If there is any doubt that truth in advertising
exists, Cannibal Holocaust should put an
end to the argument. Cannibal Holocaust delivers
on every promise it makes, on every positive and negative
word that has ever been spit out of the mouths of its fans
and opponents. Everything you’ve heard about the film
is true, and that should give you a very good idea whether
or not this is a film for you.
 Oh,
except for the fact that it was originally advertised as a
true story. Yeah… That was fake.
Cannibal Holocaust (for the uninitiated)
can be seen as the prototype for things like The Blair
Witch Project, reality TV, or, for the far more cynical
(or level-headed depending on who you talk to), even Michael
Moore documentaries. When four American documentary filmmakers
disappear in the bowels of the Amazon’s Green Inferno,
Professor Harold Monroe must travel the same route, interact
with the people who led the documentarians to their doom,
and come face-to-face with cannibals who have no problem with
de-fetusing a woman and all sorts of other crazy, wacky shit
like that.
 Monroe
and his group manage to make good with the Yanomamo tribe
by distracting them with technology that consists of a switchblade,
a tape recorder, and cocaine. Okay, I’ll buy that cannibals
are easily impressed with technology that surpasses a sharp
rock, but is it really wise to give them switchblades and
blow? Cannibals alone are pretty scary, but coked up cannibals? That would be like giving zombies fully operational
chainsaw arms and legs(I call them Chainsawbies!).
Thankfully all of Monroe’s questions are answered when
he spies a sculpture made out of skeletal remains and camera
equipment, along with a collection of film canisters. The
Yanomamo allows the group to take the material home after
Monroe enjoys a late night snack. Monroe makes his way to
New York to review the footage with the  producers
of the film. But what Monroe finds isn’t exactly what
he expected.
While the footage starts off with a few serene shots of jungle
landscape, things start to devolve into madness. The group
depicted on film finds themselves killing and eating a turtle.
What should come off as an honest need for sustenance turns
into a snuff film: the camera lingering on the turtle, the
group smiling for the camera, and an axe chopping through
the underside of the turtle’s shell. Another blow is
dealt when Felipe the navigator dies of a nasty snakebite.
It’s obvious to see that Alan Yates, the director of
the found footage, is far more concerned with capturing the
moment of Felipe’s agonizing death than with helping
the man. Yes, something is wrong with this picture. (If that
isn't  enough
to suggest that these guys were colossal twats, witness as
they torch an entire village full of natives for a good shot.)
Like all good love stories, the villains must be brutally
tortured, raped and killed by the end of the film. Cannibal
Holocaust turns into a frantic orgy of castration,
decapitation, rape, and gut munching. Monroe reflects on the
actions taken by the young group of filmmakers and asks himself,
“I wonder who the real cannibals are?” I’m
surprised a big red flashing sign saying, “PAY ATTENTION,
THIS IS THE MORAL OF THE STORY,” didn’t flash
on screen.
I have to admit my first and only experience with Cannibal
Holocaust was in the form of a heavily edited, 10th
generation, unsubtitled German dub. Needless to say I was
slightly lost. Finally seeing the film complete and uncut,
in English, is pretty much an eye-opening experience. While
the social commentary is distributed with the grace and dignity
of a jackhammer being driven through sheet metal in a bullhorn factory, all
the concentration has been placed on the “found”
documentary footage. And rightfully so - the carnage that
takes place on screen is some of the most horrifying I’ve
ever seen in a film. I can’t imagine the film being
any less than a punch to the gut for most people. While the
crew is set up as the most despicable human waste imaginable,
no one deserves their fate. This is a film that dares you
to root for their deaths, then delivers with such ruthlessness
that you’re almost ashamed of yourself.
The back of the DVD case claims that this is “the one
that goes all the way!” They’re not kidding.
Image Quality:
A surprisingly pleasing transfer, clear and sharp
with very good color (The greens in the jungle scenes are
particularly striking). Though there’s a slight amount
of grain (or quite a bit if it’s from the film-within-a-film
documentary footage) throughout the 35mm material, the 16mm
footage is a heavy contrast full of intentional grain and
dirt specks for an authentic, atmospheric look.
Sound Quality
While the original Mono soundtrack
has received a 2.0 stereo remix, there’s nothing much
to write about. It’s clear.
The dialogue is easy to understand. The  soundtrack
blares its ‘70s Italian
horror-ness with a nice amount of bass.
For purists, there’s even the original soundtrack included.
Nothing to complain about here.
Extras
Coming in a sturdy hardbound-book case, this two-disc set
has a nice selection of goodies. Most important to a lot of
people is going to be the Animal Cruelty-free version which edits outs the real animal violence. Enjoy all the harmless
human decapitations while avoiding the killing-for-food scenes!
Also available on Disc 1 is an audio commentary featuring director Ruggero Deodato and actor Robert Kerman.
If it’s more to your liking, there is also an on
camera commentary, which features the two sitting in
a room watching the film. Not the most visually interesting
feature, but it’s a nice addition. While the back of
the box might label it “provocative,” the track
is fairly genial. While on the dry side, the personal opinion
comes at a steady pace without much silence. Leisurely would
be a good description.
Finally, there is a collection of theatrical trailers (Italian, German, American and a general international-release
trailer), a collection of tongue-in-cheek biographies for
the characters under Inside the Green Inferno, and
a slightly extended version of The Last Road to Hell.
Over on Disc 2 you’ll find the hour-long documentary In the Jungle: The Making of Cannibal Holocaust.
Covering more information than the commentary, this manages
to get most of the crew to give their opinion on the film,
though most of the cast is nowhere to be found.
 The interviews section features interviews with actors
Robert Kerman, Gabriel Yorke, and composer Riz Ortolani. With
a quicker pace than the commentary track, though not as in-depth
as the documentary, these clips are well worth viewing, especially
Gabriel Yorke’s interview, where he reveals that his
role was won based on shoe size. Also look for Robert Kerman
getting into a heated debate with Grindhouse films when he
requests the company take some of the animal violence out
of the film. In fact, Kerman’s interview here is a definite
highlight, as he goes from soft-spoken to aggravated about
two-thirds of the way through the interview. By the end, he’s
asking if his interview will even show up on the DVD. Fun!
 If
you want a goofy metal video, there’s Necrophagia’s Cannibal Holocaust music video. Directed by The Manson
Family’s Jim Van Bebber, this little ray of sunshine
runs nearly seven minutes and features a keyboard intro played
by some band member’s girlfriend, I’m sure.
Rounding out the video portion of the extras is a collection
of trailers featuring a few extra cannibal films
(the trailers alone have a great deal of real animal violence
in them), along with a bizarre mafia film titled Gone
With The Pope, which managed to sell me on the upcoming
disc in under two minutes flat.
And finally we have a nice music-filled still gallery that covers everything from production stills to publicity
materials, and biographies/filmographies for Ruggero
Deodato, Robert Kerman and Gabriel Yorke.
Overall
After 25 years, Cannibal Holocaust still manages to be controversial and horrifying, yet due
to its technical achievements, the film feels fresh and undated.
The disc delivers in every possible way, with great video
and audio, and a wide selection of extras that allow the participants
to be as candid and brutally honest as possible. One of the
best cult/genre DVDs I’ve seen all year.
|
