Ultimo Mondo Cannibale (film)
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| Ultimo Mondo Cannibale | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster for Ultimo Mondo Cannibale |
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| Directed by | Ruggero Deodato |
| Produced by | Giorgio Carlo Rossi |
| Written by | Giorgio Carlo Rossi Renzo Genta Gianfranco Clerici Tito Carpi |
| Starring | Massimo Foschi Me Me Lai Ivan Rassimov Sheik Razak Shikur Judy Rosly |
| Music by | Ubaldo Continiello |
| Cinematography | Marcello Masciocchi |
| Editing by | Daniele Alabiso |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures (USA) |
| Release date(s) |  February 8, 1978 March 1980 |
| Running time | 92 min. |
| Language | English Spanish |
| Budget | Unknown |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Ultimo Mondo Cannibale (1977), also known as Last Cannibal World or Jungle Holocaust, is an Italian cannibal film directed by Ruggero Deodato, with Massimo Foschi, Ivan Rassimov, and Me Me Lai in the lead roles. It uses innovative storytelling techniques (such as emphasizing imagery and action over dialogue), and is somewhat distinct from the cannibal genre in that it is a survivalist adventure, not a horror film. It has been released by Shriek Show on DVD.
[edit] Plot
Four rich oil prospectors crash-land (presumably due to the pilot being drunk) near an outpost on the Malaysian island of Mindanao and are curious as to why nobody is there to greet them. Exploring the jungle while the pilot repairs the plane, Robert Harper (Massimo Foschi) and his survivalist companion Rolf (Ivan Rassimov) descend upon the campsite and find it abandoned. Increasingly frightened, they eventually find a human body in the jungle wearing modern clothes, and conclude that the other prospectors were massacred by natives (it is implied that the prospectors brought their families along, and that several young children were among their numbers). They return to the plane, but discover to their chagrin that they will be unable to take off until morning. Unaware that they're being studied by local tribesmen, their female companion Swan leaves the plane to urinate. The others hear a piercing scream, and become terrified as to what Swan's fate might have been.
The next morning, instead of taking off, they intend to find Swan and go into the jungle. Finding a scrap of Swan's clothing, the alcoholic pilot Charlie triggers a booby trap, and is impaled by a gigantic, wooden mace. Nearby, Robert and Rolf find a small group of cannibals feasting on Swan's remains. They find a river, which Robert believes is the same one that will lead them to the campsite. The two of them construct a makeshift raft, and head down river, soon accosted by rapids. Rolf falls off the boat, and Robert crash-lands on shore; lost in the jungle with poor survival skills, he attempts to survive despite the increasing heat and labyrinthe forest. Ingesting some hallucinogenic mushrooms without being aware of their properties, he vomits and passes out, awakening to find himself being poked and prodded by cannibals. Instead of predictably eating him, they become fascinated and intend to examine his body: Robert is tied to a rock, has his clothing torn off, and is sexually assaulted by the cannibals who vigorously examine his penis. They tie him to a pulley and repeatedly bungee him off a cliff, apparently thinking he is some species of bird since he was seen inside an airplane. They imprison him inside a large lava tube, toss him inedible scraps from dead animals (such as intestines, body fat, and sinue) while violently abusing Robert, pelting him with rocks and urinating on him. His only companions are an eagle and a pelican, who abuse him almost as badly as the cannibals, pecking at him. Robert soon realizes that they intend to feed him to a crocodile, as they have done with the other birds; a part of an elaborate ritual which involves eviscerating the animal and removing the undigested corpse from its stomach.
Robert eventually manages to escape with another member of the tribe, Pulan (played by Me Me Lai), who seems to be sympathetic to his cause, comforting him through mutual masturbation while the other members of the tribe are asleep. The two strike up a strange bond, but the language barrier prevents them from having any sort of valuable relationship. Robert, not content to be eaten, violently rapes Pulan after she attempts to run away, but this only seems to further their relationship (it is implied that marriages occur in the tribe when a male rapes another female).
Hiding in a cave during a thunderstorm, Robert comes upon his companion Rolf, who has constructed a makeshift shelter in the cave, living and tending to a wounded knee using natural enzymes from local fruits. Rolf joins them on their quest to find the lost airplane.
Eventually, however, the cannibals manage to find Robert and his companions. In an act of forced contrition for betrayal, the cannibals murder Pulan and eat her remains. Refusing to let the same fate befall him, however, Robert kills one of the tribesmen in battle, and devours his liver, trying to prove to the cannibals that he is not afraid of them. At this point, Rolf has become extremely weak due to a gangrenous leg, and is carried by Robert to the plane. After almost getting killed, and they manage to take off. Robert makes it to Manila, where he is hospitalized, and then returns to America, soon after marrying and living out the rest of his days on a small Mexican farm in relative peace. Rolf's fate is not revealed, but it is implied that he dies.
[edit] Cast
- Massimo Foschi as Robert Harper
- Ivan Rassimov as Rolf
- Me Me Lai as Pulan
- Shiek Razak Shikur as Charlie
- Judy Rosly as Swan
[edit] Trivia
- Massimo Foschi did all his own stunts in the film, including eating a raw liver and being bungeed off a cliff.
- Was released almost three years to the day (2 years, 364 days) before Deodato's more infamous cannibal film, Cannibal Holocaust.
