi	Mark Tomaso
Salvatore Basile	Chaco Losojos
Ricardo Fuentes	Felipe Ocanya
Carl Gabriel Yorke	Alan Yates
Paolo Paoloni	Chief NY Executive
Lionello Pio Di Savoia	Executive
Luigina Rocchi	Yacumo Chief/Yanomamo Chief

[edit] Controversy

The biggest controversy upon the film's release was the belief that this was an actual snuff film, which is a testament to the realism and brutality of the film. Director Ruggero Deodato and one of the film's producers were arrested and the film seized a week after the premiere. The courts in Milan believed Deodato actually had the actors in the film murdered for the camera, and they also believed that the gruesome "impalement scene" was indeed genuine. To make matters worse for Deodato, it was in the stars' contracts that they must not be in any film or media for a year after the release. Eventually, Deodato proved that the violence was staged (the realism of the gore can be attributed to the fact that all organs in the film were real pig organs^[1]). Claims of this being a snuff film have cropped up as recently as 1993 in a Birmingham comic fair, where the authorities seized the film, believing that the blonde actor Perry Pirkanen was drugged and the natives were allowed to mutilate him as necessary.

Other than the graphic violence and extreme gore, much of the film's original controversy surrounded the gratuitous killing of animals for the sake of portraying that killing on film. These scenes include:

• The killing and flaying of a large, screaming coatimundi (often mistaken as a muskrat), by an actor (who also mistook the animal for muskrat) when the actor held it in his hand and stabbed it multiple times until it died.
• A large turtle (about 45 cms long) is captured in the water and dragged to shore, where it is then decapitated and its limbs and shell removed. The actors proceed to cook and eat the turtle.
• A large spider is killed with a machete.
• The killing of a snake with a machete.
• A squirrel monkey is captured by a native actor portraying a tribesman, who cuts the monkey's face off with a machete while it is struggling and then eats the brains.
• A pig is kicked and then killed with a rifle when shot in the head by an actor.
• The killing of several bugs located inside a prop-skull.

Many condemned this as animal cruelty for the purpose of mere sensationalism, and it has been called "animal torture." In Italy, a law which prohibited cruelty to guinea pigs resulted in the outright banning of the film there until 1984. The film was made during a time when it was growing unpopular for filmmakers to stage such animal death scenes, and the use of such scenes was intended to attract controversy. All the animals killed in the movie (except the snake and spider) were later eaten by either the crew or the natives.

There are also three extremely brutal rape scenes in the film. These scenes involve a woman being penetrated with a sharp stone and a spiked mudball (supposedly as a punishment for adultery), the gang rape of a young native girl by the males in the film crew, and the brutal gang rape of the female film maker by the natives as vengeance for the rape of the aforementioned girl.

Cannibal Holocaust was originally banned in the UK as a video nasty, and remained banned until 2001, when the BBFC passed the film with an 18 rating certificate after being heavily edited ^[2]. The cuts include the removal of all animal violence present (except the spider and the snake), the significant reduction of the adultery punishment and rape of the native girl, and the complete removal of the rape of the female member of the film crew and the short rape by the riverbank. The death of the female film maker is also missing the nudity present in the original film. If unedited, Cannibal Holocaust is still banned in the UK.

[edit] Banned

Cannibal Holocaust is often claimed to be banned in almost 60 countries, but the exact number has never been verified, as the producers have never released an actual list of the countries which have banned the film.

According to the IMDb, Cannibal Holocaust is known to be banned in at least eight countries as of 2006.

Countries where Cannibal Holocaust is banned:

Ratings
Australia:	R18+
Canada (Quebec):	16+
Denmark:	15
Finland:	K-18
France:	-18
Germany:	18 (heavily cut)
Iceland:	Banned
Ireland:	18
Italy:	VM18
Malaysia:	Banned
Netherlands:	16
New Zealand:	Banned
Norway:	18
Philippines:	Banned
Singapore:	Banned
South Korea:	18
Sweden:	15
United Kingdom:	18 (heavily cut)
United States:	Not Rated

Country	Status	Version
Iceland	Banned	Banned outright
Germany	Banned	Uncut version only
Malaysia	Banned	Banned outright
New Zealand	Banned	Banned outright
Philippines	Banned	Banned outright
Singapore	Banned	Banned outright
South Africa	Seized	Uncut version only
UK	Banned	Uncut version only

Countries that previously banned Cannibal Holocaust:

Country	Status	Years Banned	Version
Australia	Unbanned	1984-2005	Uncut
Finland	Unbanned	1984-2001	Uncut
Ireland	Unbanned	1984-2006	Uncut
Italy	Unbanned	1980-1984	Uncut
Norway	Unbanned	1984-2005	Uncut
UK	Unbanned	1984-2001	Heavily Cut
South Africa	Seized	198?-????	Heavily Cut
West Germany	Country no longer exists	1984-1990	N/A

[edit] Alternate Versions

With such extensive controversy, there are many different versions of Cannibal Holocaust in circulation, some unedited, and others substantially edited. Most "uncut" releases are actually missing around five to ten seconds of film material from the "Last Road to Hell" segment of the film, which includes real documentary execution footage. These few seconds are missing as a result of the original film negatives being damaged during the film-to-DVD transfer.

