Mondo Cane (1962)
Directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti / Paolo Cavara / Franco Prosperi
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Synopsis by Eleanor Mannikka
This shockumentary caused a stir when it was released in 1962 -- no one had seen anything quite like it before. But audiences need not have worried, this low-brow, disconnected series of clips on "savages" and "barbarians" (usually dark-skinned) who pierce their skin or their noses and do not bother to cover their breasts, would only get worse in sequel after sequel, through the 1970s. Purporting to show repulsive or erotic ritual practices and strange cultural customs from around the world, such as the slaughter of pigs in New Guinea or Asians who eat dog meat, or even the Hawaiian hula, this supposed documentary is nothing more than a series of unrelated, jarring film clips with commentary from a limited white male perspective.
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Keywords
barbarian, bizarre, cult, culture [social culture], eccentric, macabre, primitive, religion, ritual, savage, society