In August 2013, the uncut version of CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST premiered on the World Movies channel as part of their FILMS THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD series. Films That Shocked The World worldmovies.com.au July 27, 2013. They’re the movies that changed the face of cinema.
Deodato's Italian Gore Masterpiece Returns
Filmed in the deep, harsh jungles of Amazonia in 1979, Ruggero Deodato's cannibal tale is a gritty film that also has something to say about it's own excesses and extremes when taken in regards to the media and how it portrays violence.Grindhouse Releasing's new October 25th release, which has been dealt with much critisiscm due to it's numerous delays, has had 8 printers worldwide refuse handling their artwork due to the supposed offensive nature of the inside of the cover art. This would not be the first time this film has been met with such regard; Deodato and company were originally hauled off to court to prove the all-to-convincing effects weren't real.The film is purportedly banned in over 60 countries, and that simple fact alone has only added to it's notoriety; in 1995, Lucertola Media in Germany printed only 1000 copies of it's haunting, incredible soundtrack, which may be one of the best ever realized for this kind of film. The film itself has popped up in many countries, in a surprising amount of cropped and various forms, leaving some left in wonder and doubt as to what it's true uncut form really is. Many believed at one point there was a version including the infamous 'pirahna baiting' sequence, but it has since been learned that scene was only photographed, and never actually shot.There are two narratives which drive the film; it's second half takes on a pseudo-documentary style exactly as that seen in 'The Blair Witch Project.' This is also the most harrowing part of the film. It's first half consists of a New York City Professor who is sent to the jungles in search of four missing documentary filmmakers. He is led on this journey by a guide and a Yacumo prisoner, who 'is like a passport into the green inferno.'The Last Road To Hell sequence, notorious and infamous in it's own right due to the fact that much of the footage is supposedly real, (shot out of Uganda), and this sequence is the very bridge that fills gap between the first and second half. This is the sequence that introduces us to the 'footage' that is found by the filmmakers, which in turn, leads us into the films most devestating aspects. There are many ghastly atrocities commited in the first half of the film, but what proceeds to unfold in it's final half hour/45 minutes is nothing compared ot the first.The film still stands today as a grueling testimony to the ugliness of 70's ultra violent exploitation filmmaking; it is remarkable viewing, but it's also not for everyone. Everything you have heard about this film stands true on it's own terms, and is a must see for anybody with the stomach to take it.One of the most devastating atrocities ever commited to cinema. A true nightmare.Read full review