It is estimated that there are only four legitimate uncut releases of Cannibal Holocaust, including the missing footage of the "Last Road to Hell" sequence as a supplement. These releases are:

• The 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Limited Edition out of 11,111 copies. US release by Grindhouse Releasing).
• The Grindhouse Releasing Deluxe Edition (Non-limited US release by Grindhouse Releasing)
• The Deluxe Collector's Edition (Australian release by Siren Visual Entertainment)
• The Ultrabit Collector's Edition (Limited Edition out of 4,000 copies. Dutch release by EC Entertainment)

The Australian release is an identical copy of the US release, but is instead called the "Deluxe Collector's Edition". Both releases include the intact version of the "Last Road to Hell" sequence as an extra. The EC entertainment Ultrabit collector's edition however, is the only release which includes the intact sequence within the actual movie.

Another common release is the 25th Anniversary Edition released in the UK by VIPCO (Video Instant Picture Company), which is heavily cut (by almost six minutes, for sexual violence and animal cruelty) and runs at a PAL format running time of 86 minutes.

[edit] Interpretations

Cannibal Holocaust is seen by some as social commentary on various aspects of modern civilization, with similar satire elements often seen in other films by Ruggero Deodato, such as Last Cannibal World and Cut and Run. Despite these interpretations, Deodato has stated in interviews that he had no intentions in Cannibal Holocaust but to make a movie about cannibals.^[3] Still, interpretations of critiquing modern society are not uncommon.^[4][5][6]

[edit] Modern Society and Sensationalism

The most common interpretation of Cannibal Holocaust is that the film was made to critique modern society, comparing our "civilized" society to that of the cannibals'. It symbolizes that people in "civilized" society often sustain themselves at the expense of our fellow man (represented as cannibalism in the movie), so the society of the primitives is directly reflected in our own. Also, the white film makers of our society were far more barbaric than the "savage" cannibals in the rain forest were, displaying that we all may be far more cruel than we ever thought possible (or that nations may be more cruel than we realize, specifically to lesser developed nations). This is all summarized at the end of the film with Harold Monroe's narrative commentary, "I wonder who the real cannibals are."^[4]

More specifically, director Ruggero Deodato came up with the idea for the film after witnessing his son watching news programs concerning the terrorism of the Red Brigades. Deodato noticed that the media would focus on depicting the violent acts with disregard to journalistic integrity, so he attempted to expose this by setting the example used in the film. He even suggests that the media may stage their footage for the same sensationalistic purposes, as the filmmakers did in the movie. This form of exploitatious journalism cannot only still be seen today, but also in reality television as well. Utilizing the "cinema verite" he learnt from his mentor, Roberto Rossellini, Deodato created Cannibal Holocaust incorporating a hyperrealistic filming method. On a similar note, it displays what vicious and shocking acts we can find as entertaining (the crew's intent was to make the most shocking documentary imaginable, and that would also make it more successful). The irony is the fan base this shocking and graphic film has amassed.^[4]

With this in mind, it is also commonly believed that director Ruggero Deodato's intent was to also, in a way, criticize the directors and creators of the notorious Mondo cinema, which were documentaries similar to what the crew in the movie was making. These documentaries mainly featured grostesque animal killings, shocking rituals, and human mutilation. Deodato used this in his film, and also made the makers of the documentaries seem evil and malicious (i.e., the documentary crew in the movie was direct symbolism for Mondo documentary makers in real life). Deodato's supposed tactic to expose the Mondo cinema is often held in contempt, as he had to repeat the actions he was criticizing in order to defame the genre.

[edit] Soundtrack

The soundtrack is entirely composed by Italian Riz Ortolani, who was specifically requested by director Ruggero Deodato. The music itself is a variety of styles, from a gentle melody in the Main Theme, to a sad and flowing score in Crucified Woman, and even faster and more upbeat tracks in Cameraman's Recreation, Relaxing in the Savannah, and Drinking Coco. The instrumentals are equally mixed, ranging from full orchestras to electronics and synthesizers. The original soundtrack release was in Germany in 1995, on the Lucertola Media label. This was a limited release of 1,000 copies and is a highly sought item by fans of the movie. In August 2005, the soundtrack was released again, this time in the United States, on the Coffin Records label.

