The Godfathers of Mondo

Starring:Mondo Cane Collection
Studio: Blue Underground
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
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
Description
They've been called pioneers and geniuses, criminals and charlatans. For more than four decades, their movies have been both banned and acclaimed all over the world. Now THE MONDO CANE COLLECTION presents the still-shocking films of Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi, a body of work that has influenced everything from broadcast news to 'reality TV' and changed the face of cinema forever.

Amazon.com

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

Description

They've been called pioneers and geniuses, criminals and charlatans. For more than four decades, their movies have been both banned and acclaimed all over the world. Now THE MONDO CANE COLLECTION presents the still-shocking films of Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi, a body of work that has influenced everything from broadcast news to 'reality TV' and changed the face of cinema forever.

Customer Reviews:

A great set for those so inclined but..........2006-03-09

what happened to the lyrics for MORE!!!!?? I recall it was sung during the "blue" painting section. The wonderful book, HOLLYWOOD SINGS, confirms that. Lyrics had to be written to get a Best Song Oscar nomination.

TRUTH BIASEDLY PLACED, TYPICAL.......2005-12-09

This film is incomplete. It never reveals upon the begginning the resistance the African American showed toward this creature some reviews failed to identify with, calling this person a human not "white monster" and dark age mad ball. If you have dislexia this film serves this honor. It seems to be backwards from the cuts and certain segments others seem timely. It identifies with the sick behaviors of the present day system and psychology and menality of the system per se in charge. It never ceases to amaze me no matter how truthful the content must be, always the truth is twisted and perverted to fit the person who made or created this mess which doesn't make it better, but even worse. The truth doesn't hurt but it heals, educates, and stimulates wisdom and growth because these characters ensemble small minds of men and women then and now. It depicts this impotent man who lives a fassade to trick others into the false belief that he is superior but needs young girls to have sex with, rape to feel sexually sufficient. Check the catholic churches and present day sexual behavior of the practice of most sexual assaults and molestations. This movie shows both the aspects of corruption by the white structure as well as the most welcoming and subdued African's later to be tainted as the black race which still is resilient in the most of certain efforts to overcome the retardation of racism and unjust treatment. The civil rights act is one that needs to be cancelled along with the voting act. If blacks are citizens and the constitution honors all natural born citizens which this movie proves by hundreds of years of them being in American, building America and dying for the hypocritical notions of America. Certainly through African Americans, Blacks or what have you they have a prominent place in this society over most if not all. This movie doesn't seem to leave the African with much dignity nor reveal there pride like they had and have and will remain as long as they are in existance which they certainly are and won't be going anywhere by the TRUTH of HISTORY and BY GOD if you will. Certainly one must view this with an insight and telepathy of spiritual discernment, knowledge and independent thinking.

Puts the "Real" in Reality TV.......2005-08-16

When I was a child living in Africa there had always been this almost mythical rumor that a movie existed that chronicled the atrocities that happened when the Europeans left Africa. The movie was censored. Seeing it for myself, well all of the rumors didn't prepare me for what I saw.

These pioneers of shockumentary actually took the time and risked their lives to show what was happening in their world through a camera lens that never favored one side or the other. All of the DVDs in the 8 disk pack are thought provoking. Leaving you with a sense that what ever you do see (headlines or news) in our world may not be the entire story.

Unfortunately I think that these classics may be overshadowed by fake documentaries or ones where the director asks leading questions. This is not the case in the Mondo Cane Collection. The collection is a little pricey, but well worth the education.

Perfection!.......2005-05-08

I love this set. It is well worth every penny I spent. I watched the Mondo Cane films when I was a teenager and really enjoyed them.

These are the original Mondo films. These sparked the entire Mondo shockumentary genre. Some other quality masterpieces such as Shocking Asia I and II to the prolific garbage fake mondo documentaries.

The poor reputation of the fake mondo documentary has caused the Mondo Cane series to be tarnished with this image. What was enjoyable is that everything in Mondo Cane is real. The only things staged were still true but needed to fix other footage that was lacking and it was kept to an extreme minimum.

I had only heard of Mondo Cane I and II when I bought this but the other films are great surpise finds. Women of the World is a documentary done basically the same as the Mondo Canes.

