Mondo cane (1962)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Directors:

Paolo Cavara
Gualtiero Jacopetti

Writers:

Paolo Cavara (writer)
Gualtiero Jacopetti (writer)

Release Date:

30 March 1962 (Italy)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

All The Scenes You Will See In This Film Are True And Taken Only From Life...If Often They Are Shocking It Is Because There Are Many Astounding, Even Unbelievable Things In This World

Plot:

The original "shockumentary" consisting of a collection of mostly real archive footage displaying mankind at its most depraved and perverse, displaying bizarre rituals, cruel behavior, and animal violence.

Plot Keywords:

Cargo Cult | Pet Cemetery | Slaughter | Shockumentary | Parade

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Rossano Brazzi	...	Himself
Stefano Sibaldi	...	Narrator (voice)

Also Known As:

A Dog's Life
Mondo Cane No. 1 (USA) (reissue title)
Tales of the Bizarre: Rites, Rituals and Superstitions (USA) (video box title)

Runtime:

108 min | UK:91 min (cut) | USA:97 min (re-release: 1970)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:R (original rating: 1962) | USA:R | UK:X (re-rating: 1963) (cut) | Finland:K-16 | Italy:VM18 | Norway:16 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | West Germany:18 (nf) (w)

Filming Locations:

Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea

Company:

Cineriz

Trivia:

The film was initially rejected for UK cinema and only passed in 1963 after 14 minutes of cuts with heavy edits to the animal killings, scenes showing German drug addicts, and the killing of a man by a bull.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Final Journeys (1998) (V)

Soundtrack:

Ti guarderò nel cuore (More)

take this "documentary" with a grain of salt

please, as you watch this documentary, realize that although the narration is spoken in a straight, scientific tone, in actuality the narration is full of hyperbole, invention, and jokes. sometimes, the narration is close to the truth; sometimes, the narration is campy and silly. the tone does not change, however, and you are left on your own to decide what is real and what is not. it must be said that anthropologists and scientists were not closely consulted for this film. the fish found on tree branches and out of water have done that for 1000s of years. the atom bomb test did not suddenly cause that behavior.

one must even question whether or not the crew manipulated some of the scenes. for example, if a sea turtle is dying in the sun, how could it end up dead on its back?

please, watch this alleged documentary with a careful eye.