[edit] Track Listing

1. "Cannibal Holocaust (Main Theme)"
2. "Adulteress' Punishment"
3. "Cameraman's Recreation"
4. "Massacre of the Troupe"
5. "Love with Fun"
6. "Crucified Woman"
7. "Relaxing in the Savannah"
8. "Savage Rite" (this is a faster remix of "Massacre of the Troupe")
9. "Drinking Coco"
10. "Cannibal Holocaust (End Titles)"

[edit] Film connections

• The footage in the film which comprises the Last Road to Hell segment which the filmmakers are said to have made before embarking on The Green Inferno is actually genuine footage of executions performed in a Third World country in the 1960s, and has been featured in several Mondo documentaries.
• Cannibal Holocaust is believed to have been one of the main inspirations for The Blair Witch Project, because of the similarity in their stories - a group of filmmakers set out to document the strange goings-on in a wood and are never seen again, save for their film footage.
• A sequel of sorts is being planned by Deodato, entitled Cannibal Metropolitana.
• Several unofficial sequels have also been released:
  • Cannibal Holocaust II, or The Green Inferno as it is alternatively known, was made in 1988 and was directed by infamous Mondo film director Antonio Climati. The film contained no animal cruelty.
  • Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story, made in 1985, is also known as Cannibal Holocaust 2: The Catherine Miles Story.
  • Two films by director Bruno Mattei are Cannibal Holocaust sequels in Japan. Made in 2003, Mondo Cannibale is released in Japan as Cannibal Holocaust 2: The Beginning.
  • Mattei's other film, Land of Death (also from 2003), is released in Japan as Cannibal Holocaust 3: Cannibal vs. Commando.

[edit] Trivia

• Cannibal Holocaust has at least 20 taglines in the English language alone.^[7]
• Entertainment Weekly voted this the 20th most controversial film of all-time.^[8]
• Is claimed to have a box-office gross of over US$200,000,000 worldwide since its original release,^[9][10] but has not been independently verified. If true, however, this would make Cannibal Holocaust the second-highest-grossing film of 1980, after Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
• It was filmed in the actual Amazon Rainforest.^[1][11]
• Deodato wanted a scene in which the natives fed an enemy tribesman to piranhas but he did not have a working underwater camera. Only still shots of that scene exist. Many claims of the scene being found in obscure releases have surfaced over the years, but the truth is the scene was never completely shot and finished. ^[1]
• According to a 2005 interview with Gabriel Yorke (Alan Yates), Yorke said that when rehearsing for the sex scene with Francesca Ciardi (Faye Daniels), she suggested that the two go out in the middle of the jungle and "actually do it". Yorke declined, stating that he was in a committed relationship. As a result, Ciardi was very upset with him during the entire shoot.^[11]
• When Gabriel Yorke (Alan Yates) arrived in the Amazon for shooting, he was not given a script or an idea of what the movie was about. As soon as he arrived, director Ruggero Deodato shouted "That's my star! Get him into makeup!" Almost immediately, the first scene they shot was the amputation of another character's leg. Yorke later in the interview said while staying there in the jungle, he did not know whether this film was a Hollywood production or simply a snuff film. As a precaution, he kept his passport and some extra money on him at all times, so he could flee if it turned out to be the latter.^[11]
• Immediately after a pig was shot and killed in the movie, Gabriel Yorke botched a long monologue Deodato very much wanted to be included in the movie. After rehearsing the line several times and doing fine, Yorke says he erred during filming because he heard the pig squeal and die. Retakes were not possible because they had no access to any more pigs, which they would only use to shoot and kill.^[11]
• Originally, Deodato had a fake monkey head with fake brains in it to have the natives eat instead of actually killing and eating a monkey. The natives talked him out of it, however, as monkey brains were a delicacy to them.^[11]
• The pistol used by Robert Kerman in the movie was a Smith and Wesson .32.^[12]

[edit] See also

• Cannibal Holocaust II
• Cannibal Ferox
• Cannibal Film
• Cannibal boom
• Grindhouse Releasing

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official site (Contains nudity & violence)
• Cannibal Holocaust at the Internet Movie Database
• Cannibal Holocaust at Yahoo! Movies
• Cannibal Holocaust at Rotten Tomatoes
• Lloyd Kaufman's review of Cannibal Holocaust
• Cannibal Film Fanatics (A website dedicated to the cannibal sub-genre of exploitation films, contains graphic images)