Africa Addio is quite literally one of the greatest documentaries ever made. It is about the changes in Africa during the time when the British left. It spans the light-hearted of the calm of South Africans jumping on trampolines to showing dead bodies scattered in other African countries.

You see poacher's warehouses literally with football fields of elephant tusks stored in rows on the floor. You also see piles of human hands that occured in war atrocities. It is quite an honest documentary that shows what others would choose not to.

Goodbye Uncle Tom is an extremely graphic drama made to be as if it was a real documentary during slavery times. There is tons of full nudity male and female and extremely graphic things depicted I won't describe here. Jacopetti and Prosperi made this to fight charges that they were rascists which they were accused of regarding Africa Addio. (Why Im Not Sure). This instead caused quite the opposite causing them to be labeled extreme rascists. This is one of the most notorious films ever made. I really was surprised by the graphic nature of what I've seen and I am the kind that wonders what is shocking in movies like Bloodsucking Freaks or I Spit On Your Grave. This wasn't shocking to me but I was surprised that they went so far with this movie.

The last disc is a documentary on Jacopetti and Prosperi. A highlight is them talking about almost getting executed while filming Africa Addio. They were going to be lined up for execution when someone stated they are not "whites" (meaning British) and were Italians.

This is a prize in my DVD collection. One that I will watch over and over. In my opinion, Blue Underground is better than Criterion and Anchor Bay and this set is outstanding. I only hope they take interest in and are able to release the Shocking Asia series.

If you only heard of Mondo Cane and don't want to spend the price for this set just for those 2 films, get this. The other films are just as good if not better.

2 of the films are the original language director's cut. 5 great films. A great documentary on these great filmmakers. And two original language versions (which differ greatly from the English language versions)

This is limited edition and I can't imagine anything this good coming around often!

MORE!!!.......2005-03-14

Blue Underground gets the grand prize for this one! And while it's a shame we don't get "Mondo Candido", we get far, far more than we had any right to expect. All of the features look fantastic, the extras are great... This is a stunning package, put together by people who obviously care a lot. Move over Criterion.

While the original Mondos may look tame today, it's disturbing to finish watching, say, "Mondo Cane 2", turn to regular TV (the so-called "news"), and clearly see the origins of the tide of garbage that pretty much defines our culture today (minus the art Jacopetti and Prosperi brought to their exploitation). For better or worse (I'd say worse), these films have definitely left their mark. Entertaining, beautifully photographed and brilliantly edited - its nice to see these looking so pristine for their age.

(Check out the adjectives in the lengthy self-description at the end of the English "Mondo Cane" trailer. At least they never refer to themselves as "fair" or "balanced.")

"Africa Addio" (and we get two versions) is a revelation! Whatever the merit or lack thereof to the controversy that will forever be connected to this film, it stands as a stunning example of the documentary as art. This is scary, thought-provoking, morally ambiguous, breathtaking cinema - and the presentation is nothing short of stellar. An obvious labor of love, and the pinnacle of Jacopetti's art - Blue Underground has restored to us a real milestone.

Yet another coup is the inclusion of (again, TWO versions of) a film that, when I first saw it on a grainy bootleg tape over a decade ago, I could have sworn would never EVER see a legitimate US release - much less coming to us in such respectable shape. If the Mondos have lost some of their shock value, "Farewell Uncle Tom" will more than make up for it. (I'm sure my eyeballs fell right out of my head the first time I saw this.) Your political correctness conditioned psyche will suffer major trauma on exposure to this wrong wronger wrongest of well-intentioned shortcuts to hell. Cinema de wuhthuhfuuh... of the very first order - this mind-boggling curio alone is worth the price of the box. You have been warned.

The 'Godfathers of Mondo' documentary is also very good, although it may or may not be soft-pedaling the "Africa Addio" flap just a bit. I'd have to do more research.

All in all, a major release that confirms the (sometimes misguided) genius of Jacopetti and Prosperi, and restores their work (warts and all) to us in all of its colorful glory. This set puts Blue Underground somewhere just above Santa Claus for me. Buy it NOW!

Thank you, Uncle Bill!

You just became my hero!

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