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Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi are widely considered to be the creators of the "mondo," the cynical and often exploitative '60s-era cousin of the documentary and the template for today's reality TV. Blue Underground compiles five of the pair's most controversial films in an eight-disc set (which includes uncut versions of two titles) that proves their images have not lost their power to shock and amaze. Journalist-turned-director Jacopetti and former naturalist Prosperi first teamed for 1962's
Mondo Cane (A Dog's Life), which explored strange customs around the world. The film (co-directed with Paolo Cavera) balanced its humorous and repulsive images with some genuinely beautiful ones and captured audiences' imaginations worldwide as well as an Academy Award for composer Riz Ortolani's theme, "More." Many critics decried the film, but a fleet of copycat mondos appeared in its wake. Enough footage was shot during the making of
Mondo Cane to allow for a sequel (also known as
Mondo Pazzo) in 1963; it was quickly followed by
Women of the World, which explored women's roles around the globe.
Tiring of the travelogue approach, the pair headed to Africa to document the unrest that had erupted in the wake of colonial abandonment. The result, 1966's Africa Addio, was acclaimed for its disturbing images but also earned the duo charges that they had orchestrated on-screen executions. Though they were eventually acquitted, Jacopetti and Prosperi's reputations was irreparably marred. They attempted to amend the situation with Goodbye Uncle Tom (1971), an overripe fantasy that transported them to the pre-Civil War South to explore slavery. Unfortunately, its horrific violence further turned off audiences, and the duo split soon afterwards. Though the early titles are somewhat dated, and the later films are often overwhelmingly grotesque, the Mondo Cane Collection is a powerful visual experience that avoid the sheer exploitativeness of other mondo and their modern offspring. --Paul Gaita
Additional Features
The Mondo Cane Collection features numerous supplemental features, many of which have never been seen before, which should please mondo fans and exploitation scholars alike. Each of the five titles (presented in varying widescreen formats) feature original American and international trailers and TV spots; it's interesting to note that the tone of the Italian spots are largely humorous, while the American trailers are rife with old-fashioned ballyhoo ("SEE! SEE!"). Production stills and a promotional audio reel for Mondo Cane are also included along with a brief and informative essay on the history of mondo by British author David Flint.
The real rarities come with Africa Addio and Goodbye Uncle Tom, which are presented in two separate DVDs, one featuring the English-language cut and the other the directors' version. In the case of Africa Addio, the difference is substantial; 13 minutes are missing from the American version, and its narration tells a very different and less downbeat story from the Italian cut. Goodbye Uncle Tom's American version is also shorter and less violent; the director's cut disc includes 8mm behind-the-scenes footage shot by assistant director Giampaolo Lomi, who provides commentary. The eighth disc is devoted to Godfathers of Mondo, a new 90-minute documentary on Jacopetti and Prosperi by Blue Underground's David Gregory. The documentary may be the set's most fascinating extra, with the long-estranged pair offering differing perspectives on their films, trials, the nature of filmmaking and journalism, and each other. All in all, a one-of-a-kind presentation. --Paul Gaita
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